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MEMOIRS 


OP 


REV.   GEORGE  WHITEFIELD 


BY  JOHN  GILLIES,  D.  D. 


REVISED  AND  CORRECTED 


LARGE  ADDITIONS  AND  IMPROVEMENTS. 

TO   WHICH   13   APPENDED 

AN  EXTENSIVE  COLLECTION 

OP    HIJ» 

SERMONS  AND  OTHER  WRITINGS. 


And  they  that  be  wipc  Bball  sliine  aa  the  briditness  of  tlie  f  rmament ;  and  they  lljat  turn  mary 
righleouBness,  as  the  stars,  for  ever  and  ever.— DANiTiL  \ii.  3. 


MIDDLETOWN : 
PUBLISHED  BY  HUNT  &  N0yE3. 

1836. 


Elntered  according  to  the  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1834,  by 

Whitmore  &  Buckingham  and  H.  Mansfield, 

in  the  Clerk's  office  of  the  District  Court  of  Connecticut. 


INTRODUCTION. 


For  most  men,  the  worth  and  influence  of  a  book,  other  things  being  equal, 
is  greatly  modified  by  their  estimation  of  its  author.  The  circumstance  of  a 
personal  acquaintance  with,  or  knowledge  of  a  man,  especially  when  it  com- 
bines itself  with  our  most  venerable  and  holy  remembrances,  imparts  a  life- 
like freshness  and  reality  to  his  recorded  doings  and  sayings,  the  efiect  of 
which,  when  contrasted  with  the  same  things  done  and  said  by  a  person  alien 
and  unknown  to  us,  may  be  fairly  illustrated  by  the  comparative  power  of 
oral  and  written  discourse.  No  individual,  in  these  latter  days,  has  so  identi- 
fied himself  with  the  growth  and  spread  of  practical  religion,  in  England  and 
America,  as  Whitefield.  Divines  and  theologians  there  have  been,  and  still 
are,  not  a  few  of  far  greater  depth,  acuteness  and  comprehension.  They  are 
burning  and  shining  lights,  and  revolve  with  no  rival  or  secondary  glory  in 
their  appointed  spheres.  They  have  done  well,  and  to  them  be  awarded  all 
due  honor  and  praise.  Whitefield  cannot  and  would  not  measure  strength 
with  them  here.  It  was  appointed  to  him  to  preach  ;  and  before  a  crowd  of 
drowsy  worldlings,  be  to  him  the  honor  of  having  no  equal  or  rival  in  the  ser- 
vice of  his  Master.  To  compare  Whitefield  with  Edwards  is  impossible  and 
absurd.  It  is  like  comparing  Sir  Isaac  Newton  with  Milton,  as  intellectual 
giants,  or  the  air  with  the  earth,  as  the  conditions  of  animal  existence.  Like 
his  Master,  "  who  had  a  mountain  for  his  pulpit,  and  the  heavens  for  his  soimd- 
ing-board  ;  and  who  when  his  gospel  was  refused  by  the  Jews,  sent  his  servants 
into  the  high-ways  and  hedges;"  he  imprisoned  not  his  voice  within  the  bounds 
of  ecclesiastical  limitation,  but  going  forth  into  a  temple  not  made  with  hands, 
he  bore  the  glad  tidings  of  the  gospel  as  far  as  the  air  would  reverberate  them, 
to  as  many  of  those  speaking  his  vernacular  tongue  as  the  measure  of  his 
health,  strength,  and  years  would  allow.  Probably  no  one  since  Luther  and 
Calvin  has  been  such  a  chosen  vessel  for  bearing  the  errands  of  mercy  to  the 
multitude ;  no  one  has  been  so  gifted  with  an  almost  inherent  aptitude  for  con- 
verting his  very  adversities  and  afflictions  into  instruments,  without  which 
the  very  end  which  they  were  intended  to  frustrate  would  have  been  far  less 
successfully  accomplished.  In  this  country  especially,  his  name  will  be  af- 
fectionately and  reverently  reverted  to,  as  having  struck  an  almost  miraculous 


pt  INTRODUCTION. 

life  into  a  lethargic  church,  and  as  having  put  to  shame  the  contemptuous  in* 
difference  of  unbelievers.  Under  God,  he  changed  our  steril  religious  wastes 
into  verdant,  heavenly  pastures,  and  sowed  on  good  ground  those  seeds  of 
practical  piety,  whose  fruits  yet  bless  and  ennoble  us  in  the  institutions  and 
liabits  that  have  been  handed  down  to  us  from  the  religion  of  the  last  genera- 
tion. More  than  any  other  he  is  sacredly  embalmed  in  the  religious  remem- 
brances of  this  people.  No  apology,  it  is  presumed,  is  needed,  now  that  his 
life  and  va-ilings  are  out  of  the  market,  and  out  of  print,  for  publishing  the 
present  volume.  The  religious  wants  of  our  people  demand  it.  And  few 
books  are  so  inwoven  with  those  endearing  affections  and  interests  that  lead  to 
an  earnest  and  profitable  perusal. 

The  volume  consists  of  a  Memoir,  and  some  of  his  published  productions. 
So  far  as  is  known,  no  edition  of  his  Memoirs  has  been  published  since  the 
year  181-2,  when  two  editions  appeared  simultaneously;  one,  the  original,  un- 
altered narrative  of  Dr.  Gillies,  in  New  Haven ;  the  other,  the  same  narra- 
tive revised  and  considerably  amplified  by  Mr.  Seymour,  in  Philadelphia. 
The  original  work  of  Dr.  Gillies  is,  for  the  most  part,  a  mere  compilation.  It 
consists  of  bare  details  of  incidents,  so  disposed  as  seldom  to  point  us  to  those 
individual  peculiarities  in  which  they  had  their  origin,  or  bear  along  with 
themselves  the  distinct  features  and  lineaments  of  Whitefield's  character.  The 
style  too,  is  dry  and  careless.  It  contains,  however,  the  facts  which  must  be 
the  basis  of  all  other  Memoirs  of  this  wonderful  man.  Mr.  Seymour  essen- 
tially improved  it,  by  remodelling,  to  a  great  extent,  the  phraseology  ;  by  in- 
corporating many  newly  discovered  facts,  anecdotes,  and  accounts  of  several 
active  contemporary  characters,  tending  to  variegate  the  narrative,  and  throw 
light  upon  Whitefield's  course ;  and  finally,  by  many  of  his  own  reflections 
and  suggestions,  giving  method  to  the  whole  work,  and  prominence  and  dis- 
tinctness to  the  noticeable  traits  in  Whitefield.  In  this  latter  respect,  how- 
ever, it  remained  too  deficient  and  feeble  :  and  in  this  view — the  only  end  for 
•which  biography  is  desirable,  it  is  believed  that  the  present  edition  considera- 
bly surpasses  all  that  have  preceded  it.  The  chapters  at  the  beginning  and 
close  of  the  Memoirs  Avill  be  found  to  be  in  the  main  new,  and  to  elucidate  his 
character  beyond  any  former  editions.  In  order  to  enhance  the  value  of  the 
book,  and  not  his  own  reputation,  the  Editor  has  not  scrupled  to  appropriate 
and  imbody  in  the  narrative,  whatever  came  to  his  knowledge  within  the 
brief  time  allotted  to  him  for  the  revisal,  calculated  to  illustrate  the  character 
of  its  subject.  He  has  frequently  incorporated  matter  from  other  books,  some- 
times slightly  modified,  and  sometimes  altogether  unchanged,  as  seemed  most 
conducive  to  his  purpose.  To  Southey's  Life  of  Wesley,  this  volume  is  espe- 
cially indebted.    This  general  acknowledgment,  he  trusts,  is  sufficient,  and 


INTRODUCTION.  T- 

is  inserted  here  on  account  of  a  reluctance  to  break  the  contiguity  of  the  nar- 
ration by  particular  quotations  and  references.  Some  slight  emendations  of 
phraseology  are  also  peculiar  to  this  edition.  On  the  whole,  it  is  believed  that 
the  Memoirs  have  received  some  important  improvements. 

The  collection  of  Sermons  and  other  writings  which  fill  the  latter  half  of 
the  volume,  have  for  the  most  part  not  been  extensively  circulated  in  this 
country.  The  only  volume  of  his  Works,  with  which  the  public  at  large  is 
acquainted,  is  a  small  volume  of  extempore  Sermons,  taken  in  short-hand  by 
Mr.  Gurney.  To  say  nothing  of  the  circumstances  that  these  were  impro- 
perly transcribed,  as  Mr.  Whitefield  often  complains,  extemporary  effusions 
excited  by  a  transient  impulse  from  the  present  feelings  and  passions  of  an 
assembly,  lose  all  their  point  and  force  with  the  disappearance  of  the  man  and 
the  occasion.  It  is  often  difficult  to  discover  the  greatness  of  speeches  on  paper, 
whose  viva  voce  delivery  held  an  audience  fast  bound,  as  it  were,  in  a  superna- 
tural spell.  Many  find  it  hard  to  comprehend  the  excellence  of  Demosthenes' 
Orations,  and  the  recorded  speeches  of  the  giants  of  the  British  Parliament, 
leave  but  faint  traces  of  the  mastery  which  moved  at  will  a  grave  and  obsti- 
nate assembly  of  legislators.  The  reason  is,  that  the  business  of  the  orator  is 
to  kindle  emotions  from  his  o\vn  breast  to  the  hearts  oi  his  auditors ;  and  he 
knows  little  of  the  practical,  or  what  philosophers  call  the  "  active  and  moral 
powers"  in  man,  who  has  not  learned  that  not  mere  logic  or  demonstration 
reaches  the  inmost  springs  of  action,  though  it  may  be,  and  most  often  is  the  fittest 
medium  or  duct  for  conveying  the  vital  warmth  from  soul  to  soul.  The  convic- 
tion of  earnestness  and  seriousness  in  the  speaker  is  the  most  indispensable  ele- 
ment of  powerful  oratory.  A  pointed  anecdote,  or  vivacious  illustration,  while 
it  keeps  alive  attention  by  its  variety  and  novelty,  will  oftentimes  involve,  and 
lead  unschooled  men  to  recognise  and  admit  a  truth,  when  a  logical  and  pro- 
found analysis  would  be  tame,  dry,  and  far  aloof  from  their  apprehensions,  and 
especially,  their  practical  feelings.  All  who  have  had  any  successful  experience 
in  addressing  puolic  bodies,  know  this  ;  and  they  soon  learn  that  a  scholar-like 
exhaustion  of  a  topic,  and  the  winning  of  an  audience  to  the  desired  views  in 
regard  to  it,  are  very  different  things.  Hence  the  sense  of  disappointment  felt 
by  most  speakers  on  their  first  appearance  in  public,  at  seeing  their  finely  ela- 
borated performances  go  off  as  dull  and  uninteresting,  when  the  free  and  care- 
less, yet  hearty  appeals  of  others  stir  and  enchant  the  multitude.  Hence  too, 
a  self-possessed  man  varies  his  mode  of  presenting  a  subject,  from  the  form 
in  which  it  lay  in  his  mind  after  first  analyzing  it,  as  circumstances  and  his 
immediate  aim  demand.  This  variation  is  always  in  the  way  of  simplifying 
and  breaking  up  all  those  logical  connections,  which  would  have  given  it  eclat 
before  a  society  of  scholars.     Thus,  a  man  may  write  and  extemporize  on  the 


Yl  INTRODUCTION, 

same  text,  and  his  two  performances  will  be  likely  to  be  very  different,  so  that 
while  his  spoken  discourse  is  superior  for  present  efiect,  his  written  one  is  no 
less  so  for  the  judgment  of  after  critics.  From  the  transcripts  of  Whitefield's 
extempore  sermons  taken  by  Mr.  Gurncy,  his  sermons  have  been  judged  to  be 
of  so  low  an  order  as  not  to  justify  his  great  celebrity.  They  are  a  motley 
compound  of  anecdotes  and  fragmentary  bursts  of  passion,  and  no  way  indi- 
cate depth,  comprehensiveness,  or  sustained  energy  and  brilliancy.  But  it 
should  be  remembered,  that  Whitefield  habitually  had  all  ranks  for  hearers  ; 
and  that  his  lively  and  playful  trivialities  even,  might  have  been  entertaining 
and  exhilarating  to  a  mob,  which  would  have  retired  from  the  massive  sermons 
of  Howe  or  Edwards.  He  was  engaged  mainly  in  calling  sinners  to  repent- 
ance; and  a  very  different  manner  may  be  suited  to  the  business  of  first 
urging  on  men  ^ittention  to  religion,  from  what  is  fitted  to  instruct  them  in  its 
duties  and  doctrines  when  they  have  become  attentive.  Discourses  will  be 
likely  to  suffer  in  the  judgment  of  after  times,  greatly  in  proportion  as  they 
have  been  so  diluted  and  adapted  as  to  lay  hold  of  and  interest  an  unthinking 
crowd.  Whoever  will  look  through  Mr.  Gurney's  volume,  while  he  sees  no 
great  and  far-reaching  thoughts  will  see  no  contemptible  degree  of  intellect  in 
the  preacher's  avoidance  of  them,  and  his  exquisite  skill  and  tact  in  shaping 
his  matter  to  the  purpose  before  him.  Some  sermons  have  been  inserted  from 
it,  in  order  to  exhibit  Whitefield's  incomparable  power  of  commanding  cir- 
cumstances, and  interesting  whatever  was  before  him. 

The  collection,  however,  will  be  chiefly  from  sermons  written  and  published 
by  himself.  It  is  believed  that  they  will  verify  the  preceding  hints,  and  set 
forth  their  author  in  a  far  more  advantageous  light,  than  that  in  which  those 
of  his  works  most  extensively  known  to  the  public  have  placed  him.  Their 
merit  is  not  in  their  theological  depth  and  subtlety,  but  in  that  higher  demon- 
stration of  the  Spirit,  the  unction,  the  life,  the  fervency,  which  marked  the 
man  in  word  and  deed.  It  is  believed,  that  if  read  with  the  true  end  of  ser- 
monizing in  view,  they  will  bear  a  favorable  comparison  with  any  sermons  of 
this  age,  especially  if  we  consider  the  demands  of  his  hearers,  A  polemical 
tract  is  also  inserted,  in  order  to  show  his  temper  and  power  in  this  field. 

The  publication  of  this  book  was  imperiously  called  for,  both  on  account  of 
its  scarcity  in  the  market,  and  the  rich  unction,  which  its  circulation  will  be 
likely  to  breathe  through  the  religious  community.  That  it  may  awaken  sin- 
ners and  quicken  saints,  is  the  prayer  of  its  Editor  ;  who,  with  thanks  to  his 
friends  for  their  kind  suggestions,  presents  the  book  to  the  public  as  a  worthy, 
and  he  hopes,  an  acceptable  offering;  not  doubting,  that  it  may  avail  to  the 
stirring  up  of  the  pure  minds  of  some,  by  way  of  remembrance. 


CONTENTS. 


MEMOIRS  OF  VVHITEFIELD. 

Chap.  I. — Comprehending  the  period  from  his  birth  to  his  becoming  a 

member  of  the  University  of  Oxford,        ------        9 

Chap.  II.— From  the  time  of  his  admission  to  the  University  of  Oxford, 

to  his  embarking  for  Georgia,  A.  D.  1737,  -----      12 

Chap.  III. — From  the  time  of  his  embarking  for  Georgia,  to  his  re- 
embarking  for  England,  1738,  ---.-.-15 

Chap.  IV. — From  his  embarking  at  Charleston  for  London,  to  his  preach- 
ing first  at  Moorfields,  1739,  33 

Chap.  V. — From  his  preaching  in  Moorfields,  &c.  to  his  laying  the  fomi- 

dation  of  the  Orphan-house  in  Georgia,  1740,  _        .        -        -      41 

Chap.  VI. — From  his  laying  the  foundation  of  his  Orphan-house  in 

Georgia,  to  his  arrival  in  England,  1711,  -        ...        -      46 

Chap.  VII. — His  separation  from  Wesley,  and  the  circumstances  attend- 
ing it,  about  the  period  of  his  return  to  London,  1741,  -        -      55 

Chap.  VIII. — From  the  establishment  of  the  church  in  Moorfields  un- 
der Mr.  Cennick,  and  his  visit  through  Scotland,  till  his  departure 
from  Edinburgh,  with  some  letters  showing  his  reception  in  that 
country,  1741,  68 

Chap.  IX. — From  his  leaving  Edinburgh,  1741,  to  his  return  to  that  city, 

in  the  year  1742, 83 

Chap.  X. — From  his  arrival  in  Scotland,  1742,  to  his  return  to  London 

the  same  year,  ---_----._      86 

Chap,  XI. — From  his  arrival  in  London,  in  the  year  1742,  to  his  embark- 
ing for  America,  1744,       --.------94 

Chap.  XII.— From  his  embarking  for  America,  1744,  to  his  going  to  the 

Bermudas,  1748, 102 

Chap.  XIII.— From  his  arrival  at  Bermudas,  to  his  return  to  London, 

July,  1748, 108 

Chap.  XIV.— From  his  arrival  in  London,  1748,  to  his  going  to  Ireland, 

1751, 117 

Chap.  XV.— From  his  first  visit  to  Ireland,  to  his  opening  a  new  Taber- 
nacle in  London,  1753, -    137 

Chap.  XVI.— From  his  opening  the  nev.-  Tabernacle  in  Moorfield.s,  to  his 

preaching  at  the  chapel  in  Tottenham-court  road,  1756,  -        -    144 

Chap.  XVII.— From  his  opening  ihe  chapel  in  Tottenham-court  road,  to 

hi.s  arrival  in  Edinburgh,  1759, 167 

Chap.  XVIII.— From  his  arrival  in  Edinburgh,  1759,  to  his  opening  the 

Countess  of  Huntingdon's  chapel  at  Bath,  17G5,       -       -       -       -    173 


Viii  CONTENTS. 

Chap.  XIX.— From  his  opening  Lady  Huntingdon's  chapel  at  Bath,  to 

his  embarking  for  America,  17G9, 183 

Chap.  XX. — From  his  last  embarking  for  America,  to  his  death,  Sep- 
tember 30,  1770,         ...        -        - 193 

Chap.  XXI. — Extracts  from  some  of  the  funeral  sermons  preached  on 

the  occasion  of  his  death,           __._-..-  221 

Chap.  XXII. — An  examination  of  Mr.  Whitefield's  character  as  an 

Orator,  Preacher,  and  Christian,      -------  257 

Appendix,         .-»---------  275 

SERMONS. 

Sermon  I. — The  Lord  our  Righteousness,        ------  297 

Sermon  II. — The  Seed  of  the  Woman,  and  the  Seed  of  the  Serpent,      -  31*2 

Sermon  III. — Persecution  every  Christian's  Lot,     -----  327 

Sermon  IV. — Abraham's  offering  up  h^s  son  Isaac,         -        -        -        -  339 

Sermon  V. — Saul's  Conversion,       --------  351 

Sermon  VI. — Christ  the  Believer's  wisdom,  righteousness,  sanctilication, 

and  redemption,         ----------  365 

Sermon  VII.— The  Pharisee  and  Publican, 378 

Sermon  VIII. — The  Holy  Spirit  convincing  the  world  of  sin,  righteous- 
ness, and  judgment,           ---------  389 

Sermon  IX. — The  conversion  of  Zaccheus,    ------  402 

Sermon  X. — The  power  of  Christ's  Resurrection,  -----  414 

Sermon  XI. — The  ilidwelling  of  the  Spirit  the  common  privilege  of  all 

Believers,         -----------  423 

Sermon  XII.— The  eternity  of  Hell  Torments, 434 

Sermon  XIII. — The  great  duty  of  Family  Religion,       -        -        *  443 

Sermon  XIV.— The  Method  of  Grace,             454 

Sermon  XV. — The  wise  and  foolish  Virgins,           ----..  168 

Sermon  XVI. — Christ  the  Believer's  Refuge. — A  funeral  sermon,          -  484 

Sermon  XVII.— Soul  Prosperity,     - 496 

Sermon  XVIII.— Soul  Dejection,     --------  506 

Sermon  X IX. — The  gospel,  a  dying  saint's  Triumph. — A  funeral  sermon,  516 

Sermon  XX.— Jacob's  Ladder. — A  farewell  sermon,       -        -        -        -  529 

Sermon  XXL— God  a  Believer's  Glory,           ------  541 

Sermon  XXII.— The  Burnmg  Bush,        -----.-  553 

Sermon  XXIII.— The  Lord  our  Light,    -------  56I 

Sermon  XXIV. — Self-inquiry  concerning  the  work  of  God,           -        -  571 

Sermon  XXV.— Neglect  of  Christ  ihe  killing  sin,          -        -        -        -  533 

Sermon  XXVI. — The  Good  Shepherd.— A  farewell  sermon,          -        -  594 
Sermon  XXVI I. — A  faithful  minister's  parting  blessing. — A  farewell 

sermon, 607 

MISCELLANEOUS. 

A  Short  Address  to  persons  of  all  Denominations,  &c.            -        -        -  618 

Letter  to  the  Rev.  John  Wesley,       --.----,  626 

An  inquiry  into  the  first  and  chief  reason  why  the  generality  of  chris- 
tians fall  so  far  short  of  the  holiness  and  devotion  of  Christianity,  642 


MEMOIRS 


OF  THE 


REV.  GEORGE  WHITEFIELR 


CHAPTER  I. 


Comprehending  the  period  from  his  birth  to  his  becoming  a  member 
of  the  University  of  Oaford. 

That  eminent  and  singularly  gifted  man  of  God,  whose  life, 
services  and  character  are  now  to  be  delineated,  has  left  few 
memorials  important  to  be  recorded  in  a  chapter  confined  to 
the  above  mentioned  period  of  his  life.  Whitefield's  gifts — ■ 
especially  those  which  he  did  not  possess  in  common  with  other 
men — were,  in  an  extraordinary  degree,  the  peculiar  endow- 
ments of  the  Preacher  and  of  the  Preacher  merely.  Of  course, 
whatever  was  characteristic  in  him,  or  excited  an  interest  not 
felt  concerning  ordinary  men,  did  not  appear  with  great  power 
or  distinctness  in  any  other  sphere  or  relation.  Of  Whitefield, 
the  scholar,  the  philosopher,  the  theologian,  little  can  be  said, 
which  might  not  as  fitly  be  said  of  a  common  clergyman. 
That  portion  of  his  life,  therefore,  which  was  not  passed  in 
the  ministry,  or  in  preparation  for  it,  contains  nothing  entitled 
to  more  than  a  brief  notice.  Nor  does  much  lie  open  to  us 
respecting  his  genealogy  or  family  relations,  that  is  worthy  to 
sv/ell  the  chapter. 

George  Whitefield  was  born  at  Bell  Inn,  in  the  city  of 
Gloucester,  on  the  16th  day  of  December,  O.  S.  1714.  His 
great  grandfather  was  born  at  Wantage,  in  Berkshire,  and  was 
Rector  of  North  I.edyard  in  Wiltshire.  Of  his  seven  children 
two  were  sons ;  Samuel,  who  succeeded  his  father  in  the  cure 
of  Rockhampton,  whither  he  had  removed  from  North  Led- 
yard :  and  Andrew,  who  retired  upon  his  estate,  as  a  private 
gentleman.     He  had  fourteen  children,  of  whom  Thomas,  the 


10  MEMOIRS    OP   WHITEFIELD. 

eldest,  was  the  father  of  the  subject  of  these  memoirs.  He 
was  first  bred  to  the  employment  of  a  wine  merchant  in  Bristol, 
but  afterwards  kept  mi  inn  in  the  city  of  Gloucester.  In 
Bristol  he  married  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Edwards,  by  whom  he  had 
six  sons  and  one  daughter.  Of  these  George  was  the  young- 
est. Being  bereft  of  his  father  at  the  helpless  age  of  two  years, 
he  was  regarded  by  his  mother  with  peculiar  tenderness,  and 
educated  with  more  than  ordinary  care. 

In  a  character  so  unparalleled  for  the  intensity  of  its  reli- 
gious fervor,  energy  and  decision,  it  would  be  a  satisfaction  to 
know  how  far  its  earlier  instincts  and  feehngs  corresponded 
with,  or  guided  it  towards  its  after  career.  Of  Whitefield, 
little  has  reached  the  light  in  regard  to  this  matter,  save  from 
his  own  subsequent  confessions.  Judged  by  the  terrible  scru- 
tiny of  his  own  severe  standard  of  self-examination  in  after 
life,  he  was  pre-eminently  debased,  and  proved  his  native 
depravity  of  disposition  by  a  series  of  most  wantonly  wicked 
actions ;  yet,  his  conscience  was,  at  this  time,  tender  enough  to 
excite  remorse  and  penitence  for  his  youthful  freaks,  and  to  ren- 
der him  easy  to  be  affected  by  religious^ruth.  He  describes  him- 
self as  fro  ward  from  his  mother's  womb ;  so  brutish  as  to  hate 
instruction  ;  stealing  from  his  mother's  pocket,  and  frequently 
appropriating  to  his  own  use  the  money  that  he  took  in  the 
house.  "  If  I  trace  myself,"  he  says,  "  from  my  cradle  to  my  man- 
hood, I  can  see  nothing  in  me  but  a  fitness  to  be  damned :  and  if 
the  Almighty  had  not  prevented  me  by  his  grace,  I  had  now 
either  been  sitting  in  darkness  and  in  the  shadow  of  death,  or 
condemned,  as  the  due  reward  of  my  crimes,  to  be  forever  lifting 
up  my  eyes  in  torments."  Yet  AVhitefield  could  trace  early 
movings  of  his  heart,  which  satisfied  him  in  after  life,  that  "  God 
loved  him  with  an  everlasting  love,  and  had  separated  him 
even  from  his  mother's  woml^,  for  the  work  to  which  He  after- 
wards was  pleased  to  call  him."  He  had  a  devout  disposition 
and  a  tender  heart,  so  far  as  these  terms  can  fitly  characterize 
unrcgenerate  men.  When  he  was  about  ten  years  old,  his 
mother  made  a  second  marriage :  it  proved  an  unhappy  one. 
During  the  affliction  to  which  this  led,  his  brother  used  to  read 
aloud  Bishop  Ken's  Manuel  for  Winchester  scholars.  This 
book  affected  George  Whitefield  greatly ;  and  when  the  corpo- 
ration, at  their  annual  visitation  of  St.  Mary  de  Crypt's  school, 
where  he  was  educated,  gave  him.  according  to  custom,  money 
for  the  speeches  whicli  he  was  chosen  to  deliver,  he  purchased 
the  book,  and  found  it,  he  says,  a  great  benefit  to  his  soul. 

Between  the  years  of  twelve  and  fifteen,  he  made  good  pro- 
gress in  the  Latin  classics,  at  this  public  school ;  and  his  native 
powers  of  eloquence  began  to  be  developed,  even  at  that  early 


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MEMOIRS    OF    WHITEFIELD.  11 

period,  in  the  speeches  which  he  dehvered  at  the  annual  visita- 
tions. The  applause  awarded  to  him  on  these  occasions  pro- 
ably  contributed  to  his  fondness  for  theatrical  amusements. 
Hence  some  have  affected  to  believCj  or,  at  least,  insinuated, 
that  he  derived  his  oratory  from  the  stage.  This  imputation 
is  utterly  untrue.  It  would  be  more  proper  to  say,  that  his 
talents  for  elocution,  which  enabled  him  afterwards  to  become 
so  great  a  performer  in  the  pulpit,  were  at  this  time  in  some 
danger  of  receiving  a  theatrical  direction.  The  boys  at  the 
grammar  school  were  fond  of  acting  plays  :  the  master,  "  seeing 
how  their  vein  ran,"  encouraged  it,  and  composed  a  dramatic 
piece  himself,  which  they  represented  before  the  corporation, 
and  in  which  Whitefield  acted  a  woman's  part,  and  appeared 
in  girl's  clothes.  The  remembrance  of  this,  he  says,  had  often 
covered  him  with  confusion  of  face,  and  he  hoped  it  would  do 
so  even  to  the  end  of  his  life  !  Oratory,  particularly  that  de- 
partment of  it  which  consists  in  graceful  and  energetic  deliveryj 
was  so  native  to  him,  that  he  might  more  justly  be  said  to 
communicate  it  to  the  stao^e  than  the  stasfe  to  him.  No  sensi- 
ble  person  who  was  acquainted  with  him,  could  fail  to  see,  that 
his  eloquence  was  the  natural,  spontaneous  action  of  that  pe- 
culiar assemblage  of  powers  with  which  God  had  endow- 
ed him. 

Nevertheless,  he  seems  to  have  been  unconscious  of  his 
endowment,  or  without  the  means  of  developing  it,  and  entering 
into  a  profession  requiring  it.  Before  he  was  fifteen,  he  per- 
suaded his  mother  to  take  him  from  school,  saying,  that  she 
could  not  place  him  at  the  university,  and  more  learning  would 
spoil  him  for  a  tradesman.  Her  own  circumstances,  indeed, 
were  by  this  tuTie  so  much  on  the  decline,  that  his  menial  ser- 
vices were  required  :  he  began  occasionally  to  assist  her  in  the 
public  house,  till  at  length  he  "  put  on  jiis  blue  apron,  washed 
mops,  cleaned  rooms,  and  became  a  professed  and  common 
drawer."  In  the  little  leisure  which  such  employments  allow- 
ed, he  composed  two  or  three  sermons ;  and  the  romances, 
which  had  been  his  heart's  delight,  gave  place  awhile  to  I'ho- 
mas  a  Kempis.  One  of  these  sermons  was  dedicated  to  his 
eldest  brother. 

When  he  had  been  about  a  year  in  this  servile  occupation, 
the  inn  was  made  over  to  a  mari-ied  brother,  and  George, 
being  accustomed  to  the  house,  continued  there  as  an  assistant. 
His  mother,  though  her  means  were  scanty,  permitted  him  to 
have  a  bed  upon  the  ground  in  her  house,  and  live  with  her, 
till  Providence  should  point  out  a  place  for  him.  The  v/ay 
was  soon  indicated.  A  servitor  of  Pembroke  Collefre  called 
upon  his  mother,  and  in  the  course  of  the  conversa'tion  told 


12  MEMOIRS    OP    WHITEFIELD. 

her,  that  after  all  his  college  expenses  were  discharged  for  that 
quarter,  he  had  received  a  penny.  She  immediately  cried 
out,  this  will  do  for  my  son ;  and  turning  to  him  said,  Will 
you  go  to  Oxford,  George?  Happening  to  have  the  same 
friends  as  this  young  man,  she  waited  on  them  without  delay : 
they  promised  their  interest  to  obtain  a  servitors  place  in  the 
same  college,  and  in  reliance  upon  this,  George  returned  to  the 
gammar  school.  Here  he  applied  closely  to  his  books,  and 
shaking  off,  by  the  strong  effort  of  a  religious  mind,  all  evil 
and  idle  courses,  produced,  by  the  influence  of  his  talents  and 
example,  some  reformation  among  his  school-fellows.  The 
impressions  of  religion  now  began  to  deepen  upon  him :  and 
at  the  age  of  seventeen  he  received  sacrament  of  the  Lord's 
supper.  He  now  became  more  and  more  watchful,  both  over 
his  heart  and  conversation.  He  attended  public  service  con- 
stantly, received  the  sacrament  monthly,  fasted  often,  and  prayed 
frequently  more  than  twice  a  day  in  private.  Tlius,  at  the  time 
of  completing  his  preparation  for  Oxford,  we  find  him  mainly 
absorbed  in  the  great  business  of  religion. 


CHAPTER  II. 

From  the  time  of  his  admission  to  the  University  of  Oxford^  to  his 
embarking  for  Georgia^  1737. 

At  the  age  of  eighteen  Mr.  Whitefield  was  removed  to  Ox- 
ford ;  the  recommendation  of  his  friends  was  successful ;  another 
friend  borrowed  for  him  ten  pcjrmds  to  defray  the  expense  of 
entering ;  and  with  a  good  fortune  beyond  his  hopes,  he  was 
admitted  servitor  immediately.  He  felt  the  advantage  of  having 
been  trained  up  in  a  public  house ;  his  skill  and  diligence  in 
liis  occupation  led  many  to  seek  his  attendance  ;  and  thus, 
aided  by  the  income  of  his  services,  and  some  few  presents 
made  him  by  a  kind-hearted  tutor,  he  v\^as  enabled  to  live  with- 
out incurring  debts  to  the  amount  of  more  than  twenty-four 
pounds  during  three  years. 

At  first  he  was  harrassed  and  tempted  by  the  society  into 
which  he  was  thrown  ;  he  had  several  chamber  fellows,  who 
would  fain  have  made  him  join  their  riotous  mode  of  life.  He 
however,  showed  his  energy  of  resolution  by  sitting  alone  in 
his  study  till  he  was  sometimes  benumbed  with  cold,  in  order 
to  escape  their  persecutions  ;  and  when  they  discoA^ered  his 
singularity  of  character,  and  his  strength  and  fortitude  in  car- 
ryino-  it  out,  they  abandoned  him  to  his  own  course,  and  suflcred 
him  to  pursue  it  in  peace. 


MEMOIRS  OF    WHITEFIELD.  13 

It  may  well  be  conjectured  that  one  thus  mal-treated  by  the 
wicked,  on  account  of  the  rigorous  purity  and  strictness  of  his 
life,  would  have  sympathy  with  a  small  band  despised  for  their 
austere  principles  and  scrupulous  observances.  Such  a  com- 
pany Oxford  then  contained.  Before  Whitefield  went  there, 
he  had  heard  of  some  young  men  who  "  lived  by  rule  and 
method,"  and  were  therefore  called  Methodists.  They  were 
now  much  talked  of^  and  generally  despised.  Drawn  tovv^ard 
them  by  kindred  feelings,  he  defended  them  strenuously  when- 
ever he  heard  them  reviled,  and  when  he  saw  them  go  through 
the  ridiculing  crowd  to  receive  tlite  sacrament  at  St.  Mary's 
was  strongly  inclined  to  follow  their  example.  For  more  than 
a  year  he  yearned  to  be  acquainted  with  them :  and  a  feeling 
of  inferiority  alone  checked  his  advances.  The  object  of  his 
desires  was  finally  thus  accomplished.  A  pauper  had  attempted 
suicide,  and  Whitefield  sent  a  poor  woman  to  inform  Charles 
Wesley  that  he  ixiis^ht  visit  her,  and  administer  spiritual  medi- 
cine :  the  messenger  was  charged  not  to  tell  who  sent  her : 
contrary  to  this  injunction,  she  told  his  name,  and  Charles 
Wesley,  who  had  seen  him  frequently  walking  by  himself,  and 
heard  something  of  his  character,  invited  liim  to  breakfast  the 
next  morning.  An  introduction  to  this  little  brotlierhood  soon 
followed,  and  he  also,  like  them,  "  began  to  live  by  rule,  and 
pick  up  the  very  fragments  of  his  time,  that  not  a  moment 
might  be  lost." 

They  were  now  about  fifteen  in  number.  When  they  began 
to  meet  they  read  divinity  on  Sunday  evenings  only,  and  pursued 
their  classical  studies  on  other  nights ;  but  religion  soon  became 
the  sole  business  of  their  meetings  ;  they  now  regularly  visited 
the  prisoners  and  the  sick,  communicated  once  a  week,  and 
fasted  on  W^ednesdays  and  Fridays,  the  stationary  days  of  the 
Ancient  Church,  which  was  thus  set  apart,  because  on  those 
days  our  Saviour  had  been  betrayed  and  crucified.  They  also 
drew  up  a  scheme  of  self-examination,  to  assist  themselves  by 
means  of  prayer  and  self-subjugation,  in  attaining  the  love  and 
simplicity  of  God. 

As  Whitefield  was  one  of  the  master-spirits  who  communi- 
cated to  Methodism  its  first  impulse  and  direction,  a  brief  survey 
of  the  religious  condition  of  that  period,  and  the  production  of 
this  sect  from  it,  is  highly  pertinent  to  an  account  of  his  life.  At 
that  time,  serious  and  practical  Christianity  in  England  was  in 
a  very  low  condition  ;  scriptural,  experimental  religion  (which 
ill  the  last  century  had  been  the  subject  of  the  sermons  and 
writings  of  the  clergy)  had  become  quite  unfashionable  ;  and 
the  only  thing  insisted  on  was,  a  defense  of  the  out-works  of 
Christianity  against  the  objections  of  infidels.     What  was  the 

2 


14  MEMOIRS    OF    WIIITEFIELD. 

consequence  ?  The  writinp^s  of  infidels  multiplied  every  day, 
and  infidelity  made  a  rapid  progress  among  persons  of  every 
rank ;  not  because  they  were  reasoned  into  it  by  the  force  of 
argument,  but  because  they  were  kept  strangers  to  Christ  and 
the  power  of  the  gospel.  We  have  a  most  affecting  description 
of  this,  by  Bishop  Butler,  whom  none  will  suspect  of  exagger- 
ating the  fact :  '•'  It  is  come,  1  know  not  how,  to  be  taken  for 
granted,  by  many  persons,  that  Christianity  is  not  so  much  as 
a  subject  of  inquiry ;  but  that  it  is,  now  at  length,  discovered  to 
be  fictitious ;  and  accordingly  they  treat  it  as  if  in  the  present 
age  this  were  an  agreed  point  among  all  people  of  discernment ; 
and  nothing  remained  but  to  set  it  up  as  a  principal  subject  of 
mirth  and  ridicule  ;  as  it  were  by  way  of  reprisals  for  its  having 
so  long  interrupted  the  pleasures  of  the  world." 

While  pure  and  undefiled  religion  was  thus  well  nigh  extinct 
in  England,  and  fast  becoming:  so  in  Scotland,  it  pleased  God 
to  keep  alive,  in  the  persons  of  this  despised  band,  that  salt  of 
the  earth,  which  was  to  save  it  from  moral  putrefaction.  Its 
beginnings  were  so  feeble  as  to  be  scarcely  observable ;  but, 
like  the  mustard  seed,  it  shot  up  into  a  mighty  tree,  whose 
branches  now  clasp,  in  greater  or  less  degrees,  all  Christendom. 
John  and  Charles  Wesley,  had.  in  good  earnest,  been  religiously 
educated,  by  parents  who  had  been  quicl^ened  by  the  Spirit  of 
God,  and  manifested  the  fruits  thereof  in  sober  and  godly  lives. 

In  the  course  of  their  education,  God  in  mercy  delivered  tliem 
from  conformity  to  the  habits  and  feelings  of  an  age  of  abound- 
ing impiety,  by  his  super-abounding  grace.  Jolin  was  the  fii'st 
to  feel  its  renewing  and  quickening  power,  and  to  transfuse  its 
spirit  into  the  details  of  life  and  action.  He  sought  to  press 
upon  his  brother  the  importance  of  austerer  habits,  and  a  more 
active  devotion,  but  found  him  too  much  imbued  with  the  cur- 
rent notion  of  a  gradual  reformation  of  character  to  think  of 
becoming  a  saint  all  at  once.  While,  however,  John  was  absent 
at  Wroote,  the  process  which  he  had  been  vainly  endeavoring 
to  accelerate  in  his  brother,  was  silently  going  on.  His  dispo- 
sition, his  early  education,  the  example  of  his  parents,  and  of 
both  his  brethren,  all  concia-red  toward  a  change,  which  he 
piously  referred  to  his  mother's  pra^^ers.  Finding  two  or  three 
fellow-students,  whose  inclinations  and  principles  resembled 
his  own,  they  associated  together  for  the  purpose  of  religious 
improvement,  lived  by  rule  and  received  the  sacraments  week- 
ly. Such  conduct  would  at  any  time  have  excited  attention 
in  an  English  University ;  it  was  peculiarly  noticeable  during 
the  dreadful  laxity  of  opinions  and  morals,  which  then  obtain- 
ed. The  aw^ul  prevalence  of  infidelity  in  the  country,  has  been 
already  alluded  to.     It  found  its  way  also  to  the  University, 


MEMOIRS   OF    WniTEFIELB.  15 

and  was  becoming  so  contagious,  that  the  vice-chancellor  had, 
in  a  programma^  exhorted  the  tutors  to  discharge  their  duty 
by  double  diligence,  and  had  forbidden  the  undergraduates  to 
read  such  books  as  might  go  to  sap  the  foundations  of  their  faith. 

The  greatest  prudence  could  not  have  shielded  men  from 
ridicule,  who  at  such  an  age,  and  in  such  a  sphere,  professed 
to  make  reliction  the  great  concern  of  their  lives.  It  is  too 
true,  that  the  men  of  this  v^orld  are  wiser  in  their  generation 
than  the  children  of  light :  and  that  inflexible  fortitude,  which 
was  reckless  enough  of  consequences  to  itself  to  brave  the  male- 
dictions of  an  age  spell-bound  in  wickedness,  could  scarcely  be 
expected  to  be  united  with  that  wakeful  prudence,  which  is 
ever  on  the  alert  to  ward  off  petty  misconstructions  of  charac- 
ter and  actions.  Accordingly  they  were  called  in  derison  the 
Sacramentarians,  Bible-bigots,  Bible-moths,  tlie  Holy  or  the 
Godly  Club.  One  person,  with  less  irreverence  and  more  learn- 
ing, observed,  in  reference  to  their  methodical  manner  of  life, 
that  a  new  sect  of  Methodists  had  sprung  up,  alluding  to  the 
ancient  school  of  physicians  known  by  that  name.  They  lived 
under  Nero,  and  were  remarkable  for  putting  their  patients  un- 
der regimen  and  administering  their  applications  "  by  rule  and 
method,-'  and  were  therefore  called  Methodists.  "The  name 
of  Methodist,"  it  is  observed  by  one  of  the  correspondents  of 
Wesley  "  is  not  a  new  name,  never  before  given  to  any  religious 
people.  Dr.  Calamy,  in  one  of  his  volumes  of  the  ejected  min- 
isters, observes,  they  called  those  who  stood  up  for  God,  Metho- 
dists."  It  is  altogether  probable,  that  before,  as  well  as  since 
the  distinct  existence  of  the  sect  of  Methodists,  whoever  distin- 
guished themselves  from  their  neighbors  by  a  stricter  profession 
and  more  scrupulous  performance  of  the  duties  of  religion,  were 
occasionally  styled  Methodists,  Methodical,  Methodistical 
Be  this  as  it  may,  a  certain  fitness  in  jt  to  indicate  the  peculiar 
habits  of  the  first  teachers  of  Methodism  gave  it  general  vos^ue  ; 
and  it  has  nov/  become,  by  universal  consent,  the  appellation 
of  the  sect  which  they  founded. 

It  was  to  Charles  Wesley  and  his  few  associates  that  the 
name  was  first  given.  When  John  returned  to  Oxford,  they 
gladly  placed  themselves  under  his  direction ;  their  meetings 
acquired  more  form  and  regularity,  and  obtained  an  accession 
of  numbers.  His  standing  and  character  in  the  University  gave 
him  a  degree  of  credit ;  and  his  erudition,  his  keen  logic,  and 
ready  speech,  commanded  respect  wherever  he  was  "known. 
But  no  talents,  and,  it  may  be  added,  no  virtues,  can  protect 
the  possessor  from  the  ridicule  of  fools  and  profligates.  "  I 
hear,"  says  Mr.  Wesley,  the  father  of  these  youthful  apostles, 
"  my  son  John  has  the  honor  of  being  styled  the  father  of  the 


16  MEMOIRS   OP    WHITEFIELD. 

Holy  Club :  if  it  be  so,  I  am  sure  I  must  be  the  grandfather  of 
it ;  and  I  need  not  say,  that  I  had  rather  any  of  my  sons  should 
be  so  dignified  and  distinguished,  than  to  have  the  title  of  His 
Holiness."  This  club  was  finally  composed  of  the  following 
persons,  the  originators  and  first  champions  of  Methodism. 
Mr.  John  Wesley,  felloAv  of  Lincoln  College,  Mr.  Charles  Wes- 
ley, student  of  Christ's  Church,  Mr.  Richard  Morgan,  of  Christ's 
Church,  Mr.  Kirkham,  of  Merton  College,  Mr.  Benjamin  Ing- 
ham, of  King's  College,  Mr.  Broughton,  of  Exeter,  Mr.  Clayton, 
of  Brazen  Nose  College,  Mr.  James  Hervey,  author  of  the  Medi- 
tations, which  have  acquired  such  celebrity,  and  Mr.  George 
Whitefield,  of  Pembroke  College.  Some  six  or  eight  of  their 
pupils  also  joined  them,  and  the  whole  company  amounted  to 
fifteen. 

The  finger  of  God  is  evident  in  thus  bringing  together,  during 
the  forming  period  of  their  characters,  those,  whom  His  provi- 
dence had  appointed  to  be  the  chief  agents  in  restoring  the  pow- 
er to  the  form  of  godliness.  Mr.  Whitefield  always  reverted  to 
his  acquaintance  with  the  Rev.  Charles  Wesley  with  affection- 
ate interest.  Mr.  Wesley's  ministry  was  so  full  of  profit  and 
consolation  to  him,  that  he  always  accounted  him  his  spiritual 
father.  And  the  reciprocal  affection  felt  by  Mr.  Wesley  stands 
recorded  in  the  verses  at  the  beginning  of  Mr.  Whitefield's 
second  and  third  journals. 

Meanwhile,  it  may  not  be  unwise  to  retrace  his  spiritual 
progress.  A  character  so  ardent  and  precipitate  by  nature, 
might  be  expected  to  miscarry  itself,  and  misguide  others,  in 
the  early  stages  of  an  enterprise  of  breaking  up  inveterate 
habits  of  spiritual  drowsiness,  and  erecting  a  new  standard  of 
religious  character.  Undisciplined  in  logic,  not  far-sighted  or 
comprehensive  in  the  character  of  his  mind,  but  vehement  and 
impetuous  beyond  example  in  his  feelings,  and  of  quick  and 
fertile  imagination,  he  came  directly  at  conclusions,  as  it  were, 
by  intuition,  which  others  only  reached  by  long  and  laborious 
deduction,  and  only  admitted  as  parts  of  a  system  self-consistent 
throughout.  In  reading  a  treatise  entitled  "  The  Life  of  God  in 
the  Soul  of  Man,"  wherein  he  found  it  asserted,  that  true  reli- 
gion is  a  union  of  the  soul  with  God  or  Christ,  formed  within 
us,  a  ray  of  divine  light,  he  says,  instantaneously  darted  in 
upon  him,  and  from  that  moment  he  knew  he  must  be  a  new 
creature. 

In  seeking  however  to  attain  that  "peace  of  mind  that  pass- 
eth  all  understanding,"  his  vehemence  and  ardency  of  character 
betrayed  him  into  many  ill-judged  processes  of  moral  discipline 
and  self-subjugation. 

He  describes  himself  as  having  all  sensible  comforts  with- 


MEMOIRS  OF    WHITEFIELD.  17 

dra^vn  from  him,  overwhelmed  with  a  horrible  fearfulness  and 
dread,  all  power  of  meditation,  or  even  thinking,  taken  away, 
his  memory  gone,  his  whole  soul  barren  and  dry,  and  his  sen- 
sations, as  he  imagmed,  like  those  of  a  man  locked  up  in  iron 
armor.  "Whenever  I  knelt  down,"  he  says,  "I  felt  great 
pressure  both  on  soul  and  body ;  and  have  often  prayed  under 
the  weight  of  them  till  the  sweat  came  through  me.  God  only 
knows  how  many  nights  I  have  lain  upon  my  bed,  groaning 
under  what  I  felt.  Whole  days  and  weeks  have  I  spent  in 
lying  prostrate  on  the  ground  in  silent  or  vocal  prayer."  In 
this  state  he  began  to  practice  austerities,  such  as  the  monkish 
discipline  encourages :  he  chose  the  worst  food,  and  affected 
mean  apparel;  he  made  himself  remarkable  by  leaving  off 
powder  in  his  hair,  when  every  one  else  was  powdered,  because 
he  thought  it  becoming  a  penitent ;  and  he  wore  woollen  gloves, 
a  patched  gown,  and  dirty  shoes,  as  visible  signs  of  humility. 
Such  conduct  drew  upon  him  contempt,  insult,  and  the  more 
serious  consequence,  that  part  of  the  pay  on  which  he  depended 
for  his  support  was  taken  from  him  by  men  who  did  riot  choose 
to  be  served  by  so  slovenly  a  servitor.  Other  practices  injured 
his  health :  he  would  kneel  under  the  trees  in  Christ  Church 
walk,  in  silent  prayer,  shivering  the  while  with  cold,  till  the 
great  bell  summoned  him  to  his  college  for  the  night ;  he  ex- 
posed himself  to  cold  in  the  morning  till  his  hands  were  quite 
black  :  he  kept  Lent  so  strictly,  that,  except  on  Saturdays  and 
Sundays,  his  only  food  was  coarse  bread  and  sage  tea,  without 
sugar.  The  end  of  this  was,  that  before  the  termination  of 
forty  days  he  had  scarcely  strength  enough  left  to  creep  up 
stairs,  and  was  under  a  physician  for  many  weeks. 

At  the  close  of  the  severe  illness  which  he  had  thus  brought 
on  himself,  a  happy  change  of  mind  confirmed  his  returning 
health  ; — it  may  best  be  related  in  his  own  words.  He  says, 
"  Notwithstanding  my  fit  of  sickness  continued  six  or  seven 
weeks,  I  trust  I  shall  have  reason  to  bless  God  for  it  through 
the  endless  ages  of  eternity.  For,  about  the  end  of  the  seventh 
week,  after  having  undergone  innumerable  buffetings  of  Satan, 
and  many  months  inexpressible  trials,  by  night  and  by  day,  un- 
der the  spirit  of  bondage,  God  was  pleased  at  length  to  remove 
the  heavy  load,  to  enable  me  to  lay  hold  on  his  dear  Son  by  a 
living  faith,  and,  by  giving  me  the  spirit  of  adoption,  to  seal 
me,  as  I  humbly  hope,  even  to  the  day  of  everlasting  redemp- 
tion. But  oh  !  with  what  joy,  joy  unspeakable,  even  joy  that 
was  full  of,  and  big  with  glory,  was  my  soul  filled,  when  the 
weight  of  sin  went  off,  and  an  abiding  sense  of  the  pardoning 
love  of  God,  and  a  full  assurance  of  faith,  broke  in  upon  my 
disconsolate  soul !     Surely  it  was  the  day  of  my  espousals, — a 

2* 


18  MEMOIRS  OF    WHITEFIELD. 

day  to  be  had  in  everlasting  remembrance.  At  first  my  joys 
were  like  a  spring  tide,  and,  as  it  were,  overflowed  the  banks. 
Go  wlicre  I  would  I  could  not  avoid  smging  of  psalms  almost 
aloud ;  afterwards  they  became  more  settled,  and,  blessed  be 
God,  saving  a  few  casual  mtervals,  have  abode  and  increased 
in  my  soul  ever  since."' 

The  Wesleys  at  this  time  were  in  Georgia  ;  and  some  person, 
who  feared  lest  the  little  society,  which  they  had  formed  at 
Oxford,  should  be  broken  up  and  totally  dissolved  for  want  of  a 
superintendent,  had  written  to  a  certain  Sir  John  Philips  of 
London,  who  was  ready  to  assist  in  religious  works  with  Ids 
j^ursc,  and  recommended  Whitefield  as  a  proper  person  to  be 
encouraged  and  patronized  more  especially  for  this  purpose. 
Sir  John  immediately  gav^e  him  an  annuity  of  20/.,  and  promis- 
ed to  make  it  30/.,  if  he  would  continue  at  Oxford  ; — for  if  this 
could  be  leavened  with  the  vital  spirit  of  religion,  it  would  be 
like  medicating  the  waters  at  their  spring.  His  illness  render- 
ed it  expedient  for  him  to  change  the  air  :  and  he  went  accord- 
ingly to  his  native  city,  where,  laying  aside  all  other  books,  ho 
devoted  himself  to  the  study  of  the  scriptures,  reading  them 
upon  his  knees,  and  praying  over  every  line  and  word.  "Thus," 
as  he  expresses  himself,  "  he  daily  received  fresh  life,  light,  and 
power  from  above ;  and  found  it  profitable  for  reproof,  for  cor- 
rection, for  instruction  in  righteousness,  every  way  sufiicient 
to  make  the  man  of  God  perfect,  throughly  fiirnished  unto  every 
good  word  and  work."  His  general  character,  his  demeanor 
at  church,  his  visiting  the  poor,  and  praying  with  the  prisoners, 
attracted  the  notice  of  Dr.  Benson,  the  then  bishop  of  Glouces- 
ter, who  sent  for  him  one  day.  after  the  evening  service,  and 
having  asked  his  age,  which  was  httle  more  than  twenty-one, 
told  him,  that  although  he  had  resolved  not  to  ordain  any  one 
under  three-and-twenty,  he  should  think  it  his  duty  to  ordain 
him  whenever  he  came  for  holy  orders.  Whitefield  himself 
had  felt  a  proper  degree  of  fear  at  undertaking  so  sacred  an 
oflice ;  his  repugnance  was  now  overruled  by  this  encourage- 
ment, and  by  the  persuasion  of  his  friends  ;  and  as  he  prefer- 
red remaining  at  Oxford,  Sir  John  Philips's  allowance  was  held 
a  sufiicient  title  by  the  bishop,  who  would  otherwise  have 
provided  him  with  a  cure.  Whitefield  prepared  himself  by 
abstinence  and  prayer ;  and  on  the  Saturday  eve,  retiring  to  a  hill 
near  the  town,  he  there  prayed  fervently  for  about  two  hours, 
in  behalf  of  himself  and  those  who  were  to  enter  into  holy  orders 
at  the  same  tim.e.  On  the  following  morning  he  was  ordained. 
"I  trust,"  he  says,  "I  answered  to  every  question  from  the 
bottom  of  my  heart;  and  heartily  prayed  that  God  might  say 
Amen,    And  when  the  bishop  laid  his  hands  upon  my  head, 


MEMOIRS   OF    WHITEFIELD.  19 

if  my  vile  heart  doth  not  deceive  me,  I  offered  up  my  whole 
spirit,  soul  and  body,  to  the  service  of  God's  sanctuary."  "  Let 
come  what  will,  life  or  death,  depth  or  heig-lit,  I  shall  hence- 
forwards  live  like  one  who  this  day,  in  the  presence  of  men  and 
angels,  took  the  holy  sacrament,  upon  the  profession  of  being- 
inwardly  moved  by  the  Holy  Ghost  to  take  upon  me  that  mi- 
nistration in  the  church.  I  can  call  heaven  and  earth  to  wit- 
ness, that  when  the  bishop  laid  his  hand  upon  me,  I  gave 
myself  up  to  be  a  martyr  for  Him  who  hung  upon  tlie  cross 
for  me.  Known  unto  him  are  all  future  events  and  contin- 
gencies ;  I  have  thrown  myself  blindfold,  and  I  trust,  without 
reserve,  into  His  Almighty  hands."  Such  were  his  feelings  at 
the  hour,  and  they  were  not  belied  by  the  whole  tenor  of  his 
after  life.  ^ 

Bishop  Benson  appears  to  have  felt  a  sincere  regard  for  the 
young  man  whom  he  had  thus  ordained,  little  aware  of  the 
course  which  he  was  designed  to  run.  "Whitefield  speaks  at 
this  time  of  having  received  from  the  good  prelate  another 
present  of  five  guineas  ;  "  a  great  supply,"  he  says,  "  for  one 
who  had  not  a  guinea  in  the  world."  He  began  with  as  small 
a  stock  of  sermons  as  of  wordly  wealth.  It  had  been  his  inten- 
tion to  have  prepared  at  least  a  hundred,  v/herewith  to  com- 
mence his  ministry ; — he  found  himself  with  only  one  ;  it 
proved  a  fruitfnl  one  ;  for  having  lent  it  to  a  neighboring 
clerofyman,  to  convince  him  how  unfit  he  was,  as  he  really 
believed  himself  to  be,  for  the  work  of  preaching,  the  clergyman 
divided  it  into  two,  which  he  preached  morning  and  evening 
to  his  congregation,  and  sent  it  back  with  a  guinea  for  its  use. 
With  this  sermon  he  first  appeared  in  the  pulpit,  in  the  church 
of  St.  iMary  de  Crypt,  where  he  had  been  baptized,  and  where 
he  had  first  received  the  sacrament.  Curiosity  had  brought 
together  a  large  congregation  ;  and  he  now,  he  says,  felt  the 
unspeakable  advantage  of  having  been  accustomed  to  public 
speaking  when  a  boy  at  school,  and  of  exhorting  and  teaching 
the  prisoners  and  poor  people  at  Oxford.*     More  than  this,  he 

*  "  Last  Sunday  in  the  afternoon  I  preached  my  first  sermon  in  the  churcli 
where  I  was  baptized,  and  also  first  received  the  sacrament  of  the  Lord's  Sup- 
per. Curiosity  drew  a  large  congregation  together.  The  sight  at  first,  a  little 
awed  me.  But  I  was  comforted  with  a  heart-felt  sense  of  the  Divine  Presence ; 
and  as  soon  found  the  advantage  of  having  been  accustomed  to  public  speak- 
ing when  a  boy  at  school,  and  of  exhorting  and  teaching  the  prisoners,  and 
poor  people  at  their  private  houses,  whilst  at  the  Universitv.  By  these  means 
1  was  kept  from  being  daunted  over-much.  As  I  proceeded,  I  perceived  the 
fire  kindled,  till  at  last,  though  so  young,  and  amidst  a  crowd  of  those  who 
knew  me  in  my  childish  days,  I  trust  I  was  enabled  to  speak  with  some  degree 
of  gospel  authority.  Some  few  mocked,  but  most,  for  the  present,  seemed 
struck :  and  I  have  since  heard,  that  a  complaint  had  been  made  to  the  Bishop, 
that  I  drove  fifteen  mad  the  first  sermon.  The  worthy  prelate,  as  I  am  in- 
formed, wished  that  the  madness  might  not  be  forgotten  before  next  Sunday." 


20  MEMOIRS  OF   WHITEFIELD. 

felt  what  he  believed  to  be  a  sense  of  the  Divine  presence,  and 
kindling  as  he  went  on  in  his  belief,  spake,  as  he  thought,  with 
some  degree  of  gospel  authority.  A  few  of  his  hearers  mocked, 
but  upon  the  greater  number  a  strong  impression  was  produced, 
and  complaint  was  made  to  the  Bishop  that  fifteen  persons  had 
been  driven  mad  by  the  sermon.  The  good  man  replied,  he 
wished  the  madness  might  not  be  forgotten  before  the  next 
Sunday.    - 

That  same  week  he  returned  to  Oxford,  took  his  degree,  and 
continued  to  visit  the  prisoners,  and  inspect  two  or  three  charity 
schools  which  were  supported  by  the  Methodists.  With  this 
state  of  life  he  was  more  than  contented,  and  thought  of  con- 
tinuing in  the  University,  at  least  for  some  years,  that  he  might 
complete  his  studies,  and  do  what  good  he  might  among  the 
gownsmen  ;  to  convert  one  of  them  would  be  as  much  as  con- 
verting a  whole  parish.  From  thence,  however,  he  was  invited 
ere  long  to  officiate  at  the  Tower  chapel,  in  London,  during 
the  absence  of  the  curate.  It  was  a  summons  which  he  obeyed 
with  fear  and  trembUng ;  but  he  was  soon  made  sensible  of 
his  power ;  for  though  the  first  time  he  entered  a  pulpit  in  the 
metropolis  the  congregation  seemed  disposed  to  sneer  at  him 
on  account  of  his  youth,  they  grew  serious  during  his  discourse, 
showed  him  great  tokens  of  respect  as  he  came  down,  and 
blessed  him  as  he  passed  along,  while  inquiry  was  made  on 
every  side,  from  one  to  another,  who  he  was.  Two  months 
he  continued  in  London,  reading  prayers  every  evening  at 
Wapping  chapel,  and  twice  a  week  at  the  Tower,  preaching 
and  catechising  there  once  ;  preaching  every  Tuesday  at  Lud- 
gate  prison,  and  daily  visiting  the  soldiers  in  the  infirmary  and 
barracks.  The  chapel  was  crowded  when  he  preached,  per- 
sons came  from  difierent  parts  of  the  town  to  hear  him,  and 
proof  enous^h  was  given  that  an  earnest  minister  will  make  an 
attentive  congregation. 

Having  returned  to  Oxford,  the  society  grew  under  his  care, 
and  friends  were  not  wanting  to  provide  for  their  temporal 
support.  Lady  Betty  Hastings  allowed  small  exhibitions  to 
some  of  his  disciples  :  he  himself  received  some  marks  of  well- 
bestowed  bounty,  and  was  intrusted  also  with  money  for  the 
poor.  It  happened  after  a  while  that  Mr.  Kinchin,  the  minister 
of  Dummer,  in  Hampshire,  being  likely  to  be  chosen  Dean  of 
Corpus  Christi  College,  invited  him  to  officiate  in  his  parish, 
while  he  went  to  Oxford,  till  the  election  should  be  decided. 
Here  Whitefield  found  himself  among  poor  and  illiterate  people, 
and  his  proud  heart,  he  says,  could  not  at  first  brook  the  change ; 
he  would  have  given  the  world  for  one  of  his  Oxford  friends, 
and  "  mourned  for  the  want  of  them  like  a  dove."    He  found^ 


MEMOIRS  OP    WHITEFIELD.  21 

however,  in  one  of  Mr.  Law's  books,  a  fictitious  character  held 
up  for  imitation  :  this  ideal  being  served  him  for  a  friend ;  and 
he  had  soon  full  satisfaction,  as  well  as  full  employment,  in 
pursuing  the  same  round  of  duties  as  his  predecessor.  For  the 
people  had  been  taught  by  their  pastor  to  attend  public  prayers 
twice  a-day  ;  in  the  morning  before  they  went  to  work,  and  in 
the  evening  after  they  returned  from  it ;  their  zealous  minister 
had  also  been  accustomed  to  catechise  the  children  daily,  and 
visit  his  parishioners  from  house  to  house.  In  pursuance  of 
this  plan,  Whitefield  allotted  eight  hours  to  these  offices,  eight 
for  study  and  retirement,  and  eight  for  the  necessities  of  na- 
ture ;  he  soon  learnt  to  love  the  people  among  whom  he  la- 
bored, and  derived  from  their  society  a  greater  improvement 
than  books  could  have  given  him. 

While  he  was  in  I^ondon,  some  letters  from  Ingham  and  the 
Wesleys  had  made  him  long  to  follow  them  to  Georgia ;  but 
when  he  opened  these  desires  to  his  friends,  they  persuaded 
him  that  laborers  were  wanting  at  home  ;  that  he  had  no  visi- 
ble call  abroad ;  and  that  it  was  his  duty  to  wait  and  see  \^^hat 
Providence  might  point  out  for  him, — not  to  do  any  thing 
rashly.  He  now  learned  that  Charles  Wesley  had  come  over 
to  procure  assistance  ;  and  though  Charles  did  not  invite  him 
to  the  undertaking,  yet  he  wrote  in  terms  which  made  it  evi- 
dent that  he  was  in  his  thoughts,  as  a  proper  person.  Soon 
afterwards  came  a  letter  from  John  :  "  Only  Mr.  Delamotte  is 
with  me,"  said  he,  "  till  God  shall  stir  up  the  hearts  of  some  of 
his  servants,  who,  putting  their  lives  in  his  hands,  shall  come 
over  and  help  us,  where  the  harvest  is  so  great,  and  the 
laborers  so  few.  What  if  thou  art  the  man,  Mr.  Whitefield  ?" 
In  another  letter,  it  was  said,  '•  Do  you  ask  me  what  you  shall 
have  ?  Food  to  eat,  and  raiment  to  put  on  ;  a  house  to  lay 
your  head  in,  such  as  your  Lord  had  not ;  and  a  crown  of 
glory  that  fadeth  not  away."  Upon  reading  this,  his  heart,  he 
says,  leaped  within  him,  and,  as  it  were,  echoed  to  the  call. 
,The  desire  thus  formed  soon  ripened  into  a  purpose,  for  which 
all  circumstances  seemed  favorable.  Mr.  Kinchin  had  been 
elected  Dean,  and  must  therefore  reside  at  College  ;  he  would 
take  upon  him  the  charge  of  his  prisoners :  Hervey  was  ready 
to  supply  his  place  in  the  curacy ;  there  were  many  Indians 
in  Georgia, — for  their  sake  it  was  a  matter  of  great  importance 
that  serious  clergymen  should  be  sent  over :  there  he  should 
find  Wesley,  his  spiritual  teacher  and  dear  friend ;  a  sea  voy- 
age, too,  might  not  improbably  be  helpful  to  his  weakened  con- 
stitution. Thus  he  reasoned,  finding  in  every  circumstance 
something  which  flattered  his  purpose  ;  and  having  strengthened 
it  by  prayer  into  a  settled  rasolution,  which  he  knew  could 


22  MEMOIRS  OF    WHITEFIELD. 

never  be  carried  into  effect  if  he  "  conferred  with  flesh  and  blood," 
he  wrote  to  his  relations  at  Gloucester,  telling  them  his  design^ 
and  saying,  that  if  they  would  promise  not  to  dissuade  him,  he 
would  visit  them  to  take  his  leave ;  but  otherwise  he  would 
embark  without  seeing  them,  for  he  Imew  his  own  weakness. 

Herein  he  acted  wisely,  but  the  promise  which  he  extorted 
was  not  strictly  observed  :  his  aged  mother  wept  sorely ;  and 
others,  who  had  no  such  cause  to  justify  their  interference^ 
represented  to  him  what  --  pretty  preferment"  he  might  have  if 
he  would  stay  at  home.  The  Bishop  approved  of  his  deter- 
mination, received  him  Uke  a  father,  as  he  always  did,  and 
doubted  not  but  that  God  would  bless  him,  and  he  would  do 
much  good  abroad.  From  Gloucester  he  went  to  bid  his  friends 
at  Bristol  farewell.  Here  he  was  held  in  high  honor  :  the 
mayor  appointed  him  to  preach  before  the  corporation ;  Qua- 
kers, Baptists,  Presbyterians,  people  of  aJl  denominations,  flock- 
ed to  hear ;  the  churches  were  as  full  on  week  days  as  they 
used  to  be  on  Sundays  ;  and  on  Sundays  crowds  were  oljliged 
to  go  away  for  want  of  room.  "  The  whole  city,"  he  said,. 
"  seemed  to  be  alarmed."  But  though  he  says  that  "  the  word 
was  sharper  than  a  two-edged  sword,  and  that  the  doctrine  of 
the  neio  birth  made  its  way  like  lightning  into  the  hearers'  con- 
sciences," the  doctrine  did  not  assume  a  fanatic  tone,  and  pro- 
duced no  extravagance  in  public. 

He  himself,  however,  was  in  a  state  of  high  toned  feeling. 
Having  been  accepted  by  General  Oglethorpe  and  the  trus- 
tees, and  presented  to  the  Bishop  of  London  and  the  Primate, 
and  finding  that  it  would  be  some  months  before  the  vessel  in 
which  he  was  to  embark  would  be  ready,  he  went  for  a  while 
to  serve  the  church  of  one  of  his  friends  at  Stone-house,  in 
his  native  country  ;  and  there  he  describes  the  habitual  exalta- 
tion of  his  mind  in  glowing  language.  Uncommon  manifes- 
tations, he  says,  were  granted  him  from  above.  Early  in  the 
morning,  at  noon-day,  evening,  and  midnight,— nay,  all  the 
day  long,  did  the  Redeemer  visit  and  refresh  his  heart.  Could 
the  trees  of  the  wood  speak,  they  would  tell  what  sweet  com- 
munion he  afid  his  christian  brethren  had,  under  their  shade, 
enjoyed  with  their  God.  "  Sometimes,  as  I  have  been  walk- 
ing," he  continues,  "  my  soul  would  make  such  sallies,  that  I 
thought  it  would  go  out  of  the  body.  At  other  times  I  would 
be  so  overpowered  with  a  sense  of  God's  infinite  majesty,  that 
I  would  be  constrained  to  throw  myself  prostrate  on  the  ground, 
and  offer  my  soul  as  a  blank  in  his  hands,  to  write  on  it  what 
he  pleased.  One  night  was  a  time  never  to  be  forgotten.  It 
happened  to  lighten  exceedingly.  I  had  been  expounding  to 
many  people,  and  some  being  afraid  to  go  home,  I  thought  it 


MEMOIRS  OF   WHITEFIELT).  23 

my  duty  to  accompany  them,  and  improve  the  occasion,  to  stir 
them  up  to  prepare  for  the  coming  of  the  Son  of  Man.  In  my  re- 
turn to  the  parsonage,  whilst  others  were  rising  from  their  beds, 
and  frightened  ahiiost  to  death  to  see  the  hghtning  run  upon  the 
ground,  and  shine  from  one  part  of  the  heavens  unto  the  other, 
I  and  another,  a  poor  but  pious  countryman,  were  in  the  field, 
pi;aising,  praying  too,  and  exulting  in  our  God,  and  longing  for 
that  time  when  Jesus  shall  be  revealed  from  heaven  in  a  flame 
of  fire  !  Oh  that  my  soul  may  be  in  a  like  frame  when  he 
shall  actually  come  to  call  me !" 

From  hence  he  went  again  to  Bristol,  having  received  many 
and  pressing  invitations.  Multitudes  came  out  on  foot  to  meet 
him,  and  some  in  coaches,  a  mile  without  the  city ;  and  the  peo- 
ple saluted  and  blessed  him  as  he  passed  along  the  street.  He 
preached  about  five  times  a  week  to  such  congregations,  that 
it  was  with  great  difficulty  he  could  make  way  along  the  crowd- 
ed aisles  to  tlie  reading-desk.  "  Some  hung  upon  the  rails 
of  the  organ-loft,  others  climbed  upon  the  leads  of  the  church, 
and  all  together  made  the  church  so  hot  with  their  breath,  that 
the  steam  would  fall  from  the  pillars  like  drops  of  rain."  When 
he  preached  his  farewell  sermon,  and  said  to  the  people  that 
perhaps  they  might  see  his  face, no  more,  high  and  low,  young 
and  old,  burst  into  tears.  Multitudes  after  the  sermon  followed 
him  home  weeping  :  the  next  day  he  was  employed  from  seven 
in  the  morning  till  midnisfht  in  talking  and  giving  spiritual 
advice  to  awakened  hearers ;  and  he  left  Bristol  secretly  in  the 
middle  of  the  night,  to  avoid  the  ceremony  of  being  escorted 
by  horsemen  and  coaches  out  of  the  town. 

The  man  who  produced  this  extraordinary  effect  had  many 
natural  advantages.  He  was  something  alcove  the  middle  sta- 
ture, well  proportioned,  thougli  at  that  time  slender,  and  remark- 
able for  native  gracefulness  of  manner.  His  complexion  was 
very  fair,  his  features  regular,  his  eyes  small  and  lively,  of  a 
dark  l^lue  color :  in  recovering  from  the  measles  he  had  con- 
tracted a  squint  with  one  of  them ;  but  this  peculiarity  rather 
rendered  the  expression  of  his  countenance  more  remembera- 
ble,  than  in  any  degree  lessening  the  effect  of  its  uncommon  sweet- 
ness. His  voice  excelled  both  in  melody  and  compass,  and  its 
fine  modulations  were  happily  accompanied  b}^  that  grace  of  ac- 
tion which  he  possessed  in  an  eminent  degree,  and' which  has 
been  said  to  be  the  cliief  requisite  of  an  orator.  An  ignorant 
man  described  his  eloquence  oddly,  but  strilqngly,  when  he  said 
that  Mr.  AVhitefield  preached  like  a  lion.  So  strange  a  com- 
parison conveyed  no  unapt  a  notion  of  the  force  and  vehe- 
mence and  passion  of  that  oratory  which  awed  the  hearers,  and 
made  them  tremble  like  FeUx  before  the  apostle.     For  behev- 


24  MEMOIRS  OF   WHITEFIELD. 

ing  himself  to  be  the  messenger  of  God,  commissioned  to  call 
sinners  to  repentance,  he  spoke  as  one  conscious  of  his  high 
credentials,  with  authority  and  power ;  yet  in  all  his  discourses 
there  was  a  fervent  and  melting  charity,  an  earnestness  of  per- 
suasion, an  out  pouring  of  redundant  love,  partaking  of  the 
virtue  of  that  faith  from  which  it  flowed,  insomuch  it  seemed 
to  enter  the  heart  which  it  pierced,  and  to  heal  it  as  Avith  balm. 

From  Bristol  he^went  to  Gloucester,  and  preached  to  a  very 
crowded  auditory,  and  after  staying  a  few  days  went  on  to 
Oxford,  where  he  had  an  agreeable  interview  with  the  other 
Methodists,  and  came  to  London  about  the  end  of  August. 

Here  he  was  invited  to  preach,  and  assist  in  administering 
the  sacrament,  in  a  great  many  churches.  The  congregations 
continually  increased  ;  and  generally  on  the  Lord's  day  he 
used  to  preach  four  times  to  very  large  and  very  much  aflected 
auditories,  and  to  walk  ten  or  twelve  miles  in  going  to  the  dif- 
ferent churches.  His  friends  began  to  be  afraid  he  would  hurt 
himself;  but  he  used  to  say,  he  found  by  experience,  the  more 
he  did,  the  more  he  might  do,  for  God. 

His  name  was  now  put  into  the  newspapers  (though  without 
his  consent  or  knowledge)  as  a  young  gentleman  going  volun- 
teer to  Georgia,  who  was  to  preach  before  the  societies  at  their 
general  quarterly  meeting.  This  stirred  up  the  people's  curi- 
osity more  and  more.  He  preached,  on  that  occasion,  his 
sermon  on  Early  Piety,  which  was  printed  at  the  request  of 
the  societies.  After  this,  for  near  three  months  successively, 
there  was  no  end  of  people's  flocking  to  hear  him,  and  the 
managers  of  charity  schools  were  continually  applying  to  him 
to  preach  for  the  benefit  of  the  children  ;  for  that  puipose  they 
procured  the  liberty  of  the  churches  on  other  days  of  the  week 
besides  the  Lord's  day ;  and  yet  thousands  went  away  from  the 
larofest  churches,  not  beino;  able  to  g-et  in.  The  conjjresfations 
were  all  attention,  and  seemed  to  hear  as  for  eternity.  He 
preached  generally  nine  times  a  week,  and  often  administered 
the  sacrament  early  on  the  Lord's  day  morning,  when  you  might 
see  the  streets  filled  with  people  going  to  church  with  lanterns  in 
their  hands,  and  hear  them  conversing  about  the  things  of  God. 

As  his  popularity  increased,  opposition  increased  proportion- 
ably.  Some  of  the  clergy  became  angry ;  two  of  them  sent  for 
him,  and  told  him  they  would  not  let  him  preach  in  their  pul- 
pits any  more,  unless  he  renounced  that  part  of  the  preface  of 
his  sermon  on  Regeneration,  (lately  published,)  wherein  he 
wished  "  that  his  brethern  would  entertain  their  auditors  oftener 
with  discourses  upon  the  new  birth."  Probably  some  of  them 
were  irritated  the  more,  by  his  free  conversation  with  some  of 
the  serious  dissenters,  who  invited  him  to  their  houses,  and 


MEMOIRS  OP   WHITEFIELD.  550 

repeatedly  told  him,  ^'  That  if  the  doctrines  of  the  new  birth, 
and  justification  by  faith,  were  preached  powerfiilly  in  the 
churches,  there  would  be  few  dissenters  in  England."  Nor 
was  he  without  opposition  even  from  some  of  his  friends. 
But,  under  these  discouragements,  he  had  great  comfort  in 
meeting  every  evening  with  a  band  of  religious  inmates,  to 
spend  an  hour  in  prayer  for  the  advancement  of  the  gospel,  and 
for  all  their  acquaintance,  so  far  as  they  knew  their  circumstan- 
ces. In  this  he  had  uncommon  satisfaction  :  once  he  sj^ent 
a  whole  night  with  them  in  prayer  and  praise  ;  and  sometimes 
at  midnight,  after  he  had  been  quite  wearied  with  the  labors 
of  the  day,  he  found  his  strength  renewed  in  this  exercise, 
which  made  him  compose  his  sermon  upon  Intercession. 

The  nearer  the  time  of  his  embarkation  approached,  the  more 
affectionate  and  eager  the  people  grew.  Thousands  and  thou- 
sands of  prayers  were  put  up  for  him.  They  would  run  and  stop 
him  in  the  alleys  of  the  churches,  and  follow  him  with  wishful 
looks.  But,  above  all,  it  was  hardest  for  him  to  part  with  his 
weeping  friends  at  St.  Dunstan's,  where  he  helped  to  administer 
the  sacrament  to  them,  after  spending  the  night  before  in  prayer. 
This  parting  wajs  to  him  almost  insupportable. 


CHAPTER  III. 

From  the  time  of  his  embarking  for  Georgia^  to  his  re-embarking 
for  England,  1738. 

In  the  latter  end  of  December,  1737,  he  embarked  for  Geor- 
gia. This  was  to  him  a  new,  and  at  first  appearance,  a  very 
unpromising  scene.  The  ship  was  full  of  so-ldiers,  and  there 
were  near  twenty  women  among  them.  The  captain  of  the 
ship,  and  the  officers  of  the  regiment,  with  the  surgeon,  and  a 
young  cadet,  gave  him  to  understand,  that  they  looked  upon  him 
as  an  impostor ;  and  for  awhile  treated  him  as  such.  On  the 
first  Lord's  day  one  of  them  played  on  the  hautboy ;  and  notli- 
ing  was  to  be  seen  but  cards,  and  little  heard  but  cursing  and 
blasphemy.  This  was  a  very  disagreeable  situation  ;  but  it  is 
worth  while  to  observe,  with  what  prudence  he  was  enabled  to 
behave  among  them ;  and  how  God  was  pleased  to  bless  his 
patient  and  persevering  endeavors  to  do  them  good. 

He  began  with  the  officers  in  the  cabin,  in  the  way  of  mild 
and  gentle  reproof;  but  this  had  little  effect.*    He  therefore 

*  "  I  could  do  no  more  for  a  season,  than  whilst  I  was  writing,  now  and  then 
to  turn  my  head,  by  way  of  reproof,  to  a  lieutenant  of  the  soldiers,  who  swore, 
as  though  he  was  bom  of  a  swearing  constitution.    Sometimes  he  would  take 

3 


26  MEMOIRS  OF  whitj:field. 

tried  what  might  be  done  between  decks,  among^  the  soldiers. 
And  though  the  place  was  not  very  commodious,  he  read  pray- 
ers and  expounded  twice  a  day.  At  lirst  he  could  not  see  any 
fruit  of  his  labor,  yet  it  was  encouraging  to  find  it  so  kindly 
received  by  his  new  red  coat  parishioners,  (as  he  calls  them) 
many  of  whom  submitted  cheerfully  to  be  catechised  about  the 
lessons  they  had  heard  expounded. 

In  this  situation  things  continued  for  some  time.  But  all 
this  while,  he  had  no  place  for  retirement ;  and  there  was  no 
divine  service  in  the  great  cabin,  both  which  he  greatly  desired. 
At  last  he  obtained  his  wish :  one  day  finding  the  sliip  captain 
a  little  inclined  to  favor  him,  he  asked  him  to  suffer  him  nou' 
and  then  to  retire  into  the  round-house,  where  the  captain  slept, 
and  offered  him  money  for  the  loan  of  it.  The  captain  would 
not  take  the  money,  but  readily  granted  his  request.  Soon 
afterwards,  the  military  captain,  having  invited  him  to  dish  of 
coffee,  he  took  the  liberty  to  tell  him,  "that  though  he  was  a 
volunteer  on  board,  yet  as  he  was  on  board,  he  looked  upon 
himself  as  his  chaplain,  and  as  such,  he  thought  it  a  little  odd  to 
pray  and  preach  to  the  servants,  and  not  to  the  master;"  and 
added,  "that  if  he  thought  proper,  he  would  make  use  of  a  short 
collect  now  and  then  to  him,  and  the  other  gentlemen  in  the 
great  cabin."  After  pausing  awhile,  and  shaking  his  head,  he 
answered,  "I  think  we  may,  when  we  have  nothing  else  to  do." 
This  awkward  hint  was  all  he  got  for  the  present ;  yet  he  was 
encouraged  thereby  to  hope  that  the  desired  point  would  be 
soon  gained. 

They  were  detained  in  the  Downs  by  contrary  winds  for  near 
a  month ;  the  soldiers,  by  this  time,  became  more  and  more 
civilized,  and  the  people  at  Deal  heard  him  gladly.  There  he 
preached  thrice,  at  the  invitation  of  the  ministers,  and  often 
expounded  in  the  house  where  he  lodged.  This  work  was  very 
delightful  to  him;  but  he  was  suddenly  called  away  by  a  fair 
w^nd,  about  the  end  of  January,  1738,  just  after  he  had  preach- 
ed in  Upper  Deal  church. 

Whitefield  sailed  from  the  Downs  for  Georgia  a  few  hours 
only  before  the  the  vessel  which  brought  Wesley  back  from 
thence  cast  anchor  there.  The  ships  passed  in  sight  of  each 
other,  but  neither  of  these  remarkable  men  knew  that  so  dear 
a  friend  was  on  the  deck  at  which  he  was  gazing.  But  when 
Wesley  landed  he  learned  that  his  coadjutor  was  on  board  the 
vessel  in  the  offing:  it  was  still  possible  to  communicate  with 
him;  and  Whitefield  was  not  a  little  surprised  at  receiving  a 
letter  which  contained  these  words :  "  When  I  saw  God  by  the 

the  hint,  return  my  nod,  with  a  '  doctor,  I  ask  your  pardon,'  and  then  to  his 
cards  and  swearing  again."    MS. 


MEMOIRS  OF    TVHITEFIELD.  27 

wind  which  was  carrying  you  out  brought  me  in,  I  asked  coun- 
sel of  God.  His  answer  you  have  inclosed."  The  inclosure 
was  a  slip  of  paper  with  this  sentence,  ^'Let  him  return  to 
London."  Wesley  doubting,  from  his  own  experience,  whether 
his  friend  could  be  so  usefully  employed  in  America  as  in 
England,  had  referred  the  question  to  chance,  in  which  at  that 
time  he  had  great  confidence,  and  this  was  the  lot*  which  he 
had  drawm.  But  Whitefield,  who  never  seems  to  have  fallen 
into  this  superstition,  was  persuaded  that  he  was  called  to 
Georg^ia;  and  even  if  he  had  not  felt  that  impression  upon  his 
mind^  the  inconsistency  of  returning  to  London  in  obedience 
to  a  lot,  which  had  been  drawn  without  his  consent  or  know- 
ledge, and  breaking  the  engagements  which  he  had  formed, 
would  have  been  glaring,  and  the  inconvenience  not  inconsi- 
derable. He  betook  himself  to  prayer :  the  story  of  the  prophet 
in  the  book  of  Kings  came  forcibly  to  his  recollection,  how  he 
turned  back  from  his  appointed  course,  because  another  pro- 
phet told  him  it  was  the  will  of  the  Lord  that  he  should  do  so, 
and  for  that  reason  a  lion  met  him  by  the  way.  So  he  pro- 
ceeded on  his  voyage. 

Being  again  on  board,  he  was  much  comforted  with  the 
hope  of  doing  good  in  the  great  cabin.  Having  no  better 
place,  he  generally  every  night  retired  with  his  friend,  the 
honorable  Mr.  Habersham,  and  his  brother,  and  two  servants, 
behind  the  round-house,  for  prayer  and  other  religious  exercises ; 
sometimes  he  observed  Captain  Whiting  hearkening  within. 
One  day,  finding  on  the  captain's  pillow,  The  Independent 
Whig,  he  exchanged  it  for  a  book  entitled,  The  Self  Deceiver. 
Next  morning,  the  captain  came  smiling,  and  inquired  who 
made  the  exchanofe.  Mr  Whitefield  confessed  the  charw, 
and  begged  his  acceptance  of  the  book,  which  he  said  he  had 

*  This  remarkable  instance  of  Wesley's  predilection  for  the  practice  of 
sortilege,  is  not  noticed  by  either  of  his  bio<2:raphers.  Whitefield  himself  re- 
lates it,  in  a  letter  published  at  the  time  of  their  separation.  "  We  sailed 
immediately,"  he  adds.  "  Some  months  after,  I  received  a  letter  from  you  at 
Georgia,  "vyherein  you  wrote  words  to  this  affect :  '  thoup^h  God  never  before 
gave  me  a  wrong  lot,  yet  perhaps  he  suffered  me  to  make  such  a  lot  at  thnt 
time,  to  try  what  was  in  your  heart.'  I  should  never,"  says  Whitefield, 
"  have  published  this  private  transaction  to  the  world,  did  not  the  glory  of  God 
call  me  to  it.  It  is  plain  you  had  a  wrong  lot  given  you  here,  and  justly,  be- 
cause you  tempted  God  in  drawing  one."  Whitefield  afterwards,  in  his  re- 
marks upon  Bishop  Lavington's  book,  refers  to  this  subject  in  a  manner  whicli 
does  him  honor.  "  My  mentioning,"  he  says,  "  Mr  Wesley's  casting  a  lot  on 
a  private  occasion,  known  only  to  God  and  ourselves,  has  put  me  to  great  pain. 
It  was  wrong  in  me  to  publish  a  private  transaction  to  the  world  ;  and  very 
ill-judged  to  ihink  the  glory  of  God  could  be  promoted  by  unnecessarily  ex- 
posing my  friend.  For  this  I  have  asked  both  God  and  him  pardon  years  ago. 
And  though  I  believe  both  have  forgiven  me,  yet  I  believe  I  shall  never  for- 
give myself  As  it  was  a  public  fault,  I  think  it  should  be  publicly  acknowledg- 
ed  J  and  I  thank  a  kind  Providence  for  giving  me  this  opportunity  of  doing  it." 


28  MEMOIRS  OF    WHITEFIELIX 

read,  and  liked  very  well.  From  thenceforward,  a  visible  alter- 
ation was  seen  in  him.  The  other  captain  also,  about  the  same 
time,  met  him  as  he  was  coming  from  between  decks,  and 
desired,  "  that  they  might  have  public  service,  and  expounding 
twice  a  day."  ^  In  April  following,  he  thus  mentions  the  happy 
effect  of  their  very  slow  passage: — "-Blessed  be  God,  v/e  now 
live  very  comfortably  in  the  great  cabin.  We  talk  of  little  else 
but  God  and  Christ ;  and  scarce  a  word  is  heard  among  us, 
when  together,  but  what  has  reference  to  our  fall  in  the  first, 
and  our  new  birth  in  the  second  Adam." 

In  about  a  fortnight,  they  reached  Gibralter,  whither  they 
were  bound  to  take  in  more  soldiers.  There,  a  Major  Sinclair 
had  been  so  kind  as  to  provide  a  lodging  for  him  unasked,  who, 
with  the  other  military  gentlemen,  even  Governor  Sabine,  and 
General  Columbine^  received  him  most  courteously.  Being 
apprehensive,  that  at  a  public  military  table,  he  might  be  more 
than  hospitality  entertained ;  by  way  of  prevention,  he  begged 
leave  to  remind  his  excellency  of  an  observation  made  in  the 
book  of  Esther,  on  the  court  of  the  great  Ahasuerus — "  that 
none  did  compel."  He  took  the  hint,  and  genteelly  replied, 
''that  no  compulsion  of  any  kind  should  be  used  at  his  table." 
And  every  thing  was  carried  on  with  great  decorum.  The 
officers  attended  at  public  worship  with  order  and  gravity ;  the 
ministers  also  behaved  with  great  civility ;  and  all  concurred 
to  give  him  invitations  to  preach,  which  he  did  twice  or  thrice 
in  a  week  ;*  and  in  the  evenings  and  mornings,  when  not  oa 
board,  he  expounded,  conversed,  and  prayed  with  a  religious 
society  of  soldiers,  who  had  liberty  from  the  governor  to  assem- 
ble at  any  time  in  the  church.  His  evening  expositions  were 
attended,  not  only  by  the  soldiers,  but  b^^ofiicers,  ministers,  and 
town's  people ;  and  from  all  that  could  be  judged,  his  labors 
were  not  without  the  divine  blessing. 

Finding  another  society  of  religious  soldiers  there,  belonging 
to  the  church  of  Scotland,  he  sent  them  as  well  as  the  former, 
some  proper  books — talked  with  several  of  them^  and  endeavor- 
ed to  unite  both  societies  together ;  urging  in  them  the  neces- 
sity of  a  catholic,  disinterested  love,  and  of  joining  in  prayer 
for  the  advancement  of  the  Redeemer's  kingdom.  This  exhor- 
tation also,  by  the  blessing  of  God,  had  a  good  effect ;  and  two 
or  three  of  the  latter  society,  being  drafted  out  for  Georgia, 

*  "  Strange  and  unusual  was  the  scene,  both  with  respect  to  the  place  and 
people.  The  adjacent  promontories,  and  the  largeness  of  the  rock  of  Gibraltar^ 
helped  me  to  enlarge  my  ideas  of  him,  who  in  his  strength  setteth  fast  the  moun- 
tains, and  is  girded  about  with  power.  And  the  place  being,  as  it  were,  a 
public  rendezvous  for  all  nations,  I  thought  I  saw  the  world  in  epitome." — 
Manuscript. 


MEMOIRS  OP   WHITEFIELD.  29 

desired  leave  to  go  into  the  ship  with  Mr.  Whitefield,  which 
was  readily  allowed  them. 

Before  the  embarkation  of  the  soldiers,  by  the  general's  con- 
sent, he  gave  them  a  parting  discourse  in  the  church :  and 
afterwards,  from  time  to  time,  as  the  weather  permitted,  he 
preached  to  them  on  board  their  respective  ships.  Colonel 
Cochran  who  commanded,  was  extremely  civil ;  and  soon  after 
setting:  sail,  there  was  such  a  change  in  Captain  Mackay,  that 
he  desired  Mr.  Whitefield  would  not  give  himself  the  trouble 
of  expounding  and  praying  in  the  cabin,  and  between  decks, 
for  he  would  order  a  drum  to  beat  morning  and  evening,  and 
he  himself  would  attend  with  the  soldiers  on  the  deck.  This 
produced  a  very  a2;reeable  alteration — they  were  now  as  regu- 
lar as  in  the  church.  Mr.  Whitefield  preached  with  a  captain 
on  each  side  of  him,  and  soldiers  all  around  ;  and  the  two  other 
ships'  companies,  being  now  in  the  trade  winds,  drew  near 
and  joined  in  the  worship  of  God.  The  great  cabin  now  be- 
came a  Bethel — both  captains  were  daily  more  and  more  af- 
fected— a  crucified  Savior,  and  the  things  pertaining  to  the 
kingdom  of  God,  were  the  usual  topics  of  their  conversation. 
Once,  after  sermon.  Captain  Mackay  desired  the  soldiers  to  stop, 
whilst  he  informed  them,  that  to  his  great  sliame,  he  had  been 
a  notorious  swearer,  but  by  the  instrumentality  of  Mr.  White- 
field's  preaching  he  had  now  left  it  oft* — and  exhorted  them, 
for  Christ's  sake,  to  go  and  do  likewise.  The  children  were 
catechised,  and  there  was  a  reformation  throughout  the  whole 
soldiery.  The  women  cried,  "  what  a  change  in  our  captain !" 
The  bad  books  and  packs  of  cards,  which  Mr.  Whitefield  ex- 
changed for  bibles  and  other  religious  books,  (abundance  of 
which  were  given  him  to  disperse  by  the  society  for  j)romoting 
Christian  Knoidedge^)  were  now  thrown  overboard ;  and  a 
fever,  that  prevailed  in  general  througli  the  whole  ship,  helped 
to  make  the  impressions  sink  deeper.  For  many  days  and 
nights  he  visited  between  twenty  and  thirty  sick  persons,  crawl- 
ing between  decks  upon  his  knees,  administering  medicines 
or  cordials  to  them,  and  such  advice  as  seemed  suitable  to  their 
circumstances.  The  sailors  did  not  escape  the  fever ;  and 
Captain  Whiting  gladly  went  with  him  to  visit  them.  One  of 
them,  in  particular,  who  had  been  a  notorious  scoffer,  sent  for 
him  in  a  bitter  agony,  crying  out  upon  and  lamenting  his 
wicked  life.  The  cadet,  who  was  a  cabin  passenger,  being  also 
seized,  was  wounded  deeply — told  Mr.  Whitefield  the  history 
of  his  life,  and  informed  Captain  Mackay  of  his  desire  to  leave 
the  army,  and  return  to  his  original  intention  (having  had  a 
university  education)  of  devoting  liimself  to  the  service  of  God. 
Mr.  Whitefield  was  also  himself  seized,  but  through  the  divine 

3* 


30  MEMOIRS  OP    WHITEFIELD. 

blessing  recovered,  and  was  soon  able  to  perform  the  burial 
service  over  the  ship's  cook  who  had  lately  said,  "  he  would 
be  wicked  till  two  years  before  he  died,  and  then  he  would  be 
good."  But,  alas  !  this  boaster  was  cut  off  in  about  six  hours. 
Tiiey  landed  the  beginning  of  May^  1738.  After  preaching 
his  farewell  sermon,  he  arrived  at  Savannah  on  the  seventh  of 
that  month. 

Upon  this  voyage  (many  years  after)  he  made  the  following 
reflection : — "xV  long,  and  I  trust,  not  altogether  unprofitable 
voyage.  What  shall  I  render  to  the  Lord  tor  all  his  mercies? 
Besides  being  strengthened  to  go  through  my  public  work,  1 
was  enabled  to  write  letters,  and  compose  sermons,  as  though 
I  had  been  on  land.  Even  at  this  distance  of  time,  the  remem- 
brance of  the  happy  hours  I  enjoyed  in  religious  exercise  on  the 
deck,  is  refreshing  to  my  soul,  and  though  nature  sometimes 
relented  at  beino^  taken  from  my  friends,  and  little  accustomed 
to  the  inconvenience  of  a  sea  life  ;  yet,  a  conciousness  that  I 
had  in  view  the  glory  of  God,  and  the  good  of  souls,  from  time 
to  time,  afforded  me  unspeakable  satisfaction." 

One  Mr.  Delamot,  whom  Mr.  John  Wesley*  had  left  as  a 

*  The  Rev.  John  Wesley  u-as  of  inferior  size,  his  visage  marked  \rith  in- 
telligence, singularly  neat  and  plain  in  his  dress,  a  little  cast  in  his  eye,  obser- 
vable on  particular  occasions  ;  upright,  graceful,  and  remarkably  active.  His 
understanding,  naturally  excellent  and  acute,  was  highly  stored  Avith  the 
attainments  of  literature  ;  and  he  possessed  a  fund  of  anecdote  and  history, 
that  rendered  his  company  as  entertaining  as  instructive.  His  mode  of  ad- 
dress in  public  was  chaste  and  solemn,  tliough  not  illuminated  with  those 
coruscations  of  eloquence,  which  marked,  if  we  may  use  that  expression,  the 
discourses  of  his  rival  George  Whitefield ;  but  there  was  a  divine  simplicity, 
a  zeal,  a  venerableness  in  his  manner,  which  commanded  attention,  and  never 
forsook  him  in  his  latest  years ;  when  at  fourscore  he  retained  still  all  the 
liveliness  of  vigorous  old  age.  His  health  was  remarkably  preserved  amidst 
a  scene  of  labor  and  perpetual  exertions  of  mind  and  body,  to  which  few  men 
would  have  been  equal.  Never  man  possessed  greater  personal  influence  over 
the  people  connected  with  him.  Nor  was  it  an  easy  task  to  direct  so  vast  a 
machine,  where,  amidst  so  many  hundred  wheels"^ in  motion,  some  moved 
eccentrically,  and  hardly  yielded  to  the  impulse  of  the  main  spring.  We  need 
not  speak  of  the  exemplariness  of  his  life :  too  many  eyes  were  upon  him  to 
admit  of  his  halting ;  nor  could  his  weight  have  beeri  maintained  a  moment 
longer,  than  the  fullest  conviction  impressed  his  people,  that  he  was  an  emi- 
nently favored  saint  of  God,  and  as  distinguished  for  his  holy  walk,  as  for 
his  vast  abilities,  indefatigable  labor,  and  singular  usefulness. 

His  enemies  reviled  him,  and  would,  if  possible,  rob  him  of  the  meed  ol 
well  deserved  honor,  by  imputing  to  him  objects  below  the  prize  he  had  in 
view.  Never  was  there  a  more  disinterested  character  ;  but  he  was  a  man, 
and  he  must  have  been  more  than  man,  if,  with  the  consciousness  of  his  own 
devotedness,  the  divine  blessing  on  his  labors,  and  the  high  admiration,  in 
which  he  was  held  by  his  followers,  he  had  not  sometimes  thought  of  himself 
more  highly  than  he  ought  to  think.  We  exhibit  no  faultless  monsters.  Elias 
was  a  man  of  like  passions  as  ourselves.  Mr.  Wesley  is  gone  to  give  ait 
account  of  himself  to  his  proper  Judge,  by  whom  doubtless  all  his  iniquity  is 
pardoned,  and  his  infirmities  covered.  And  now  that  emy  and  enmity  have 
been  some  time  laid  asleep  in  his  grave,  his  character  rises' in  general  estima- 
tion, and  is  most  highly  respected  by  those  who  knew  him  i  and,  it  will  now 


MEMOIRS   OF   WHITEFIELD.  31 

schoolmaster  at  Savannah,  received  Mr.  Whitefield  at  the  par- 
sonaore-house,  which  he  found  much  better  than  he  expected. 
Having  met  some  of  Mr.  Wesley's  converts  here,  he  on  the  mor- 
row read  prayers,  expounded  in  the  court-house,  and  waited 
on  the  magistrates ;  but  being  taken  ill  of  an  ague  and  fever, 
he  was  confined  for  a  week. 

When  he  recovered,  he  found  every  part  bore  the  aspect  of 
an  infant  colony ;  and,  what  was  more  discouraging  still,  it 
appeared  likely  to  continue  so,  by  the  nature  of  its  constitution. 
"  The  people,"  he  says,  '•  were  denied  the  use  of  both  rum  and 
slaves.  The  lands  were  allotted  them  according  to  a  particular 
plan,  whether  good  or  bad ;  and  the  female  heirs  prohibited 
from  inheritins:.  So  that  m  reality,  to  place  people  there  on  such 
a  footing,  was^ little  better  than  to  tie  their  legs  and  bid  them 
walk.  The  scheme  was  well  meant  at  home ;  but,  as  too  many 
years  experience  evidently  proved,  was  absolutely  impracticable 
in  so  hot  a  country  abroad.  However,  that  rendered  what  I 
had  brought  over  from  my  friends,  more  acceptable  to  the  poor 
mhabitants ;  and  gave  me  an  ocular  demonstration,  which 
was  what  I  wanted,  when  the  hint  was  given*  of  the  great 
necessity  and  promising  utility  of  a  future  Orphan-house,  which 
I  now  determined,  by  the  divine  assistance,  to  get  about  in 
earnest.  The  Saltzbiirghers,  at  Ebenezer,  I  found  had  one  ; 
and  having  heared  and  read  of  what  Professor  Franck  had 
done  in  that  way  in  Germany,  I  confidently  hoped  that  some- 
thing of  the  like  nature  might  be  owmed,  and  succeed  in 
Georgia.  Many  poor  orphans  were  there  already,  and  the 
number  was  likely  soon  to  be  increased.  As  opportunity 
offered,  I  visited  Frederica,  and  the  adjacent  villages,  and  often 
admired,  considering  the  circumstances  and  disposition  of  the 
first  settlers,  that  so  much  was  really  done.  The  settlers  were 
chiefly  broken  and  decayed  tradesmen  from  London  and  other 

hardly  be  a  question  with  any  man,  whether  he  would  not  rather  have  been 
John  Wesley,  who  died  worth  ten  pounds,  than  Lavinglon,  bishop  of  Exeter, 
who  so  bitterly  reviled  him, 

"  As  a  man,  as  a  christian,  as  a  minister,  we  shall  not,  it  is  to  be  feared, 
look  upon  his  like  again  speedily.  After  passing  througli  evil  report  and  good 
report,  during  more  than  sixty  years  of  incessant  labor,  he  entered  into  his 
Test  in  the  87th  year  of  his  age,  "Whatever  ignorance  of  his  real  character, 
the  fatuity  of  prejudice,  or  the  insolence  of  pride  may  have  suggested,  the  day 
is  coming,  when  his  great  and  adorable  Master  will  condemn  every  tongue  that 
hath  risen  up  in  judgment  against  him,  and  say  in  the  presence  of  men  and 
angels,  '  Well  done  good  and  faithful  servant,  enter  thou  into  the  joy  of  thy 
Lord !'  "  See  an,  impartial  and  succinct  History  of  the  Church  of  Christ,  (^"C. 
Vol.  III.  page  "il^.  By  the  Rev.  T.  Haweis,  LL.D.  and  M.D.  Rector  of  ail 
Saints,  Aldwinckle,  Northamptonshire  ;  C/uiplain  to  the  late  Countess  Dowager 
of  Huntingdon  ;  and  Chaplain  to  the  Right  Hon.  the  Earl  of  Peterborough. 

*  "  It  was  first  proposed  to  me  by  my  dear  friend,  Mr.  Charles  Wesley,  who, 
with  General  Oglethorpe,  had  concerted  a  scheme  for  carrying  on  such  a  de- 
sign, before  I  had  any  thought  of  going  abroad  myself." 


32  MEMOIRS   OP   WHITEFIELD. 

parts  of  En^and,  and  several  Scotch  adventurers,  (highland- 
ers)  who  had  a  worthy  minister,  named  Macleod ;  a  few  Mo- 
ravians, and  the  Saltzburgers,  who  were  by  far  the  most  indus- 
trious of  the  whole.  With  the  worthy  ministers  of  Ebenezer, 
Messrs.  Grenaw  and  Bolkius,  I  contracted  an  intimacy.  Many 
praying  people  were  in  the  congregation,  which,  with  the  con- 
sideration that  so  many  charitable  people  in  England  had  been 
stirred  up  to  contribute  to  Georgia,  and  such  faithful  laborers  as 
Messrs.  Wesleys  and  Ingham  had  been  sent,  gave  me  hopes,  that, 
unpromising  as  the  aspect  might  be,  the  colony  might  emerge 
in  time  out  of  its  infant  state.  Some  small  advances  Mr.  Ing- 
ham had  made  towards  converting  the  Indians,  who  were  at  a 
small  settlement  about  four  miles  from  Savannah.  He  went 
and  lived  among  them  for  a  few  months,  and  began  to  compose 
an  Indian  grammar  ;  but  he  was  soon  called  away  to  England ; 
and  the  Indians,  (who  were  only  some  run-away  Creeks)  were 
in  a  few  years  scattered  or  dead.  Mr.  Charles  Wesley  had 
chiefly  acted  as  secretary  to  General  Oglethorpe ;  but  he  went 
to  England  to  engage  more  laborers ;  and  not  long  after,  his 
brother,  Mr.  John  Wesley,  having  met  with  unworthy  treatment, 
both  at  Frederica  and  Georgia,  soon  followed.  All  this  I  was 
apprised  of;  but  think  it  most  prudent  not  to  repeat  grievances. 
Through  divine  mercy,  I  met  with  respectful  treatment  from 
magistrates,  officers,  and  people.  The  first  I  visited  now  and 
then  ;  the  others,  besides  preaching  twice  a  day  and  four  times 
on  the  Lord's  day,  I  visited  from  house  to  house.  I  was  in 
general  most  cordially  received ;  but  from  time  to  time  found, 
that  ccEluni  non  animum  Tnutant^  qui  trans  mare  currunt — 
though  lowered  in  their  circumstances,  a  sense  of  what  they 
formerly  were  in  their  native  country,  remained.  It  was  plain 
to  be  seen,  that  coming  over  was  not  so  much  out  of  choice, 
as  constraint ;  choosing  rather  to  be  poor  in  an  unknown  coun- 
try abroad,  than  beholden  to  relations,  or  live  among  those 
who  knew  them  in  more  affluent  circumstances  at  home. 
Among  some  of  these,  the  event,  however,  proved,  that  the 
word  took  effectual  root.  I  was  really  happy  in  my  little 
foreign  cure,  and  could  have  cheerfully  remained  among  them, 
had  I  not  been  obliged  to  return  to  England,  to  receive  priest's 
orders,  and  make  a  beginning  towards  laying  a  foundation  to 
the  Orphan-house.  And  thus  the  place  I  intended  to  hide 
myself  in,  became,  through  my  being  obliged  to  return  for  these 
purposes,  a  means  of  increasing  that  popularity  which  was 
already  begun ;  but  which  by  me,  was  absolutely  unforeseen, 
and  as  absolutely  undesigned."* 

*  "  During  my  stay  here,  the  weather  was  most  intensely  hot,  sometimes 
burning  me  almost  through  my  shoes.  Seeing  others  do  it  who  were  as  unable, 


MEMOIRS  OF   WHITEFIELD.  33 

In  Au^stj  he  settled  a  schoolmaster  in  an  adjacent  village ; 
leaving  Mr.  Habersham  at  Savannah,  and  parting  affectionate- 
ly with  his  flock,  he  went  to  South  Carolina.  At  Charleston, 
he  paid  a  visit  to  Commissary  Garden,  and  at  his  entreaty 
preached  the  next  Sabbath  morning  and  evening,  in  a  grand 
church  resembling  one  of  the  new  churches  in  London.  The 
people  at  first  despised  his  youth ;  but  his  engaging  address 
soon  gained  their  general  esteem.  Mr.  Garden  /thanked  him 
most  cordially,  and  apprised  him  of  the  ill  treatment  Mr.  Wesley 
had  met  with  in  Georgia,  and  assured  him,  that  were  the  same 
arbitrary  proceedings  to  commence  against  him,  he  would  de- 
fend him  with  his  life  and  fortune.  He  also  said  something 
about  the  colony  of  Georgia,  that  much  encouraged  him,  as  if 
he  thought  its  flourishing  was  not  very  far  off";  and  that  Charles- 
ton was  fifteen  times  larger  now,  than  when  he  (Mr.  Garden) 
first  came  there. 

It  had  been  his  practice  in  Georgia,  especially  at  Savannah, 
to  read  prayers  and  expound,  and  visit  the  sick,  twice  a  day. 
On  Sunday  he  expounded  at  five  in  the  morning ;  at  ten  read 
prayers  and  preached,  and  at  three  in  the  afternoon :  and  at 
seven  in  the  evening  expounded  the  church  catechism.  How 
much  easier  was  it  for  the  clergy  in  England,  Scotland,  or 
America,  to  find  fault  with  such  a  faithful  brother  in  the  minis- 
try, than  to  follow  his  example ! 


CHAPTER  IV. 

From  his  embarking'  at  Charleston  for  London^  to  his  preaching  first 
at  Moorfields,  1739. 

September  6,  1738,  Mr.  Whitefield  embarked  in  a  ship 
bound  from  Charleston  to  London.  They  had  a  very  un- 
comfortable passage.  For  almost  a  fortnight  they  were  beat 
about  not  far  from  the  bar ;  tliey  were  soon  reduced  to  an  al- 
lowance of  water ;  and  the  ship  itself  was  quite  out  of  repair 
They  were  also  very  poorly  ofl*  for  provisions.  When  they 
had  advanced  about  a  third  part  of  their  passage,  they  met 
with  a  Jamaica-man,  who  had  plenty  of  every  thing.  He  sent 
for  Mr.  Whitefield  on  board,  and  oflered  him  a  most  commodi- 
ous birth  ;  but  he  did  not  think  it  right  to  leave  his  shipmates 
in  distress,  and  therefore  returned  to  his  own  ship,  with  such 
things  as  they  were  pleased  to  give  him.     The  remaining  part 

I  determined  to  inure  myself  to  hardships,  by  lying  constantly  on  the  ground, 
which,  by  use,  I  found  to  be  so  far  from  being  a  hardship,  that  afterwards  it 
became  so  to  lie  in  a  bed."    MS.   . 


34  MEMOIRS  OF   WHITEFIELD. 

of  the  voyage  was  still  more  perilous.  The  only  thing  com- 
fortable was,  that,  in  the  midst  of  these  trials,  deep  impressions 
were  made  on  some  that  were  on  board.  All  constantly  attend- 
ed public  worship  twice,  and  some  thrice,  a  day.  Once  the 
captain  cried  out,  '-Lord,  break  this  hard  heart  of  mine." 
Others  were  impressed ;  particularly  one  Captain  Gladman,  a 
passenger,  on  whom  a  great  change  was  wrought,  and  who 
afterwards,  at  his  own  earnest  request,  became  Mr.  Whitefield's 
fellow  traveler.  At  length,  after  nine  weeks  tossing  and  beat- 
ing to  and  fro,  they  found  themselves  in  Limerick  harbor.* 

At  Limerick,  Bishop  Burscough  received  him  very  kindly, 
and  engaged  him  to  preach  in  the  cathedral,  the  good  effects 
of  which  he  heard  of  many  years  after.  From  thence  he  went 
to  Dublin,  where  he  preached  and  was  courteously  received  by 
Dr.  Delany,  Bishop  Rundell,  and  Archbishop  Bolton,  who  had 
heard  of  him  from  a  gentleman  of  Gibraltar.  And,  after  a  pas- 
sage of  twenty-four  hours  from  Dublin,  he  arrived  at  Parkgate, 
Thursday,  November  30,  preached  twice  on  the  Lord's  day, 
at  Manchester,  and  came  to  London  the  Friday  following, 
December  8. 

Here  he  had  a  conference  with  the  Moravian  brethren,  who 
had  lately  come  to  London  ;  and  though  he  could  not  directly 
fall  in  with  their  way  of  expressing  themselves,  yet  he  heartily 
agreed  with  them  in  the  old  Protestant  doctrine  of  justification 
in  the  sight  of  God,  by  faith  alone  in  the  imputed  righteousness 
of  Christ ;  and  was  not  a  little  delighted  to  find  a  great  increase 
of  the  work  of  God,  both  as  to  light  and  love,  doctrine  and 
practice,  through  the  instrumentality  of  Mr.  Charles,  and 
especially  of  Mr.  John  Wesley. 

Some  of  the  clergy  now  began  to  show  their  displeasure 
more  and  more ;  so  that  in  two  days  five  churches  were  denied 
him.  And  though  the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  and  the 
Bishop  of  London,  both  received  him  civilly,  it  was  but  coldly : 
and  the  latter  inquired,  "Whether  his  Journals  were  not  a  little 
tinctured  with  enthusiasm."  He  replied,  that  they  were  writ- 
ten only  for  himself,  and  private  friends,  and  were  published 
entirely  without  his  consent  or  knowledge,  or  so  much  as  his 
consent  being  asked  at  all.t     The  trustees  for  the  colony  of 

*  "  I  wish  I  could  never  forget  what  I  felt  when  water  and  other  provision 
were  brought  us  from  ashore.  One  Mr.  MacMahon,  a  country  gentleman, 
came  from  his  seat  at  midnight  on  purpose  to  relieve  us,  and  most  kindly  in- 
vited me,  though  unknown,  to  his  house  to  stay  as  long  as  I  pieased."  MS. 
.  t  It  was  certainly  wrong  to  publish  them  without  his  consent  and  revisal ; 
otherwise,  the  publication  of  them  was  a  very  proper  way  to  prevent  the  mis- 
representation of  facts,  either  by  calunmy  and  detraction  on  the  one  hand,  or 
by  exaggeration  on  the  other.  And  it  is  a  great  pity  he  did  not  continue  them. 
They  would  have  been  the  best  possible  memoirs  of  his  life.  But  we  see  how 
the  offense  given  by,  or  taken  at,  some  passages,  might  help  to  determine  him 


MEMOIRS  OF    WHITEFIELD.  35 

Georgia  received  him  more  cordially,  were  pleased  to  express 
their  satisfaction  at  the  accounts  sent  them  of  his  conduct  dur- 
ing his  stay  in  the  colony :  and,  being  requested,  by  letters 
sent,  unknown  to  him.  from  the  magistrates  and  inhabitants, 
they  most  willingly  presented  him  to  the  living  of  Savannah, 
(though  he  insisted  upon  having  no  salary)  and  as  readily 
granted  him  five  hundred  acres  of  land,  whereon  to  erect  an 
Orphan-house  ;  to  collect  money  for  which,  together  with  taking- 
priest's  orders,  were  the  chief  motives  of  his  returning  to  Eng- 
land so  soon. 

Nearly  a  month  elapsed  before  a  board  sat  to  make  him 
these  returns.  But  during  that  interval  he  was  not  idle.  He 
and  his  brethren  went  on  in  their  usual  course,  preaching  6c- 
casionally  as  churches  were  allowed  them.*  And  though 
the  church  wardens  and  clergy  were  averse,  yet  the  common 
people  were  rather  more  eager  than  ever.  But  what  surprised 
him  most  was,  to  see  many  of  the  heads  and  members  of  the 
London  societies  (who,  by  the  accounts  given  by  Drs.  Wood- 
ward and  Horneck,  het  thought,  were  founded  on  a  good  bot- 
tom) make  such  virulent  opposition.     However,  numbers  of 

'•  to  proceed,  (as  he  afterwards  says)  in  a  more  compendious  way."  The 
Journals  were,  indeed,  mostly  written  amidst  his  incessant  labors  in  preach- 
ing, traveling,  and  writing  a  multitude  of  letters.  And  the  whole  was  told 
with  the  unguarded  simplicity,  which,  though  it  charms  the  candid,  and  dis- 
poses them  to  forgive  or  overlook  many  things,  yet  gives  frequent  handle  to 
the  critical  and  severe.  It  must  also  be  owned,  that  his  unsuspecting  honesty 
made  him  sometimes  receive  with  too  little  caution,  the  characters  of  persons 
and  societies,  from  those  whom  he  took  to  be  the  friends  of  religion,  and  who 
perhaps  were  really  so,  but  were  misinformed.  Being  therefore  convinced, 
upon  second  thoughts,  that  his  Journals  and  the  two  ftrst  parts  of  his  Life 
needed  correction,  he  promised  a  new  edition  to  them,  which  he  accordingly 
published  in  175G.  And  in  the  preface  he  ingeniously  acknowledges,  that, 
upon  a  review,  he  had  found  "  many  mistakes,"  (which  are  now  rectified,)  and 
"  many  passages  that  were  justly  exceptionable,"  (which  are  now  erased.) 
And  in  a  note,  upon  September  24,  1740,  he  says,  "  In  my  former  journal, 
taking  things  by  hearsay  too  much,  I  spoke  and  "wrote  too  rashly,  both  of  the 
colleges  and  ministers  of  New  England ;  for  which  as  I  have  "already  done, 
when  at  Boston  last,  from  the  pulpit,  I  take  this  opportunity  of  asking  public 
pardon  from  the  press.  It  was  rash  and  uncharitable,  and,  though  well 
meant,  I  fear  did  hurt."  But  these  corrections,  while  thev  show  the  author's 
candor  and  humility,  do  not  affect  the  history  of  his  extraordinary  labors  and 
success  in  the  work  of  the  gospel. 

*  "  God  gave  us  a  most  pleasant  gospel  Christmas  season,  and  such  a  hap- 
py beginning  of  a  new  year,  as  I  had  never  seen  before." 

"  On  the  first  night  of  the  new  year,"  says  Wesley,  "  Mr.  Hall,  Kinchin, 
Ingham,  Whitefield,  Hutchins,  and  my  brother  Charles,  were  present  at  our 
love-feast,  with  about  sixty  of  our  brethern.  About  three  in  the  morning,  as 
we  were  continuing  instant  in  prayer,  the  power  of  God  came  mightily  upon 
us,  insomuch,  that  many  cried  out  for  exceeding  joy,  and  many  fell  to  the 
ground.  As  soon  as  we  were  recovered  a  little  from  that  awe  and  amazement 
at  the  presence  of  His  majesty,  we  broke  out  with  one  voice,  We  praise  thee,  O 
God  ;  we  acknowledge  thee  to  be  the  Lord." 

t  See  Dr.  Woodward's  Account  of  the  Rise  and  Progress  of  the  Religious 
Societies  in  the  city  of  LKjndon,  &c. 


36  MEMOIRS  OF   WHITEFIELD. 

them  were  of  another  mind,  and  other  societies  were  soon 
formed  in  various  parts  of  the  tovm.  A  large  room  in  Fetter- 
lane  was  the  general  place  of  rendezvous,  where  they  had  fre- 
quent meetings,  and  great  satisfaction  in  social  prayer.*  At 
the  same  time,  the  people  crowded  into  the  churches  that  were 
open,  and  were  affected  more  than  ever.  And  he  and  his 
brethren  were  so  much  engaged,  that  for  some  days  he  could 
walk,  and  preach,  and  visit  societies,  with  very  little  sleep,  and 
religious  exercises  seemed  to  be  their  meat  and  drink. 

January  11,  1739,  he  set  out  for  Oxford,  to  receive  priest's 
orders  from  his  good  friend  Bishop  Benson.t  which  he  did  the 
next  Lord's  day ;  and  having  preached  and  administered  the 
sacrament  at  the  Castle,  and  preached  again  in  the  afternoon, 
to  a  crowded  congregation,  he  returned  to  London,  January  15. 

As  he  had  collected  so  much  for  the  charity  schools  last 
year,  he  reasonably  supposed  that  the  pulpits  would  not  be  de- 
nied him  for  the  use  of  the  Georgia  Orphan-house  this  year. 
But  the  religious  concern  advancing,  and  spreading  more  and 
more,  opposition  also  increased.  A  pamphlet  was  published 
against  his  sermon  on  Regeneration.  Several  clergv^men 
made  strong  objections  against  him  and  his  brethren,  for  ex- 
pounding in  societies ;  and  some  people  were  threatened  with 
prosecution  by  their  parish  ministers,  for  suffering  them  to  ex- 
pound in  their  houses.  Yet  this  did  not  discourage  either 
preachers  or  hearers.  The  more  they  were  opposed  the  more 
they  Avere  strengthened.  New  awakenings  were  heard  of  in 
various  parts;  and,  "What  shall  I  do  to  be  saved?*'  was  the 
question  every  day  repeated. 

All  the  pulpits  were  not  as  yet  shut  up.  Two  or  three 
churches  were  allowed  him  to  preach  in,  and  to  collect  for  the 
Georgia  orphans,  and  for  erecting  a  church  for  the  poor  Saltz- 

*  "  It  was  a  Pentecost  season  indeed.  Sometimes  whole  nights  were  spent 
in  prayer.  Often  have  we  been  tilled  as  with  new  wine.  And  often  have  I 
seen  them  overwhelmed  with  the  Divine  Presence,  and  crying  out,  '  Will 
God,  indeed,  dwell  with  men  upon  earth  ! — How  dreadful  is  this  place ! — This 
is  no  other  than  the  house  of  God,  and  the  gate-of  Heaven  !'  "    MS. 

t  Shortly  after  the  late  Countess  of  Huntingdon  was  brought  to  the  know- 
ledge of  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus,  Bishop  Benson,  who  had  been  Lord  Hun- 
tingdon's tutor,  was  sent  for  in  order  to  reason  with  her  ladyship  respecting 
her  opinions  and  conduct.  But  she  pressed  him  so  hard  with  articles  and  homi- 
lies ;  and  so  plainly  and  faithfully  urged  upon  him  the  awful  responsibility  of 
his  station  under  the  great  head  of  the  church,  Jesus  Christ,  that  his  temper 
was  ruffled,  and  he  rose  up  in  haste  to  depart,  bitterly  lamenting  that  he  had 
ever  laid  his  hands  on  George  Whitefield,  to  whom  he  imputed,  though  with- 
out cause,  the  change  wrought  in  her  ladyship.  She  called  him  back  ;  "  My 
lord,"  said  she,  "  mark  my  words  :  when'you  come  upon  your  dying  bed,  that 
will  be  one  of  the  few  ordinations  you  will  reflect  upon  with  complacence." 
It  deserves  remark,  that  Bishop  Benson  on  his  dying  bed,  sent  ten  guineas  to 
Mr,  Whitefield,  as  a  token  of  his  favor  and  appVobation,  and  begged  to  be  re- 
membered by  him  in  his  prayers. 


MEMOIRS  OF    WHITEFIELD.  37 

burghers  at  Ebenezer.  One  Mr.  Broughton  behaved  nobly  on 
this  occasion.  Application  being  made  to  him  to  deny  Mr. 
Whitefield  his  pulpit,  he  answered,  "  Having  got  the  lectureship 
of  St.  Helen's  by  Mr.  Whitefield's  influence,  If  he  insists  upon 
it,  he  shall  have  my  pulpit."  Mr.  Whitefield  did  insist  upon  it, 
but  (Mr.  Broughton  loosing  the  lectureship)  he  afterwards 
blamed  himself  much  for  his  conduct. 

In  Bristol  he  had  the  use  of  the  churches  for  two  or  three 
Sundays,  but  soon  found  they  would  not  be  open  very  long.  The 
dean  was  not  at  home  :  the  chancellor  threatened  to  silence 
and  suspend  him.*  In  about  a  fortnight,  every  door  was  shut, 
except  Newgate,  where  he  preached,  and  collected  for  the  poor 
prisoners,  and  where  people  thronged,  and  were  much  impress- 
ed ;  but  this  place,  also,  was  soon  shut  against  him,  by  orders 
from  the  mayor. 

One  Sunday,  when  Whitefield  was  preaching  at  Bermondsey 
church,  as  he  tells  us,  „  with  great  freedom  in  his  heart,  and 
clearness  in  his  voice,"  to  a  crowded  congregation,  near  a 
thousand  people  stood  in  the  church-yard  during  the  service, 
hundreds  went  away  who  could  not  find  room,  and  he  had  a 
strong^  inclination  to  go  out  and  preach  to  them  from  one  of  the 
tomb-stones.  "  This,"  he  says,  "  put  me  first  upon  thinking  of 
preaching  without  doors.  I  mentioned  it  to  some  friends,  who 
looked  upon  it  as  a  mad  notion.  However  we  knelt  down  and 
prayed  that  nothing  might  be  done  rashly.  Hear  and  answer, 
O  Lord,  for  thy  name's  sake !" 

About  a  fortnight  afterwards  he  went  to  Bristol.  Near  that 
city  is  a  tract  of  country  called  Kingswood ;  formerly,  as  its 
name  implies,  it  had  been  a  royal  chase,  containing  between 
three  and  four  thousand  acres,  but  it  had  been  gradually  ap- 
propriated by  the  several  lords  whose  estates  lay  around  about 
its  borders  :  and  their  title,  which  for  a  lon^*  time  was  no  better 
than  what  possession  gave  them,  had  t)een  legalized.     The 

*  When  "Whitefield  arrived  at  Bristol,  the  chancellor  of  that  diocese  had 
told  him  that  he  would  not  prohibit  any  minister  from  lending  him  a  church  ; 
but  in  the  course  of  the  week  he  sent  for  hi«i,  and  told  him  he  intended  to  stop 
his  proceedings.  He  then  asked  him  by  vvhat  authority  he  preached  in  the 
diocese  of  Bristol  without  a  license.  Whitefield  replied,  "  I  thought  that 
custom  was  grown  obsolete.  And  wh/,  pray,  sir,  did  not  you  ask  the  clergy- 
man this  question  who  preached  fo'  you  last  Thursday  1"  The  chancellor 
then  read  to  him  those  canons  wh^^h  forbade  any  minister  from  preaching  in 
a  private  house.  Whitefield  an*^vvered,  he  apprehended  they  did  not  apply  to 
professed  ministers  of  the  chu»^^h  of  England.  When  he  was  informed  of  his 
mistake,  he  said,  "  There  v  also  a  canon,  sir,  forbidding  all  clergymen  to 
frequent  taverns  and  play  4t  cards ;  why  is  not  that  put  in  execution  V  and 
he  added,  that  notwithstanding  those  canons,  he  could  not  but  speak  the  things 
which  he  knew,  and  thit  he  was  resolved  to  proceed  as  usual.  The  answer 
was  written  down,  aad  the  chancellor  then  said,  "  I  am  resolved,  sir,  if  you 
preach  or  expound  my  where  in  this  diocese  till  you  have  a  license,  I  will 
first  suspend,  and  then  excommunicate  you." 

4 


38  MEMOIRS    OF    WHITEFIELD. 

deer  had  long"  since  disappeared,  and  the  greater  part  of  the 
wood  also  ;  and  coal  mines  having  been  discovered  there,  from 
which  Bristol  derives  its  chief  supply  of  fuel,  it  was  now  in- 
habited by  a  race  of  people  as  lawless  as  the  foresters  their 
forefathers,  but  far  more  brutal,  and  differing  as  much  from 
the  people  of  the  surrounding  country  in  dialect  as  in  appear- 
ance. They  had  at  that  time  no  place  of  worship,  for  Kings- 
wood  then  belonged  to  the  out-parish  of  St.  Philip  and  Jacob;' 
and  if  the  colliers  had  been  disposed  to  come  from  a  distance 
of  three  and  four  miles,  they  would  have  found  no  room  in  the 
parish  church  of  a  populous  suburb.  AVlien  upon  his  last  visit 
to  Bristol,  before  his  embarkation,  Whitefield  spoke  of  convert- 
ing the  savages,  many  of  his  friends  said  to  him,  "  What  need 
of  going  abroad  for  this  ?  Have  we  not  Indians  enough  at 
home  ?  If  you  have  a  mind  to  convert  Indians,  there  are  col- 
hers  enough  in  Kingswood." 

Toward  these  colliers,  Whitefield,  as  he  says,  had  long  felt 
his  bowels  yearn,  for  they  were  very  numerous,  and  yet  as 
sheep  having  no  shepherd.     In  truth,  it  was  a  matter  of  duty 
and  of  sound  policy,  (which  is  ahvays  duty,)  that  these  people 
should  not  be  left  in  a  state  of  bestial  ignorance ;  heathens,  or 
worse  than  heathens,  in  the  midst  of  a  christian  countr)^,  and 
brutal  as  savages,  in  the  close  vicinity  of  a  city  which  was 
then  in  extent,  wealth,  population,  and  commercial  importance, 
the  second  city  in  England.     On  the  afternoon,  therefore,  of 
Saturday,  Feb.  17,  1739,  he  stood  upon  a  mound,  in  a  place 
called  Rose  Green,  his  "  first  fi.eld  pulpit,"  and  preached  to  as 
many  as  came  to  hear,  attracted  by  the  novelty  of  such  an  ad- 
dress.    "  I  tho'ight,"  says  he,  •'  it  might  be  doing  the  service  of 
my  Creator,  who  had  a  mountain  for  his  pulpit,  and  the  hea- 
vens for  a  soundii\g  board ;  and  who,  when  his  gospel  was  re- 
fused by  the  Jews,  sent  his  servants  into  the  highways  and 
hedges."     Not  more  than  two  hundred  persons  gathered  around 
him,  for  there  had  been  no  previous  notice  of  his  intention ; 
and  these  perhaps  being  ro  way  prepared  for  his  exhortations, 
were  more  astonished  thari  impressed  by  what  they  heard. 
But  the  first  step  was  taken,  a^^d  Whitefield  was  fully  aAvare  of 
its  importance.    "Blessed  be  Go^^"  he  says  in  his  Journal,  "that 
the  ice  is  now  broke,  and  I  have^now  taken  the  field.     Some 
may  censure  me  ;  but  is  there  not  a^ause  ?     Pulpits  are  denied 
and  the  poor  colliers  ready  to  perish  <br  lack  of  knowledge." 

At  the  second  and  third  time  the  rb^mbers  greatly  increas- 
ed, till  the  congregation,  at  a  moderate  computation,  amounted 
to  near  twenty" thousand.  But  with  what  gladness  and  eager- 
ness many  of  these  despised  outcasts,  who  had  never  been  in  a 
church  in  their  lives,  received  the  word,  is  above  description. 


MEMOIRS  OF    WHITEFIELD.  39 

"  Having  (as  he  writes)  no  righteousness  of  their  own  to  re- 
nounce, they  were  glad  to  hear  of  a  Jesus,  who  was  a  friend 
to  pubUcans,  and  came  not  to  call  the  righteous,  but  the  sin- 
ners, to  repentance.  The  first  discovery  of  their  being  affect- 
ed, was,  to  see  the  white  gutters  made  by  their  tears,  which 
plentifully  fell  down  their  black  cheeks,  as  they  came  out  of 
their  coal  pits.  Hundreds  and  hundreds  of  them  were  soon 
brought  under  deep  convictions,  which  (as  the  event  proved) 
happily  ended  in  a  sound  and  thorough  conversion.  The 
change  was  visible  to  all,  though  numbers  chose  to  impute  it 
to  any  thing  rather  than  to  the  finger  of  God.  As  the  scene 
was  quite  new,  and  I  had  but  just  begun  to  be  an  extempore 
preacher,  it  often  occasioned  many  inward  conflicts.  Some- 
times, when  twenty  thousand  people  were  before  me,  I  had  not 
in  my  own  apprehension,  a  word  to  say,  either  to  God  or  to 
them.  But  I  was  never  totally  deserted,  and  frequently  (for  to 
deny  it  would  be  lying  against  God)  so  assisted,  that  I  knew 
by  happy  experience  what  our  Lord  meant  by  saying,  '  Out  of 
his  belly  shall  flow  rivers  of  living  water.'  The  open  firma- 
ment above  me,  the  prospect  of  the  adjacent  fields,  with  the 
sight  of  thousands  and  thousands,  some  in  coaches,  some  on 
horseback,  and  some  in  the  trees,  and  at  times  all  affected  and 
drenched  in  tears  together,  to  which  sometimes  was  added  the 
solemnity  of  the  approaching  evening,  was  almost  too  much 
for,  and  quite  overcame  me." 

Besides  the  colliers,  and  thousands  from  neighboring  vil- 
lages, persons  of  all  ranks  flocked  daily  out  of  Bristol.  And 
he  was  soon  invited  to  preach,  by  some  of  the  better  sort,  in 
a  large  bowling  green  in  the  city  itself  Many  indeed  sneer- 
ed to  see  a  stripling,  with  a  gown,  mount  a  table,  upon  what 
they  called  unconsecrated  ground.  And  for  once  or  twice 
it  excited  the  contempt  and  laughter  of  the  higher  ranks,  who 
formerly  were  his  admirers  when  he  preached  in  the  churches. 
But  God  enabled  him  to  endure  the  laugh,  and  to  preach 
the  gospel  of  Christ  with  earnestness  and  constancy  ;  and 
was  pleased  to  attend  it  with  his  blessing.  From  all  quarters 
people  flocked,  under  great  concern  about  their  souls.  Some- 
times he  was  employed  almost  from  morning  to  night,  giving 
answers  to  those  who  came  in  great  distress,  crying  out, 
*•  What  shall  we  do  to  be  saved  ?"  More  assistance  was" want- 
ed ;  he  therefore  wrote  to  Mr.  John  Wesley,  who  had  never 
yet  been  at  Bristol,  and,  having  received  a  favorable  answer, 
recommended  him  and  his  brother  in  the  strongest  manner  to 
the  people,  and  humbly  prayed  that  the  last  might  be  first ; 
for  he  was  determined  to  pursue  his  scheme  of  the  Orphan- 
house,  and  return  to  his  retreat  in  Georgia. 


40  MEMOIRS  OF   "WHITEFIELD. 

Mr.  Wesley  having  come,  he  took  an  affectionate  leave  of 
his  friends  at  Bristol,  and  made  a  second  excursion  to  Wales, 
where  an  awakening  had  begun  some  years  before,  by  the  in- 
strumentality of  Rev.  Griffith  Jones,  and  was  now  carried  on 
by  the  ministry  of  one  Mr.  Howel  Harris,  a  layman.  They 
met  at  Cardiff,  and  in  company  with  many  others  went  to 
Husk,  Ponty-pool,  Abergravenny,  Comihoy,  Carleon,  Trelex, 
and  Newport,  and  preached  in  all  these  places,  Mr.  Whitefield 
tirst  in  English,  and  Mr.  Harris  afterwards  in  Welch,  to  many 
thousands.  The  serious  persons  among  them  of  the  Free  Grace 
Dissenters,  rejoiced ;  but  many  of  high-flying  principles,  and  of 
another  stamp,  were  equally  enraged,  and  expressed  their  dislike 
by  mockings  and  threats.  All  these,  however,  he  was  enabled 
to  bear  with  patience,  and  without  the  least  discouragement. 

About  the  8th  of  April,  from  Wales  he  went  to  Gloucester, 
the  place  of  his  birth,  where  a  church  was  allowed  him  for  once 
or  twice,  but  no  more.  However,  he  preached  frequently  in 
Boothall  (the  place  where  the  judges  sit)  and  in  his  brother's 
field,  to  many  thousands.*  His  concern  for  his  countrymen, 
his  fellow  citizens,  and  his  own  relations,  made  him  forget  all 
bodily  weakness  (to  which,  about  this  time,  he  was  frequently 
subject,)  and  he  readily  complied  with  invitations  given  to 
preach  at  Pains  wick,  Chelterham,  Evesham,  Badsey,  Stroud, 
Chafford,  places  abounding  with  inhabitants,  and  where  there 
is  ground  to  hope  many  received  much  spiritual  benefit.  To 
wander  thus  about  from  place  to  place ;  to  stand  at  bowling 
greens,  at  market  crosses,  and  in  highways,  especially  in  hm 
own  country,  where,  had  he  conferred  with  flesh  and  blood,  he 
might  have  lived  at  ease  ;  to  be  blamed  by  friends,  and  have 
every  evil   thing   spoken  against  him  by  his  enemies  ;  was 

*  At  the  time  of  Mr.  Whitefield's  preaching  in  Gloucester,  old  Mr.  Cole,  a 
dissenting  minister,  used  to  say,  "  These  are  the  days  of  the  Son  of  Man  in- 
deed." This  Mr.  Cole,  Mr.  Whitefield,  when  a  boy,  was  taught  to  ridicule. 
Being  asked  once  by  one  of  his  congregation,  what  business  he  would  be  of, 
he  said,  "  A  minister ;  but  he  would  take  care  never  to  tell  stories  in  the  pul- 
pit like  old  Cole."  About  twelve  years  afterwards,  the  old  man  hearing  him 
E reach,  and  tell  some  story  to  illustrate  the  subject  he  was  upon,  and  having 
een  informed  what  he  had  before  said,  made  this  remark  to  one  of  his  elders  : 
"  I  find  that  young  Whitefield  can  now  tell  stories,  as  well  as  old  Cole."  He 
was  much  affected  with  Mr.  Whitefield's  preaching,  and  so  humble,  that  he  used 
to  subscribe  himself  his  curate  ;  and  went  about  preaching  after  him  in  the 
country  from  place  to  place.  But  one  evening,  while  preaching,  he  was 
struck  with  death,  and  then  asked  for  a  chair  to  lean  on,  till  he  concluded  his 
sermon,  when  he  was  carried  up  stairs  and  died.  Mr.  Whitefield's  reflection 
upon  this,  is,  "  O  blessed  God  !  if  it  be  thy  holy  will,  may  my  exit  be  like  his  !" 
As  to  Mr.  Whitefield's  telling  stories  in  the  pulpit,  some  perhaps  may  find 
fault;  but,  besides  that  he  had  an  uncommon  fund  of  passages,  proper  enough 
to  be  thus  told,  and  a  peculiar  talent  of  telling  them,  it  was  certainly  a  means 
of  drawing  multitudes  to  hear  him,  who  would  not  have  attended  to  the  truths 
of  the  gospel  delivered  in  the  ordinary  manner. 


FIELD  PREACHING. 


*'  I  thought  it  might  be  doing  the  service  of  my  Creator,  who  had  a 
mountain  for  his  pulpit,  and  the  heavens  for  a  sounding  board  ;  and 
who,  when  his  gospel  was  refused  by  the  Jews,  sent  iiis  servants  into 
the  highways  and  hedges."  [p.  38. 


MEMOIRS  OF    WHITEFIELD.  41 

(especially  when  his  body  was  weak,  and  his  spirits  low)  very 
tr^ang  :  but  still  he  was  inwardly  supported. 

April  21,  he  again  went  to  Oxford :  and,  after  staying  a  few 
days  with  the  Methodists  there,  came  to  London,  where  he 
attempted  to  preach  in  Islington  church,  the  incumbent,  Mr. 
Stonehouse,  being  a  friend  to  the  Metliodists  ;  but,  in  the  midst 
of  the  prayers,  the  church  warden  came  and  demanded  his 
license,  and  otherwise  he  forbid  his  preaching  in  that  pulpit. 
He  might,  perhaps,  have  insisted  on  his  riglit  to  preach,  yet 
for  peace's  sake  he  declined ;  and,  after  the  communion  service 
was  over,  he  preached  in  the  church  yard. 

Opportunities  of  preaching  in  a  more  regular  way  beinsf  now 
denied  him,  and  his  preaching  in  the  fields  being  attendecl  with 
a  remarkable  blessing,  he  judged  it  his  duty  to  go  on  in  this 
practice,  and  ventured  the  following  Sunday  into  Moorfields. 
Public  notice  having  been  given,  and  the  thing  being  new  and 
singular,  upon  coming  out  of  the  coach,  he  found  an  incredi- 
ble number  of  people  assembled.  INIany  had  told  him  that  he 
should  never  come  again  out  of  that  place  alive.  He  went  in, 
however,  between  two  of  his  friends ;  who,  by  the  pressure  of 
the  crowd,  were  soon  parted  entirely  from  him,  and  were 
obliged  to  leave  him  to  the  mercy  of  the  rabble.  But  these, 
instead  of  hurting  him,  formed  a  lane  for  him,  and  carried  him 
along  to  the  middle  of  the  fields,  (where  a  table  had  been  placed, 
which  was  broken  in  pieces  by  the  crowd,)  and  afterwards 
back  again  to  the  wall  that  then  parted  the  upper  and  lower 
Moorfields  ;  from  whence  he  preached  without  molestation,  to 
an  exceeding  great  multitude  in  the  lower  fields.  Finding 
such  encouragement,  he  went  that  evening  to  Kennington 
common,  a  large  open  place,  almost  three  miles  distant  from 
London,  where  he  preached  to  a  vast  multitude,  who  were  all 
attention,  and  behaved  with  as  much  regularity  and  quietness 
as  if  they  had  been  in  a  church.* 


CHAPTER  V. 

From  his  preaching  in  Moorfields^  ^c.  to  his  laying  the  foundation 
of  the  Orphan-house  in  Georgia^  1740. 

For  several  months  after  this,  Moorfields,  Kennington  com- 
mon, and  Blackheath,  were  the  chief  scenes  of  action.  At  a 
moderate  computation,  the  auditories  often  consisted  of  above 
twenty  thousand.     It  is  said,  their  singing  could  be  heard  two 

*  "  Words  cannot  well  express  the  glorious  displays  of  Divine  Grace  which 
we  saw,  and  heard  of,  and  felt."    MS. 

4* 


42  MEMOIRS  OF    WHITEFIELD. 

miles  ofT,  and  his  voice  near  a  mile.  Sometimes  there  were 
upwards  of  a  hundred  coaches,  besides  wagons,  scaffolds,  and 
other  contrivances,  which  particular  persons  let  out  for  the 
convenience  of  the  audience.  Having  no  other  metliod  to 
take,  he  was  obliged  to  collect  for  the  Orphan-house  in  the 
fields,  or  not  at  all,  which  was  humbling  to  him  and  his  friends 
who  assisted  him  in  that  work.  But  the  willingness  with 
which  the  people  gave,  and  the  prayers  which  they  put  up 
upon  throwing  in  their  mites,  were  very  encouraging.  In  the 
mean  while  Mr.  John  Wesley  was  laboring  with  great  zeal  at 
Bristol,  and  his  brother,  Mr.  Charles,  in  London  and  elsewhere  ; 
Mr.  Ingham  had  been  preaching  in  many  churches  of  York- 
shire, Mr.  Kinchin  in  Oxford,  and  Mr.  Rogers  in  Bedfordshire. 
Thus  the  seed  sown  was  gradually  increased,  and  the  embargo 
which  was  now  laid  on  the  shipping,  gave  him  leisure  for  more 
journeys  through  various  parts  of  England ;  and  God  was 
pleased  to  crown  his  labors  with  amazing  success. 

Some  demur  happening  in  Bristol,  he  went  there  for  a  few 
days,  but  Mr.  John  Wesley  (who  had  now  made  progress  in 
building  the  Kingswood  school,  and  also  had  begim  a  room  at 
Bristol  in  full  power,)  now  took  him  along  with  him,  and  in- 
troduced him  as  a  field  preacher  at  Gloucester  and  other  places. 
Every  where  the  word  seemed  to  sink  deeper  into  the  hearts  of 
the  hearers.  Singing  and  praying  were  heard  in  Kingswood, 
instead  of  cursing  and  swearing  ;  and  in  many  other  places 
the  fruits  of  righteousness  evidently  appeared. 

Many  false  reports  were  now  spread  abroad  concerning  him. 
Not  a  journey  he  could  make,  but  he  was  either  Idlled  or 
wounded,  or  died  suddenly.  One  groundless  fiction  was  con- 
tinually invented  after  another,  and  the  bishop  of  London  laid 
hold  of  this  occasion  for  publishing  a  charge  to  his  clergy  to 
avoid  the  extremes  of  enthusiasm  and  luke-warmness.  But 
amidst  these  discouragements,  he  was  not  left  without  the 
countenance  and  friendship  of  several  persons  of  influence. 

The  embargo  being  taken  off,  and  upwards  of  a  thousand 
pounds  collected  for  the  Orphan-house,  he  sailed  the  second  time 
for  America,  August  14,  1739,  wnth  a  family  consisting  of  eight 
men,  one  boy,  and  two  children,  besides  his  friend  Mr.  Seward. 

After  a  passage  of  nine  weeks,  he  arrived  at  Philadelphia  in 
the  beginning  of  November,  and  was  immediately  invited  to 
preach  in  the  churches,  to  which  people  of  all  denominations 
thronged  as  in  England.*     From  thence  he  was  invited  to 

•■*  "  The  effects  produced  in  Philadelphia  at  this  time  by  the  preaching  of  Mr. 
Whitefield,  were  truly  a5tonishing.  Numbers  of  almost  all  religious  denomi- 
nations',  and  many  who  had  no  connection  with  any  denomination,  were 
brought  to  inquire,  with  the  utmost  earnestness,  what  they  should  do  to  be  saved. 


MEMOIRS  OF    WHITEFIELD.  -  43 

New  York,  by  Mr.  Noble,  the  only  person  with  whom  he  had 
an  acquaintance  in  that  city.  Upon  his  arrival,  they  waited  on 
the  commissary ;  but  he  refused  him  the  use  of  his  church.  Mr. 
VVhitefield,  therefore,  preached  in  the  fields,  and  on  the  ervening^ 
of  the  same  day,  to  a  veiy  thronged  and  attentive  audience  in  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Pemberton's  meeting  house  ;  and  continued  to  do  so 
twice  or  thrice  a  day  for  above  a  week,  with  apparent  success. 
On  his  way  to  and  from  Philadelphia,  he  also  preached  at 
Elizabethtown,  Maidenhead,  Abington,  Neshaminy,  Burlington, 
and  New  Brunswick,  in  New  Jersey,  to  some  thousands  gath- 
ered from  various  parts,  among  whom  there  had  been  a  con- 
siderable awakening,  by  the  instrumentality  of  a  Mr.  Freling- 
huysen,  a  Dutch  minister,  and  the  Messrs.  Tennents,  Blair, 
and  Rowland.*  He  had  also  the  pleasure  of  meeting  with  the 
venerable  Mr.  Tennant  as  well  as  his  sons,  and  with  Mr.  Dick- 
inson.!    It  was  no  less  pleasing  than  strange  to  him,  to  see 

Such  was  the  earnestness  of  the  multitude  to  listen  to  spiritual  instruction,  that 
there  was  public  worship  regularly  twice  a  day  for  a  year  ;  and  on  the  Lord's 
day  it  was  celebrated  generally  three,  and  frequently  four  times.  An  aged  man, 
deeply  interested  in  the  scenes  which  then  were  witnessed,  has  informed  the 
writer,  that  the  city  (not  then  probably  a  third  as  large  as  it  now  is)  contained 
TWENTY-SIX  societies  for  social  prayer  and  religious  conferences ;  and  probably 
there  were  others  not  known  to  him." — Memoirs  of  Mrs.  Hannah  Hodge,  pub- 
lished ill  Philadelphia^  180G. 

During  this  visit  to  Philadelphia  he  preached  frequently  after  night  from 
the  gallery  of  the  court  house  in  Market  Street.  So  loud  was  his  voice  at 
that  time,' that  it  was  distinctly  heard  on  the  Jersey  shore,  and  so  distinct  was 
his  speech,  that  every  word  he  said  was  understood  on  board  of  a  shallop  at 
Market  Street  wharf,  a  distance  of  upwards  of  four  hundred  feet  from  the 
court  house.  All  the  intermediate  space  was  crowded  with  his  hearers.  This 
fact  was  communicated  to  the  recorder  of  it  by  a  gentleman  lately  deceased, 
who  was  in  the  shallop. 

*  This  truly  pious  and  eloquent  man,  being  invited  to  preach  in  the  Baptist 
church,  proclaimed  the  terrors  of  the  divine  law  with  such  energy  to  those 
whose  souls  were  already  sinking  under  them,  that  a  few  fainted  away.  On 
this  occasion,  however,  his  error  was  publicly  corrected  by  the  Rev.  Gilbert 
Tennent,  who,  standing  at  the  foot  of  the  pulpit,  and  seeing  the  effect  produ- 
ced on  the  assembly,  interrupted  and  arrested  the  preacher  by  this  address : 
'  Brother  Rowland,  is  there  no  balm  in  Gilead  1 — is  there  no  physician  there  T 
Mr.  Rowland,  on  this,  changed  immediately  the  terror  of  his  address,  and 
sought  to  direct  to  the  Savior  those  who  were  overwhelmed  with  a  sense  of 
their  guilt :  but,  before  this  had  taken  place,  numbers  were  carried  out  of  the 
church  in  a  state  of  insensibility. 

t "  Mr.  Tennent,  and  his  brethren  in  presbytery,  intend  breeding  up  gra- 
cious youths  for  our  Lord's  vineyard.  The  place  wherein  the  young  men  now 
study,  is  a  log  house,  about  twenty  feet  long,  and  nearly  as  many  broad.  From 
this  despised  place,  seven  or  eight  worthy  ministers  of  Jesus  have  been  sent 
forth,  and  a  foundation  is  now  laying  for  the  instruction  of  many  others.  The 
work,  I  am  persuaded,  is  of  God,  and  therefore  will  not  come  to  nought." — 
Journals,  Novevvber  22,  1739. 

The  event  has  verified  his  judgment' about  this  institution.  It  is  now  a  large 
college  at  Princeton,  New  Jersey ;  and  has  already  had  many  worthy  presi- 
dents (some  of  whose  names  are  well  known  in  the  learned  world)  such  a« 
Mr.  Dickinson,  Mr.  Burr,  Dr.  Jonathan  Edwards,  Dr.  Samuel  Davies,  Dr.  S. 
Finlcy,  and  Dr.  Witherspoon  ;  men  pre-eminent  for  mental  endowments  and 
acquisitions. 


44  MEMOIRS  OF    WHITEFIELD. 

such  gatherings  in  a  foreign  land ;  ministers  and  people  shed- 
ding tears  ;  sinners  struck  with  awe  ;  and  serious  persons,  who 
Iiad  been  much  run  down  and  despised,  filled  w^ith  joy.  IMean- 
while  the  Orplian-house  affairs  went  on  well.  The  cargo 
brought  from  England,  was  sold  for  their  benefit.  A  vessel 
was  purchased,  of  which  Captain  Gladman  was  master ;  and 
a  young  man  who  had  lately  received  serious  impressions  un- 
der Mr.  AVhitefield's  preaching,  willingly  offered  himself  as 
mate.  Many  little  presents  were  made  to  his  family  for  sea 
stores,  and  the  intended  house.  About  the  end  of  November, 
he  took  his  leave  of  his  family,  and  ordered  them  to  proceed 
on  their  voyage  to  Savannah,  while  he  himself,  with  Mr.  Sew- 
ard, and  two  more  determined  to  go  thither  by  land. 

Numbers  followed,  some  twenty,  some  sixty  miles  out  from 
Philadelphia.  He  preached  at  Chester,  Wilmington,  NcAVcas- 
tle  (where  he  was  met  on  the  way  by  Mr.  Ross,  minister  of  the 
place)  Christianbridge  and  Whitely  Creek,  where  Mr.  William 
Tennent  (whose  meeting  house  is  in  the  neighborhood)  had 
erected  a  tent  for  him.  Here  he  observed  new  scenes  of  field 
preaching,  or  rather  preaching  in  the  woods,  opened  to  him. 
At  Whitely  Creek,  perhaps  the  congregation  did  not  consist  of 
less  than  ten  thousand.  Earnest  invitations  were  given  him 
to  come  and  preach  elsewhere  ;  which  he  had  great  encourage- 
ment to  do,  from  the  visible  success  of  his  labors ;  but  he  hasted 
to  be  with  his  family  at  Savannah. 

In  his  way  thither,  he  also  preached  in  Maryland,  at  North 
East  and  Joppa,  and  at  Annapolis,  the  capital,  where  he  was 
received  with  much  civility  by  the  governor,  and  at  Upper 
INIarlborough. 

In  Virginia  also,  he  preached  at  Williamsburgh,  where  he 
was  courteously  received  by  the  governor,  and  by  Mr.  Blair, 
the  commissary,  whom  he  speaks  of  with  great  regard.  W^hen 
he  came  to  North  Carolina,  he  thought  it  seemed  to  be  the 
greatest  waste,  and  the  most  uncultivated  of  spots,  both  in  a 
temporal  and  spiritual  sense.  Yet  here,  in  a  place  called  New- 
bern,  his  preaching  was  attended  with  an  uncommon  influence. 
And  it  was  not  without  efl'ect  at  Newton,  on  Cape  Fear  river, 
where  were  may  from  Scotland  amongst  the  congregation, 
who  had  lately  come  over  to  settle  in  North  Carolina. 

Immediately  on  coming  into  South  Carolina,  a  visible  change 
was  observable  in  the  manners  of  the  people.  And  when  he 
came  to  Charleston,  (which  was  on  Saturday,  January  3, 1740) 
he  could  scarcely  believe  but  he  was  amongst  Londoners,  both 
in  respect  of  gaiety  of  dress,  and  politeness  of  manners. 

Here  he  soon  perceived,  that  by  field  preaching  he  had  lost 
his  old  friend  the  commissar)^,  who  once  promised  to  defend 


MEMOIRS  OF   WHITEFIELD.  45 

him  with  life  and  fortune.  However,  at  the  request  of  the 
Independent  minister  (who  continued  his  friend  to  his  dying 
day)  he  preached  in  his  meeting  house.  At  the  first  sermon, 
all  was  gay  and  trifling,  no  impression  seemingly  made  at  all. 
But  next  morning,  in  the  French  church,  the  scene  was  quite 
altered.  A  visible  and  almost  universal  concern  appeared. 
Many  of  the  inhabitants  earnestly  desired  him  to  give  them  one 
sermon  more  ;  for  which  purpose  he  was  prevailed  upon  to  put 
off  his  journey  till  the  next  day ;  and  there  was  reason  to  think 
his  stay  was  not  in  vain. 

Next  morning,  he  and  liis  companions  set  out  in  a  canoe  for 
Savannah  ]  and  on  their  way,  for  the  first  time,  lay  in  the 
woods,  upon  the  ground,  near  a  large  fire,  which  keeps  off 
wild  beasts  ;  upon  which  he  makes  this  reflection  :  "  An  em- 
blem, I  thought,  of  the  divine  love  and  presence  keeping  off 
€vils  and  corruptions  from  the  soul." 

On  his  arrival  at  Savannah,  January  11,  he  was  very 
happy  to  meet  his  family,  who  had  reached  there  three  weeks 
before  him  ;  and  to  find  by  letters  from  England,  New  York, 
&c.,  that  the  work  of  God  prospered.  But  it  was  a  melan- 
choly thing  to  see  the  colony  of  Georgia  reduced  even  to  a 
much  lower  ebb  than  when  he  left  it,  and  almost  deserted  by 
all  but  such  as  could  not  well  go  away.  Employing  these, 
therefore,  he  thought  would  be  of  singular  service,  and  the 
money  expended  might  be  also  a  means  of  keeping  them  in 
the  colony. 

Before  his  arrival,  Mr.  Habersham  had  pitched  upon  a  plot 
of  ground  for  the  Orphan-house,  of  five  hundred  acres,  about 
ten  miles  from  Savannah,  and  had  already  began  to  clear  and 
stock  it.  The  orphans,  in  the  mean  time,  were  accommodated 
in  a  hired  house.  On  this,  many  years  after,  he  makes  the 
following  reflections  :  ^-  Had  I  proceeded  according  to  the  rules 
of  prudence,  I  shoujd  have  first  cleared  the  land,  built  the 
house,  and  then  taken  in  the  orphans ;  but  I  found  their  con- 
condition  so  pitiable,  and  the  inhabitants  so  poor,  that  I  imme- 
diately opened  an  infirmary,  hired  a  large  house  at  a  great 
rent,  and  took  in,  at  different  times,  twenty-four  orphans.  To 
all  this  I  was  encouraged  by  the  example  of  Professor  Franck. 
But  I  forgot  to  recollect,  that  Professor  Franck  built  in  Glau- 
cha,  in  a  populous  country,  and  that  I  was  building  in  the 
very  tail  of  the  world,  where  I  could  not  expect  the  least  sup- 
ply, and  which  the  badness  of  its  constitution,  which  every 
day  I  expected  would  be  altered,  rendered  by  far  the  most 
expensive  part  of  all  his  majesty's  dominions.  But  had  I 
received  more,  and  ventured  less,  I  should  have  suffered  less, 
and  others  more." 


46  MEMOIRS  OF   WHITEFIELD. 

The  first  collection  he  made  in  America  was  at  the  Rev. 
Mr.  Smith's  meeting  house  in  Charleston,  whither  he  went 
about  the  middle  of  March,  to  see  his  brother,  the  captain  of 
a  ship  from  England.  He  was  desired,  by  some  of  the  in- 
habitants, to  speak  in  behalf  of  the  poor  orphans  ;  and  the 
collection  amounted  to  seventy  pounds  sterhng.  This  was  no 
small  encouragement  to  him  at  that  time,  especially  as  he  had 
reason  to  think  it  came  from  those  who  had  received  spiritual 
benefit  by  his  ministrations. 

Having  returned  to  Savannah,  he  went  to  the  spot  of 
ground  where  he  intended  the  Orphan-house  should  be  built ; 
and,  upon  the  25th  day  of  March,  1740,  laid  the  first  brick  of 
the  great  house,  which  he  called  Bethesda,  i.  e.  a  house  of 
mercy*  By  this  time,  near  forty  children  were  taken  in,  to  be 
provided  with  food  and  raiment ;  and,  counting  the  workmen 
and  all,  he  had  near  a  hundred  to  be  daily  fed.  He  had  very 
little  money  in  the  bank,  and  yet  he  was  not  discouraged ; 
being  persuaded  that  the  best  thinof  he  could  do  at  present  for 
the  infant  colony  was  to  carry  on  tlie  work. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

From  his  laymg  the  foundation  of  his  Orphan-house  in  Georgia,  to 
his  arrival  in  England,  1741. 

Mr.  Whitefield  again  set  off  in  a  sloop  for  Newcastle, 
in  Delaware,  where  he  arrived  in  ten  days,  extremely  weak 
in  body,  and  his  spirits  much  depressed  ;  yet,  as  he  afterwards 
observed.  Providence  was  infinitely  better  to  him  than  his 
fears,  and  exceeded  his  most  sanguine  expectations  ;  for  his 
strength  was  surprisingly  increased,  insomuch,  that  during 
the  space  of  two  months,  he  was  enabled  to  preach  two  or 
three  times  a  day. 

At  Philadelphia  the  churches  were  now  denied  him.  He 
therefore  preached  in  the  fields,  and  large  collections  were 
made  for  the  Orphan-house  ;  once,  one  hundred  and  ten 
pounds  sterling.  Societies  for  praying  and  singing  Avere  set 
on  foot,  and  in  every  part  of  the  town,  many  were  concerned 
about  their  salvation. t  "  Many  negroes  came,"  says  Mr. 
Whitefield,  "  some  inquiring,  have  I  a  soul  ?" 

*  Long  after  this  he  writes,  "  Blessed  be  God,  I  have  not  been  disappointed 
in  the  hope,  that  it  would  be  a  house  and  place  of  mercy  to  manj^,  both  in 
respect  to  body  and  soul." 

t  A  church  was  formed  by  the  Rev.  Gilbert  Tennent,  out  of  those  who  were 
denominated  the  followers  and  converts  of  Mr.  Whitefield.  No  less  than  140 
individuals  were  received  at  first,  after  a  strict  examination,  as  members  of 


MEMOIRS  OF  WHITEFIELD.  47 

At  New  York,  New  Brunswick,  Staten  Island,  Baskenridge, 
Whitely  Creek,  Frog's  Manor,  and  Reedy  Island,  there  was 
great  concern  upon  the  minds  both  of  the  preacher  and 
hearers. 

Sometimes  he  was  almost  dead  with  heat  and  fatigue. 
Thrice  a  day  he  was  lifted  upon  his  horse,  unable  to  mount 
otherwise  ;  then  rode  and  preached,  and  came  in  and  laid 
himself  along  upon  two  or  three  chairs.  He  did  not  doubt 
that  such  a  course  would  soon  take  him  to  his  desired  rest. 
Yet  he  had  many  delightful  hours  with  Messrs.  Tennents, 
Blair,  &c.  "Night,"  says  he,  "was.  as  it  were  turned  into 
day,  when  we  rode  singing  through  the  woods.  I  could  not 
help  recommending  these  men,  wherever  I  went,  in  the  strong- 
est manner,  because  I  saw  they  gloried  in  the  cross  of  Christ." 

In  a  Journal  written  by  Mr.  William  Seward,  (Mr.  White- 
field's  companion  in  traveling,)  we  have  the  following  particu- 
lars relating  to  this  period. 

" "  April  9, 1740.  Mr.  Whitefield  proposed  my  going  to  Eng- 
land upon  several  important  affairs,  particularly  to  bring  over 
Mr.  Hiitchins  to  take  care  of  the  Orphan-house  in  his  absence 
— to  acquaint  the  trustees  of  Georgia  with  the  state  of  the 
colony,  and  the  means  under  God,  for  the  better  establishment 
thereof,  it  being  now  upheld  almost  wholly  by  tlic  soldiery 
and  Orphan-house,  most  of  the  people  who  are  unconcerned 
in  either,  being  gone  or  about  to  go.  The  proper  means  are 
principally  three  :  1.  An  allowance  of  negroes.  2.  A  free 
title  to  the  lands.  3.  An  independent  magistracy,  viz.  such 
as  are  able  and  willing  to  serve  without  fee  or  reward.  My 
business  with  the  trustees  will  be  farther,  to  bring  over  the 
money  lodged  in  their  hands  for  building  the  church  at  Sa- 
vannah. I  am,  moreover,  to  collect  subscriptions  for  a  negro 
school  in  Pennsylvania,  where  Mr.  Whitefield  proposes  to 
take  up  land,  in  order  to  settle  a  town  for  the  reception  of 
those  English  friends,  wliose  hearts  God  shall  incline  to  come 
and  settle  there. 

"April  13.  Mr.  Tennent  informed  us  of  the  great  success 
which  had  attended  Mr.  Whitefield's  preaching  when  here 
last.  For  some  time  a  general  silence  was  fixed  by  the  Lord 
on  the  people's  minds,  and  many  began  seriously  to  think  on 
what  foundation  they  stood.  A  general  outward  reformation 
has  been  visible.  Many  ministers  have  been  quickened  in  their 
zeal  to  preach  the  word  in  season  and  out  of  season.  Congrega- 

this  newly  constituted  church.  The  admission  of  a  large  number  more  was 
delayed,  only  because  their  exercises  and  spiritual  state  had  not  yet  attained 
such  maturity  as  to  afford  satisfaction  to  themselves,  or  to  the  officers  of  the 
church. — See  Memoirs  of  Mrs.  H.  Hodge. 


48  MEMOIRS   OF   WHITEFIELD. 

tions  are  increased,  and  some  few,  it  is  hoped,  will  be  brought 
through  their  convictions,  into  a  sound  and  saving  conversion. 

"April  14.  Mr.  Jones,  the  Baptist  minister,  told  us  of  two 
other  ministers,  Mr.  Treat  and  Mr.  Morgan,  who  were  so  af- 
fected with  Mr.  Whitefield's  spirit,  that  the  latter  had  gone 
forth  preaching  the  glad  tidings  of  salvation  towards  the  sea 
coast  in  New  Jersey,  and  many  other  places  which  lay  in 
darkness  and  the  shadow  of  death.  The  former  told  his  con- 
gregation that  he  had  been  hitherto  deceiving  himself  and 
them,  and  he  could  not  preach  to  thc^u  at  present,  but  desired 
they  would  join  in  prayer  with  him. 

"April  15.  We  were  informed  that  an  Indian  trader  was 
so  affected  with  Mr.  "VVhitefield's  doctrine,  that  he  was  gone  to 
teach  the  Indians,  with  whom  he  used  to  trade. 

"April  18.  This  day  was  published,  Mr.  Whitefield's  letter 
to  the  inhabitants  of  Maryland,  Virginia,  North  and  South 
Carolina,  about  the  abuse  of  the  poor  negroes. 

"  Heard  of  a  drinking  club  that  had  a  negro  boy  attending  them, 
who  used  to  mimic  people  for  their  diversion.  The  gentlemen 
bid  him  mimic  Mr.  Whitefield,  which  he  was  unwilling  to  do : 
but  they  insisting  upon  it,  he  stood  up  and  said,  '/  speak  the 
truth  in  Christ.  Hie  not ;  unless  you,  repent^  you  ivill  all  be 
damned,^  This  unexpected  speech  broke  up  the  club,  which 
has  not  met  since. 

"  Notice  was  given  of  a  new  lecture  at  Germantown  every 
Thursday,  by  four  ministers. 

"April' 22.'  Agreed  with  Mr.  Allen  for  five  thousand  acres 
of  land  on  the  forks  of  Delaware,  at  2,200/.  sterling,  the 
conveyance  to  be  made  to  Mr.  Whitefield,  and  after  that  as- 
signed to  me,  as  security  for  my  advancing  the  money.  Mr. 
Whitefield  proposes  to  give  orders  lor  building  the  negro  school 
on  the  purchased  land,  before  he  leaves  the  province. 

"April  24.  Came  to  Christopher  Wigners  plantation  in 
Skippack,  where  many  Dutch  people  are  settled,  and  where  the 
famous  Mr.  Spalemburg  lately  resided.  It  Avas  surprising  to 
see  such  a  multitude  of  people  gathered  together  in  such  a 
wilderness  country,  thirty  miles  distant  from  Philadelphieu 
Mr.  Whitefield  was  exceedingly  carried  out,  in  his  sermon,  to 
press  poor  sinners  to  come  to  Christ  by  faith,  and  claim  all  their 
]Drivileges;  viz.  not  only  righteousness  and  peace,  but  joy  in  the 
Holy  Ghost;  and  after  he  had  done,  our  dear  friend,  Peter  Boh- 
Icr,  preached  in  Dutch,  to  those  who  could  not  understand  Mr. 
Whitefield  in  English. 

"Before  Mr.  Whitefield  left  Philadelphia,  he  was  desired  to 
visit  one  who  was  under  a  deep  sense  of  sin,  from  hearing  him 
preach.     In  praying  with  this  person,  he  was  so  carried  be- 


MEMOIRS  OF  WHITEFIELD.  49 

yond  himself,  that  the  whole  company  (which  were  about  twen- 
ty) seemed  to  be  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  magnified 
the  God  of  heaven. 

"  April  25.  Arose  at  3  o'clock ;  and  though  Mr.  Whitefield 
was  very  weak  in  body,  yet  the  Lord  enabled  him  to  ride  near- 
ly fifty  miles,  and  to  preach  to  about  five  thousand  people  at 
Amwell,with  the  same  power  as  usual.  Mr.  Gilbert  Tennent, 
Mr.  Rowland,  Mr.  Wales,  and  Mr.  Campbell,  four  godly  min- 
isters, met  us  here. 

"April  26.  Came  to  New  Brunswick.  Met  Mr.  Noble 
from  New  York,  a  zealous  promoter  of  our  Lord's  kingdom. 
He  said  their  society  at  New  York  was  increased  from  seventy, 
to  one  hundred  and  seventy,  and  wais  daily  increasing  ;  and 
that  Messrs.  Gilbert  and  William  Tennent,  Mr.  Rowland,  and 
several  others,  were  hard  laborers  in  our  Lord's  vineyard. 

"  April  28.  Had  a  most  affectionate  parting  with  our  dear 
Mr.  Whitefield,  and  our  other  brethren." 

The  rest  of  Mr.  Seward's  journal  was  written  mostly  during 
his  passage  to  England,  where  he  arrived  June  19,  and  with 
which  it  concludes.  Mr.  Wliitefield,  in  the  new  edition  of  his 
Journals,  1756,  observes,  "April  28,  1740.  This  was  the  last 
time  I  saw  my  worthy  friend ;  for  before  my  return  to  England, 
he  was  entered  into  his  rest,  having  left  behind,  a  glorious 
testimony  of  the  transforming  efficacy  of  everlasting  gi'ace. 
This  hath  also  been  the  happy  case  of  his  brother  Benjamin, 
who  lately  finished  his  course  with  joy." 

With  great  joy  Mr.  Whitefield  again  arrived  at  Savannah, 
June  5,  bringing  in  money  and  provisions  more  than  five  hun- 
dred pounds  sterling;  and  to  his  great  encouragement,  the 
mindsof  many  were  w^onderfully  impressed,  and  there  evident- 
ly appeared  the  strongest  marks  of  the  divine  blessing  on  the 
undertaking.  His  family  was  now  increased  to  one  hundred 
and  fifty,  and  his  friends  believing  the  work  to  be  of  God,  con- 
tinued cheerfully  to  assist  him. 

Though  he  was  now  very  w^eak  in  body,  yet  the  cry  from 
various  quarters  for  more  preaching,  and  the  necessity  of  sup- 
plying so  large  a  family,  made  him  go  again  to  Charleston, 
where,  as  well  as  at  many  other  towns,  the  people  thronged. 
Charleston  was  the  place  of  his  greatest  success^  and  of  the 
greatest  opposition.  The  commissary  thundered  anathemas, 
and  wrote  against  him,  but  all  in  vain ;  for  his  followers  and 
success  still  more  and  more  increased.  He  preached  twice 
almost  every  day  to  great  crowds,  in  the  Independent  and  Bap- 
tist meeting  house  ;  besides  expounding  in  the  evening  in  mer- 
chants' houses.  Thus  he  went  on  successfully,  though  often 
ready  to  die  with  excessive  heat. 

5 


50  MEMOIRS  OP   WniTEFIELD. 

At  the  end  of  August,  having  received  letters  of  invitation 
from  the  Rev.  Dr.  Coknan  and  ]\Ir.  Cooper,  ministers  in 
Boston ;  and  longing  to  see  the  descendants  of  the  stern  old 
Puritans,  and  their  seats  of  learning,  he  sailed  in  the  Orphan- 
house  sloop  for  New  England,  in  company  with  several 
Charleston  friends,  and  arrived  in  Rhode  Island,  September  14. 
Here  he  was  visited  (among  others)  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Clap,  a 
very  venerable  and  aged  dissenting  minister,  (in  whom  he 
thought  he  saw  Avhat  manner  of  men  the  old  Puritans  Avere) 
who  procured  him  the  church,  in  which  he  preached  twice  a 
day,  to  numerous  and  deeply  affected  auditories. 

This  was  a  good  entrance  into  New  England,  and  before 
he  reached  Boston  his  encouragement  increased ;  for  being  met 
ten  miles  from  that  city  by  the  governor's  son,  and  a  train  of 
the  clergy  and  principal  inhabitants,  they  conducted  him  to 
Mr.  St— nf^rd's,  brother-in-law  to  Dr.  Colman,  who  with  Mr. 
Cooper  and  others  cam.e  and  joined  in  prayer. 

Jonathan  Belcher,  Esq.  was  then  governor  of  the  Massa- 
chusetts colony,  and  Josiah  Willard,  secretary.  Both  these 
gentlemen  were  his  sincere  friends :  so  were  the  ministers, 
Messrs.  Webb,  Foxcraft,  Prince,  Dr.  Sewall,  Gee,  &c.  To 
avoid,  however,  giving  any  just  offense,  he  went  to  the  English 
church ;  but  not  being  permitted  to  preach  there,  he  began  at 
Dr.  Colman's  meeting-house,  and  then  preached  in  all  the  rest, 
and  sometimes  on  the  common. 

The  governor,  the  secretary,  and  several  of  the  council  gene- 
rally attended,  treating  him  with  the  greatest  respect.  Old  Mr. 
Walter,  successor  to  Mr.  Elliot,  commonly  called  the  apostle  of 
the  Indians,  at  Roxbury,  said,  "it  was  Puritanism  revived.'' 
And  Dr.  Colman  said.  "  that  it  was  the  happiest  day  he  ever 
saw  in  his  life." 

He  preached  also  at  many  other  places,  to  great  multitudes 
of  people.  Gentlemen  of  the  greatest  repute  had  their  houses 
open  in  every  place :  collections  were  readily  made  for  the 
orphans  :  and  in  about  a  week,  having  preached  sixteen  times, 
and  rode  one  hundred  and  seventy  miles,  he  returned  to  Boston, 
October  6. 

Here  the  congregations  still  increased,  and  his  labors  were 
crowned  with  increasing  success.  At  his  farewell  sermon,  it 
was  supposed  there  were  about  twenty  thousand  people. 
Hq  received  a  great  number  of  letters,  and  could  have  spent 
whole  days  in  conversing  with  those  that  came  to  him  under 
soul  concern.  Ministers  and  students  attended,  and  even  little 
children  were  impressed.  The  contributions  for  the  orphans 
amounted  to  nearly  five  hundred  pounds  sterling. 

He  next  went  to  Northampton,  having  an  earnest  desire  to 


MEMOIRS   OF    WHITEFIELD.  61 

see  the  Rev.  Jonathan  Edwards,  and  to  receive  from  the  mouth 
of  that  eminent  divine,  an  account  of  a  remarkable  conversion 
there.  At  every  place  on  the  road  pulpits  were  open,  and  a 
divine  unction  attended  his  preaching. 

At  Northampton,  when  he  came  to  remind  them  of  what 
God  had  formerly  done  for  them,  it  was  like  putting  fire  to  tin- 
der. Both  minister  and  people  were  much  moved ;  as  were 
the  children  of  the  family,  at  an  exhortation  which  their  father 
desired  Mr.  Whitefield  to  give  them. 

After  leaving  Northampton,  he  preached  in  every  town  to 
large  and  affected  congregations.  October  23,  he  reached  New 
Haven,*  where  he  was  affectionately  received  by  JMr.  Pierpont, 
brother-in-law  to  Mr.  Jonathan  Edwards,  and  had  the  pleasure 
of  seeing  his  friend  Mr.  Noble,  of  New  York,  who  brought  him 
letters  from  Georgia.  It  being  assembly  time,  and  the  governor 
and  burgesses  then  sitting,  he  stayed  till  the  Sabbath  and  had 
the  pleasure  to  see  numbers  impressed.  The  good  old  governor 
was  affected  in  a  particular  manner,  and  at  a  private  visit  which 
Mr.  Whitefield  paid  him,  said,  "  thanks  be  to  God  for  such  re- 
freshings in  our  way  to  heaven." 

On  Monday  morning  he  set  forward  and  preached  with  un- 
usual success  at  Milford,  Stratford,  Fairfield,  Norwalk,  and 
Stamford,  where  he  was  visited  by  some  ministers  under  deep 
concern. 

This  was  on  the  borders  of  New  York  province,  into  which 
he  now  again  entered,  and  preached  at  Rye  and  Kingsbridge, 
on  his  way  to  the  city  of  New  York,  where  he  arrived  October 
30.  Here  for  three  days  successively,  and  afterwards  at  Staten 
Island,  Newark,  Baskenridge,  his  preaching  appeared  to  be  at- 
tended with  more  success  than  ever.  At  Trenton  he  had  a 
long  conference  with  some  ministers,  about  Mr.  Gilbert  Ten- 
nent's  complying  with  an  invitation  to  go  and  preach  in  New 
England.     After  prayer,  and  considering  the  arguments,  both 

*  "  The  attention  of  the  people  in  general  was  greaUy  awakened  upon  hear- 
ing the  fame  of  him,  that  there  was  a  remarkable  preacher  from  England, 
traveling  through  the  country.  The  people  flocked  to  hear  him  when  he 
came  to  New  Haven.  Some  traveled  twenty  miles  out  of  the  country  to 
hear  him.  The  assemblies  were  crowded,  and  remarkably  attentive  ;  people 
appeared  generally  to  approve,  and  their  conversation  turned  chiefly  upon 
him  and  his  preaching.  Some  disapproved  of  several  things  which  occasion- 
ed considerable  disputes.  I  heard  him  when  he  preached  in  public,  and  when 
he  expounded  in  private  in  the  evening,  and  highly  approved  of  him,  and  was 
somewhat  impressed  by  what  he  said  in  public  and  in  private.  He  preached 
against  mixed  dancing  and  the  frolicking  of  males  and  females  together;  which 
practice  was  then  very  common  in  New  England.  This  ofl^ended  some,  es- 
pecially young  people.  But  I  remember  I  justified  him  in  this  in  ray  own 
mind,  and  in  conversation  with  those  who  were  disposed  to  condemn  him. 
This  was  in  October,  1740,  when  I  had  entered  on  my  last  year  in  college."— 
See  Memoirs  of  Dr.  Samuel  Hopkins. 


32  MEMOIRS    OF   WHITEFIELD. 

for  and  against  this  proposal,  they  thought  it  best  he  should  go ; 
which,  however  diffident  of  himself,  he  was  persuaded  to  do. 
And  his  ministrations  were  attended  with  an  extraordinary 
blessing  to  multitudes,  as  is  particularly  narrated  elsewhere.* 

What  sort  of  reception  Mr.  Whitefield  had  in  New  England, 
will  farther  appear  from  the  following  letters  of  some  eminent 
ministers  of  Boston,  and  the  adjacent  towns,  published  by  the 
Rev.  Josiah  Smith,  of  Charleston,  in  the  South  Carolina  Ga- 
zette. 

'  "October  1,1740. 
"  Rev.  and  dear  Sir, 

'■■  Your  kind  letter  by  Mr.  "VVhitefield,  and  your  other,  are 
both  now  before  me.  You  raised  our  expectations  of  him  very 
much,  as  did  his  Journals  more,  and  Mr.  P.  of  New  York,  con- 
curred with  them ;  but  we  own,  now  that  we  have  seen  and 
heard  him,  that  our  expectations  are  all  answered,  and  exceeded, 
not  only  in  his  zealous  and  fervent  abounding  labors,  but  in 
his  command  of  the  hearts  and  afiections  of  his  hearers.  He 
has  been  received  here  as  an  angel  of  God,  and  a  servant  of 
Jesus  Christ.  I  hope  this  visit  to  us  will  be  of  very  great  use 
and  benefit  to  ministers  and  people.  He  has  found  his  heart 
and  mouth  much  open  to  speak  freely  and  boldly  to  us,  and  he 
finds  it  received  with  joy." 

By  the  same  gentleman  : 

"November  29.  1740. 
"  Rev.  and  dear  Sir, 
"  Mr.  Whitefield  left  us  seven  weeks  ago  ;  the  last  week  we 
heard  of  him  in  Philadelphia.  I  hear  that  much  of  the  pre- 
sence of  God  is  with  him.  He  has  left  a  blessing  behind  him, 
we  hope  with  us.  Our  people,  high  and  low,  old  and  young, 
are  very  swift  to  hear.  The  excellent  meekness  of  Mr.  White- 
field's  Answer  to  the  Querists,  will  honor  him  to  you." 

Another  writes  thus : 

"  October  22,  1740. 

'•  Though  it  is  aiways  a  singular  pleasure  to  me  to  hear  from 
you,  yet  your  two  letters  by  Mr,  Whitefield,  had  anew  circum- 
stance of  pleasure  from  the  dear  hand  that  presented  them. 
I  perceive  you  were  impatient  to  know  what  sort  of  introduc- 
tion he   had  among  us.     We  (ministers,  rulers,  and  people) 

*  See  Prince''s  Christian  History,  or,  Historical  Collections  of  the  Success 
of  the  Gospel,  Vol.  II.  where  the  facts  are  set  dowTi  in  the  order  of  time. 

About  this  time  Mr.  Whitefield  wrote  his  letter  to  some  church  members  of 
•he  Presbyterian  persuasion,  in  answer  to  certain  scruples  and  queries  which 
they  had  proposed. 


MEMOIRS   OF   WHITEFIELD.  53 

generally  received  him  as  an  angel  of  God.  When  he  preach- 
ed his  farewell  sermon  in  our  common,  there  were  twenty- 
three  THOUSAND,  at  a  moderate  computation.  We  are  abun- 
dantly convinced,  that  you  spoke  the  words  of  truth  and  so- 
berness in  your  sermon  relating  to  him.  Such  a  power  and 
presence  of  God  with  a  preacher,  and  in  religious  assemblies, 
I  never  saw  before ;  but  I  would  not  limit  the  Holy  One  of 
Israel.  The  prejudices  of  many  are  quite  conquered,  and  the 
expectations  of  others  vastly  outdone,  as  they  freely  own.  A 
considerable  number  are  awakened,  and  many  christians  seem 
to  be  greatly  quickened.    He  has  preached  twice  at  Cambridge ; 

he  has  one  warm  friend  there,  Mr. ,  the  tutor,  who  has 

foUoAved  him  to  Northampton,  and  will,  for  aught  I  know,  to 
Georgia.  But  Mr.  Whitefield  has  not  a  warmer  friend  any 
where,  than  the  first  man  among  us.  Our  governor  has  showed 
him  the  highest  respect,  carried  him  in  his  coach  from  place  to 
place,  and  could  not  help  following  him  fifty  miles  out  of  town. 
I  hope  the  religion  of  the  country  will  fare  the  better  for  the 
impressions  left  on  him." 

The  same  gentleman  writes, 

"December  2,  1740. 
"  The  man  greatly  beloved,  I  suppose,  may  be  with  you 
before  now.  That  his  visit  here  will  be  esteemed  a  distin- 
guished mercy  of  heaven  by  many,  I  am  well  satisfied.  Every 
day  gives  me  fresh  proofs  of  Christ's  speaking  in  him.  A 
small  set  of  gentlemen  amongst  us,  when  they  saw  the  afiec- 
tions  of  the  people  so  moved  under  his  preaching,  would  at- 
tribute it  only  to  his  force  of  voice  and  gesture.  But  the  im- 
pressions on  many  are  so  lasting,  and  have  been  so  transform- 
ing, as  to  carry  plain  signatures  of  a  divine  hand  going  along 
with  him." 

Another  gendeman  writes, 

"  November  1,  1740. 

"  I  received  yours  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Whitefield,  with  whom 
I  coveted  a  great  deal  more  private  conversation  than  I  had 
opportunity  for,  by  reason  of  the  throngs  of  people  almost  per- 
petually with  him.  But  he  appears  to  be  full  of  the  love  of 
God,  and  fired  with  an  extraordinary  zeal  for  the  cause  of 
Christ,  and  applies  himself  with  the  most  indefatigable  dili- 
gence, that  ever  was  seen  among  us,  for  the  promoting  the 
good  of  souls.  His  head,  his  heart,  his  hands,  seem  to  be  full 
of  his  Master's  business.  His  discourses,  especially  when  he 
goes  into  the  expository  way,  are  very  entertaining.  Every 
eye  is  fixed  upon  him,  and  every  ear  chained  to  his  lips.  Most 

6* 


54  MEMOIRS  OF    WHITEPIELD. 

are  very  much  affected  ;  many  awakened  and  convinced,  and 
a  general  seriousness  excited.  His  address,  more  especially  to 
the  passions,  is  wonderful,  and  beyond  what  I  have  ever  seen. 
I  thiiik  I  can  truly  say,  that  his  preaching  has  quickened  me, 
and  I  believe  it  has  many  others  besides,  as  well  as  the  people. 
Several  of  my  flock,  especially  the  younger  sort,  have  been 
brouglit  under  convictions  by  his  preaching ;  and  there  is  this 
remarkable  thing  showing  the  good  effect  of  his  preaching, 
that  the  word  preached  now  by  us,  seems  more  precious  to 
them,  and  comes  with  more  power  upon  them.  My  prayer  for 
him  is,  that  his  precious  life  may  be  lengthened  out,  and  that 
he  may  be  an  instrument  of  reviving  dying  religion  in  all  places 
whithersoever  he  comes,  who  seems  to  be  wonderfully  fitted  for, 
as  well  as  spirited  in  it." 

Saturday,  November  8,  Mr.  Whitefield  came  back  to  Philadel- 
phia, and  on  the  next  day  preached  to  several  thousands  in  a 
house  built  for  that  purpose  since  his  last  departure.  Here  he 
both  heard  of  and  saw  many,  who  were  tlie  fruits  of  his  former 
ministrations ;  and  continued  among  them  till  November  17, 
preaching  twice  a  day.  Afterwards  he  preached  in  Gloucester, 
Greenwich,  Pilesgrove,  Cohansie,  Salem,  Newcastle,  Whiteley 
Creek,  Frog's  Manor,  Nottingham ;  in  many  or  most  of  whicli 
places  the  congregations  were  numerous,  and  deeply  affected. 

November  22,  he  reached  Bohemia  in  IMaryland,  and  from 
thence  he  went  to  Reedy  Island.  At  both  places  his  preacliing 
was  attended  with  great  influence.  And  at  the  last  (their  sloop 
being  detained  by  contrary  winds  near  a  week)  he  preached  fre- 
quently. All  the  captains  and  crews  of  the  ships  that  were 
wind-bound  constantly  attended,  and  great  numbers  crowded 
out  of  the  country,  some  as  far  as  from  Philadelphia ;  and  as 
great  concern  as  ever  came  upon  their  minds. 

December  1,  he  set  sail  from  Reedy  Island  for  Charleston  in 
South  Carolina,  and  here  he  makes  the  following  remark  : 
"  It  is  now  the  seventy-fifth  day  since  I  arrived  in  Reedy  Island. 
My  body  was  then  weak,  but  the  Lord  has  much  renewed  its 
strength.  I  have  been  enabled  to  preach,  I  think,  a  hundred 
and  seventy-five  times  in  public,  besides  exhorting  frequently 
in  private.  I  have  traveled  upwards  of  eight  hundred  miles, 
and  gotten  upwards  of  seven  hundred  pounds  sterling,  in  goods, 
provisions,  and  money,  for  the  Georgia  orphans.  Never  did  I 
perform  my  journeys  with  so  little  fatigue,  or  see  such  a  con- 
tinuance of  the  divine  presence  in  the  congregations  to  which 
I  have  preached.     '  Praise  the  Lord,  O  my  soul.' " 

After  a  pleasant  passage  of  eight  or  nine  days,  and  preaching 
again  at  Charleston  and  Savannah,  he  arrived  on  the  14th  of 
December  at  the  Orphan-house,  where  he  found  his  family 


MEMOmS  OF  Whitefield.  65 

comfortably  settled.  At  Rhode  Island  he  had  providentially 
met  with  Mr.  Jonathan  Barber,  whose  heart  was  very  much 
Imit  to  him,  and  w,ho  was  willing  to  help  him  at  the  Orphan- 
house.  Him,  therefore,  he  left  superintendant  of  the  spiritual, 
and  Mr.  Habersham  of  the  temporal  affairs  ;  and  having  spent 
a  very  comfortable  Christmas  with  his  Orphan  family,  he  set 
off  again  for  Charleston,  were  he  arrived  January  3,  1741, 
and  preached  twice  every  day  as  usual,  to  most  affectionate 
auditories,  till  the  16th  of  January,  when  he  went  on  board 
for  England.  He  arrived  the  11th  of  March  at  Falmouth,  rode 
post  to  London,  and  preached  at  Kennington  common  the 
Sunday  following. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

His  separation  from  Mr.  Wesley ^  and  the  circumstances  attending  it , 
about  the  'period  of  his  return  to  London^  1741. 

On  his  return  to  England,  Mr.  Whitefield  was  called  to  meet 
a  dispensation  eminently  afflictive  to  a  heart,  whose  very  life 
was  fervent  and  all-circling  love — separation  from  his  spiritual 
coadjutor  and  guide.  No  single  chapter  of  his  history  was 
probably  so  fraught  with  incidents  painful  to  be  thought  of, 
even  to  the  last  day  of  his  life.  While  Whitefield  and  Wesley 
were  each  alike  absorbed  in  the  work  of  saving  a  perishing 
world  ;  while  the  hearts  of  both  yearned  with  insatiable  long- 
ings for  the  restoration  of  men  to  bliss  ;  they  each,  with  their 
native  and  habitual  intensity  of  character,  attributed  the  ut- 
most importance  to  what  was  felt  to  be  the  best  modus  operandi^ 
the  proper  manner  and  means  of  conversion.  They  doubtless, 
as  a  matter  of  fact,  both  held  that  regeneration  could  be  affected 
by  divine  interposition  alone  on  the  one  -hand ;  and,  on  the 
other,  that  it  could  never  be  made  manifest  but  through  human 
actings  and  strivings,  or  in  any  manner  take  place  without 
them.  It  so  happened,  howev^er,  that  they  eacli  viewed  the  sub- 
ject in  one  relation  only,  and  thus  they  soon  found  themselves 
pursuing  opposite  directions  in  the  formation  of  their  theologi- 
cal systems  :  Mr  Whitefield  viewing  man  chiefly  in  his  con- 
dition of  dependence  upon  God  for  salvation  ;  and  Mr.  Wesley 
looking  at  him  mainly  as  a  responsil^le  and  guilty  being.  In 
short,  Mr.  Wesley  became  an  Arminian  and  Mr.  Whitefield  a 
Calvinist. 

Nevertheless,  up  to  this  period  their  differences  had  not  be- 
come sufficiently  mature  and  distinct  to  lead  to  a  breach.  But 
now  conscience  impelled  each  to  assert  doctrines,  which,  as 


56  MEMOIRS  OP   WHITEFIELD. 

understood  by  the  other,  were  not  only  wrong,  but  so  mon- 
strous as  to  forbid  all  fellowship  ;  and  the  following  narrative 
and  correspondence  shows  the  process  which  consummated 
the  rupture,  and  the  painful  reluctance  with  which  they  came 
to  it. 

In  pushing  his  doctrine  to  its  extreme,  Wesley  came  to  enter- 
tain as  a  favorite  doctrine,  "  the  free,  full,  and  present  salvation 
from  all  the  guilt,  all  the  power,  and  all  the  inbeing  of  sin  f 
and  knowing  Whitefield  to  be  at  the  opposite  pole  of  Calvinis- 
tic  predestination  and  decrees,  he  could  not  feel  satisfied  with- 
out writing  to  his  old  friend  and  disciple  then  in  Georgia,  upon 
both  these  subjects,  who  at  this  time,  though  he  could  yield  to 
him  upon  neither,  wished  earnestly  to  avoid  all  dispute. 

"  My  honored  friend  and  brother,"  said  he  in  his  reply.  "  for 
once  hearken  to  a  child  who  is  willing  to  wash  your  feet.  I 
beseech  you,  by  the  mercies  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus  our  Lord, 
if  you  would  have  my  love  confirmed  towards  you,  write  no 
more  to  me  about  misrepresentations  wherein  we  differ.  To 
the  best  of  my  knowledge,  at  present  no  sin  has  dominion  over 
me,  yet  I  feel  the  strugglings  of  indwx'lling  sin  day  by  day. 
The  doctrine  of  election,  and  the  final  perseverance  of  those 
who  are  in  Christ,  I  am  ten  thousand  times  more  convinced  o£ 
if  possible,  than  when  I  saw  you  last.  You  think  otherw^ise. 
Why  then  should  we  dispute,  when  there  is  no  probability  of 
convincing  ?  Will  it  not,  in  the  end,  destroy  brotherly  love, 
and  insensibly  take  from  us  that  cordial  union  and  sweetness 
of  soul,  which  I  pray  God  may  always  subsist  between  us  ? 
How  glad  would  the  enemies  of  the  Lord  be  to  see  us  divided  ! 
How  many  would  rejoice,  should  I  join  and  make  a  party 
against  you  !  And,  in  one  word,  how  would  the  cause  of  our 
common  Master  every  way  suffer,  by  our  raising  disputes  about 
particular  points  of  doctrine  !  Honored  Sir,  let  us  offer  salvation 
freely  to  all  by  the  blood  of  Jesus ;  and  whatever  light  God 
has  communicated  to  us,  let  us  freely  communicate  to  others.  I 
have  lately  read  the  life  of  Luther,  and  think  it  in  no  wise  to 
his  honor,  that  the  last  part  of  his  life  was  so  much  taken  up 
in  disputing  with  Zuinglius  and  others,  who  in  all  probability 
equally  loved  the  Lord  Jesus,  though  they  might  differ  from 
him  in  other  points.  Let  this,  dear  sir,  be  a  caution  to  us  ;  I 
hope  it  will  to  me  ;  for,  by  the  blessing  of  God,  provoke  me  to 
it  as  much  as  you  please,  I  do  not  think  ever  to  enter  the  lists 
of  controversy  with  you  on  the  points  wherein  we  differ.  Only 
I  pray  to  God,  that  the  more  you  judge  me,  the  more  I  may 
love  you,  and  learn  to  desire  no  one's  approbation,  but  that  of 
my  Lord  and  Master,  Jesus  Christ." 

While  such  feelings  do  honor  to  Whitefield,  he  gradually 


MEMOIRS  OP  WHITEFIELD.  57 

came  to  feel  on  the  other  hand,  that  the  honest  avowal  and 
maintenance  of  the  truth  required  him  to  overstep  the  courtesies 
of  private  friendship.  Two  months  only  after  this  letter  was 
written,  he  followed  it  with  another  in  a  diiferent  strain.  "  Hon 
ored  Sir,"  it  beo^an,  "I  cannot  entertain  prejudices  against  your 
conduct  and  principles  any  longer  without  informing  you. 
The  more  I  examine  the  writings  of  the  most  experienced  men, 
and  the  experience  of  the  most  established  christians,  the  more 
I  differ  from  your  notions  about  committing  sin,  and  your  deny- 
ing the  doctrines  of  election  and  the  final  perseverance  of  the 
saints.  I  dread  coming  to  England,  unless  you  are  resolved 
to  oppose  these  truths  with  less  warmth  than  when  I  was  there 
last.  I  dread  your  coming  over  to  America;  because  the  work 
of  G  od  is  carried  on  here,  and  that  in  a  most  glorious  manner,  by 
doctrines  quite  opposite  to  those  you  hold.  God  direct  me 
what  to  do !  Sometimes  I  think  it  is  best  to  stay  here,  where 
all  think  and  speak  the  same  thing :  the  work  goes  on  without 
divisions,  and  with  more  success,  because  all  employed  in  it 
are  of  one  mind.  I  write  not  this,  honored  sir,  from  heat  of 
spirit,  but  of  love.  At  present  I  think  you  are  entirely  incon- 
sistent with  yourself,  and  therefore  do  not  blame  me  if  I  do  not 
approve  of  all  that  you  say.  God  himself,  I  find,  teaches  my 
fiiends  the  doctrine  of  election.  Sister  H.  has  lately  been  con- 
vinced of  it ;  and,  if  I  mistake  not,  dear  and  honored  Mr.  Wes- 
ley will  be  hereafter  convinced  also.  Perhaps  I  may  never  see 
you  again  till  we  meet  in  judgment;  then,  if  not  before,  you 
will  know,  that  sovereign,  distinguishing,  irresistible  grace 
brought  you  to  heaven."  Wesley  received  this  letter  in  a  Idnd- 
ly  spirit,  and  thanked  him  for  it.  "  The  case  is  quite  plain," 
he  said  in  reply.  "  There  are  bigots  both  for  predestination 
and  against  it,  God  is  sending  a  message  to  those  on  either 
side,  but  neither  will  receive  it  unless  from  one  who  is  of  their 
own  opinion.  Therefore,  for  a  time  you  are  suffered  to  be  of 
one  opinion,  and  I  of  another.  Bat  when  his  time  is  come, 
God  will  do  what  men  cannot,  namely,  make  us  both  of  one 
mind,"  Soon  afterwards  Whitefield  writes  to  one  of  his  friends 
in  England,  "  for  Christ's  sake  desire  dear  brother  Wesley  to 
avoid  disputing  with  me.  I  think  I  had  rather  die  than  see  a 
division  between  us ;  and  yet  how  can  we  walk  together,  if  we 
oppose  each  other  ?"  And  again  to  Wesley  himself,  he  says, 
"for  Christ's  sake,  if  possible,  dear  sir,  never  speak  against  elec- 
tion in  your  sermons ;  no  one  can  say  that  I  ever  mentioned  it 
in  my  public  discourses,  whatever  my  private  sentiments  may 
be.  For  Christ's  sake,  let  us  not  be  divided  amongst  ourselves  ; 
nothing  will  so  much  prevent  a  division  as  your  being  silent 
on  that  head." 


68  MEMOIRS  OP   WHITEFIELD. 

While  Whitefield  from  America  was  thus  exhorting  to  for^ 
bearance  from  controversy,  the  Calvinistic  Methodists  in  Eng- 
land were  forcing  on  the  separation  which  he  deprecated,  while 
he  foresaw.  One  of  the  leading  members  in  London,  by  name 
Acourt,  had  introduced  his  disputed  tenets,  till  Charles  Wesley 
gave  orders  that  he  should  no  longer  be  admitted.  John  was 
present  when  next  he  presented  himself,  and  demanded  whe- 
ther they  refused  admitting  a  person  only  because  he  differed 
from  them  in  opinion.  Wesley  answered  no,  but  asked  what 
opinions  he  meant.  He  replied,  "that  of  election.  I  hold  that 
a  certain  number  are  elected  from  eternity,  and  these  must 
and  shall  be  saved,  and  the  rest  of  mankind  must  and  shall  be 
damned."  And  he  affirmed  that  many  of  the  society  held  the 
same  ;  upon  which  W^esley  observed  that  he  never  asked  whe- 
ther they  did  or  not ;  "  only  let  them  not  trouble  others  by 
disputing  about  it."  Acourt  rephed,  "Nay,  but  I  will  dispute 
about  it."  "Why  then,"  said  Wesley,  "would  you  come  among 
us,  who  you  know  are  of  another  mind."  "Because  you  are 
all  wrong,  and  I  am  resolved  to  set  you  all  right."  "  I  fear," 
said  Wesley,  "your  coming  with  this  view  would  neither  profit 
you  nor  us,"  "Then,"  rejoined  Acourt,  "I  will  go  and  tell  all 
the  world  that  you  and  your  brother  are  false  prophets.  And 
I  tell  you  in  one  fortnight  you  will  all  be  in  confusion." 

Some  time  before,  Wesley  had  received  a  letter  iii  which  he 
was  reproached  for  not  preaching  the  gospel  because  he  did 
not  preach  the  doctrine  of  election.  According  to  his  usual 
practice  at  that  time,  instead  of  consulting  with  his  friends,  or 
even  advising  with  himself  upon  the  prudence  of  engaging  in 
controversy,  he  drew  a  lot  for  his  direction,  and  the  lot  was, 
"preach  and  print."  So  he  preached  a  sermon  against  this 
doctrine,  and  printed  it.  Whitefield  was  then  in  England,  and 
at  his  desire  the  publication  was  for  a  Avhile  suppressed ;  but  it 
was  sent  into  the  world  soon  after  his  departure  for  America. 
The  rising  sect  was  thus  disturbed  by  a  question  which  had 
so  often  carried  discord  into  the  schools  of  theology,  which  had 
unhappily  divided  the  Protestant  world,  and  which,  when  it 
'had  risen  in  the  bosom  of  the  Catholic  church,  neither  the 
Popes  with  their  bulls,  nor  the  Kings  of  France  -with  their 
power,  nor  the  Jesuits  with  all  wisdom  of  the  serpent,  could 
either  determine  or  lay  to  rest.  Wesley  had  begun  the  discus- 
sion, but  AVhitefield  persevered  in  it,  when  he  would  fain  have 
pressed  it  no  further ;  and  he  assumed  a  tone  of  superiority- 
which  Wesley  was  little  likely  to  countenance.  "Give  me 
leaA^e,"  said  he,  "with  all  humility  to  exhort  you  not  to  be  stre- 
nuous in  opposing  the  doctrines  of  election  and  final  persever- 
ance, when  by  your  own  confession  you  have  not  the  witness 


MEMOIRS  OF   WniTEFIELD.  59 

of  the  Spirit  within  yourself,  and  consequently  are  not  a  proper 
judge.  I  am  assured  God  has  now  for  some  years  given  this 
living  witness  in  my  soul.  I  can  say  I  have  been  on  the  bor- 
ders of  Canaan,  and  do  every  day,  nay  almost  every  moment, 
long  for  the  appearing  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  not  to  evade 
sulFerings,  but  with  a  single  desire  to  see  his  blessed  face.  I 
feel  his  blessed  Spirit  daily  filling  my  soul  and  body,  as  plain 
as  I  feel  the  air  which  I  breathe,  or  the  food  which  I  eat. 
Perhaps  the  doctrine  of  election  and  of  final  perseverence  has 
been  abused,  (and  what  doctrine  has  not  ?)  but  notwithstand- 
ing, it  is  children's  bread,  and  ought  not  in  my  opinion  to  be 
withheld  from  them,  supposing  it  always  mentioned  with  proper 
cautions  against  its  abuse.  Dear  and  honored  sir,  I  write 
not  this  to  enter  into  disputation.  I  hope  at  this  time  I  feel 
something  of  the  meekness  and  gentleness  of  Christ.  I  cannot 
bear  the  thoughts  of  opposing  you :  but  how  can  I  avoid  it  if 
you  go  about,  as  your  brother  Charles  once  said,  to  drive  John 
Calvin  out  of  Bristol  ?  Alas,  I  never  read  any  thing  that  Cal- 
vin wrote :  my  doctrines  J  had  from  Christ  and  his  apostles  ; 
I  was  taught  them  of  God ;  and  as  God  was  pleased  to  send 
me  out  first,  and  to  enlighten  me  first,  so  I  think  he  still  con- 
tinues to  do  it.  I  wish  I  knew  your  principles  fully ;  did  you 
write  oftener  and  more  frankly,  it  might  have  a  better  effect 
than  silence  and  reserve." 

Whitefield  indeed  partook  so  largely  of"  the  gifts  and  conso- 
lations of  the  Spirit,  that  it  is  no  wonder  that  he  should  attri- 
bute his  belief  in  this  doctrine  to  that  spiritual  discernment 
which  Cometh  only  from  above.  The  alternate  frames  of 
spiritual  ecstacy  and  dejection  through  which  he  was  made  to 
pass,  may  be  understood  from  the  following  among  his  recorded 
meditations.  "I  have  now,"  he  says,  "such  large  incomes 
from  above,  and  such  precious  communications  from  our  dear 
Lord  Jesus,  that  my  body  sometimes  can  scarcely  sustain 
them."  "  I  have  a  garden  near  at  hand,  where  1  go  particularly 
to  meet  and  talk  with  my  God,  at  the  cool  of  every  day.  I 
often  sit  in  silence,  offering  my  soul  as  so  much  clay,  to  be 
stamped  just  as  my  heavenly  potter  pleases  ;  and  whilst  I  am 
musing,  I  am  often  filled,  as  it  were  with  the  fullness  of  God. 
I  am  frequently  at  Calvary,  and  frequently  on  Mount  Tabor, 
but  always  assured  of  my  Lord's  everlastinsr  love."  "  Our  dear 
liord  sweetly  fills  me  with  his  presence.  My  heaven  is  begun 
indeed.  I  feast  on  the  fatted  calf  The  Lord  strengthens  me 
mightily  in  the  inner  man."  At  other  times  he  "  abhors"  him- 
self 'Mn  dust  and  ashes.  He  is  "  a  worm  and  no  man."  He 
"deserves  to  be  the  outcast  of  the  people."—"  Why  do  so  many 
of  my  Lord's  servants  take  notice  of  such  a  dead  dog  as  I  am  ?" 


60  MEMOIRS  OF    WHITEFIELD. 

These  heaven-ward  impulses  would  often  lead  him  to  contem- 
plate with  perfect  satisfaction  the  prospect  of  persecution,  or 
even  of  martyrdom,  "  Dear  brother,"  he  says  to  one  of  his 
American  coadjutors,  "  both  you  and  I  must  suffer,  and  that, 
great  things  before  we  enter  into  glory.  My  work  is  scarce 
i)egun ;  my  trials  are  yet  to  come.  What  is  a  little  scourge 
of  the  tongue?  What  is  a  thrusting  out  of  the  synagogues? 
The  time  of  temptation  will  be  when  we  are  thrust  into  an  in- 
ner prison,  and  feel  the  iron  entering  even  into  our  souls. 
Then  perhaps  even  God's  people  may  be  permitted  to  forsake 
us  for  a  while,  and  none  but  the  Lord  Jesus  to  stand  by  us. 
But  if  thou,  O  dearest  Redeemer,  wilt  strengthen  me  in  the  in- 
ner man,  let  enemies  plunge  me  into  a  fiery  furnace,  or  throw 
me  into  a  den  of  lions  !''  And  he  writes  as  if  he  were  realizing 
the  fact  that  persecuting  rulers  were  again  about  to  employ- 
lions'  dens  and  burning  fierv^  furnaces  !  "  I  am  now  looking," 
he  says,  "for  some  strong  attacks  from  Satan."  "Let  us  suf- 
fer for  Jesus  with  a  cheerful  heart !  His  love  will  sweeten 
every  cup,  though  never  so  bitter.  Let  us  pledge  him  willing- 
ly, and  continue  faithful  even  to  death  !  A  scene  of  sufferings 
lies  before  us.  Who  knows  but  we  may  wade  to  our  Savior 
through  a  sea  of  blood  J  I  expect  (O  pray  that  I  may  be 
strengthened  if  called  to  it  !)  to  die  for  his  2^reat  name's  sake. 
'Twill  be  sweet  to  wear  a  martyr's  crown."  "  Suffer  we  must, 
I  believe,  and  that,  great  things.  Our  Lord  by  his  providence 
begins  to  show  it.  Ere  long  perhaps  we  may  sing  in  a  prison, 
and  have  our  feet  set  fast  in  the  stocks.  But  faith  in  Jesus 
turns  a  prison  into  a  palace,  and  makes  a  bed  of  flames  become 
a  bed  of  down." 

This  was  safe  boasting ;  and  yet  if  Whitefield  had  lived  in 
an  age  of  persecution  his  metal  would  have  borne  to  be  tried 
in  the  flames.  The  temper  from  which  it  arose  made  him  as 
ready  now  to  stand  up  in  opposition  to  Wesley,  as  he  had  for- 
merly been  to  follow  him.  "I  am  sorry,"  he  says  to  him, 
"  honored  sir,  to  hear  by  many  letters,  that  you  seem  to  own  a 
sitilcss  'perfection  in  this  life  attainable.  I  think  I  cannot 
answer  you  better  than  a  venerable  old  minister  in  these  parts 
answered  a  Quaker.  '  bring  me  a  man  that  hath  really  arrived 
to  this,  and  I  will  pay  his  expenses  let  him  come  from  whence 
he  will.'  Besides,  dear  sir,  what  a  fond  conceit  is  it  to  cry  up 
perfection,  and  yet  cry  down  the  doctrine  of  final  perseverance  7 
But  this  and  many  other  absurdities  you  will  run  into,  because 
you  will  not  own  election  :  and  you  will  not  own  election  be- 
cause you  cannot  own  it  without  believing  the  doctrine  of  re- 
probation.    What  then  is  there  in  reprobation  so  horrid  ?" 

Whitefield  continued,  '^  Oh  that  you  would  be  more  cautious 


MEMOIRS  OF  WHITEFIELD,  61 

ill  casting  lots  !  Oh  that  you  would  not  be  too  rash  and  pre- 
cipitant !  If  you  go  on  thus,  honored  sir,  how  can  I  concur 
with  you?  It  is  impossible.  I  must  speak  what  I  know. 
Thus  I  write  out  of  the  fullness  of  my  heart.  I  feel  myself  to 
be  a  vile  sinner.  I  look  to  Christ.  I  mourn  because  I  have 
pierced  him.  Honored  sir,  pray  for  me.  The  Lord  be  with 
your  dear  soul."  The  same  week  produced  a  letter  in  a  higher 
tone  of  rebuke :  ''  Dear  brother  Wesley,  what  mean  you  by 
disputing  in  all  you  letters?  ]\Iay  God  give  you  to  know 
yourself,  and  then  you  will  not  plead  for  absolute  perfection, 
or  call  the  doctrine  of  election  a  doctrine  of  devils.  My  dear 
brother,  take  heed !  See  that  you  are  in  Christ  a  new  crea- 
ture !  Beware  of  a  false  peace  :  strive  to  enter  in  at  the  strait 
gate  ;  and  give  all  diligence  to  make  your  calling  and  election 
sure :  remember  you  are  but  a  babe  in  Christ,  if  so  much  ! 
Be  humble,  talk  little,  think  and  pray  much.  Let  God  teach 
you,  and  he  will  lead  you  into  all  truth.  If  you  must  dispute, 
stay  till  you  are  master  of  the  subject ;  otherwise  you  will  hurt 
the  cause  you  would  defend."  And  in  a  subsequent  letter  he 
says,  "  Oh  dear  sir,  many  of  God's  children  are  grieved  at  your 
principles !  Oh  that  God  may  give  you  a  sight  of  his  free, 
sovereign,  and  electing  love !  But  no  more  of  this.  Why 
will  you  compel  me  to  write  thus  ?  Why  will  you  dispute  '} 
I  am  willing  to  go  with  you  to  prison  and  to  death ;  but  I  am 
not  willing  to  oppose  you."  And  again,  '-Oh  that  there  may 
be  harmony  and  very  intimate  union  between  us,  yet  it  cannot 
be,  since  you  hold  universal  redemption.  The  devil  rages  in 
London,  He  begins  now  to  triumph  indeed.  The  children 
of  God  are  disunited  among  themselves.  My  dear  brother,  for 
Christ's  sake  avoid  all  drsputation !  Do  not  oblige  me  to 
preach  against  you :  I  had  rather  die." 

He  soon,  however,  began  to  fear  that  he  had  been  sinfully 
silent.  The  children  oif  God,  he  thought,  were  in  danger  of 
falling  into  error :  many  who  had  been  worked  upon  by  his 
niinistry  had  been  misled,  and  more  were  calling  loudly  upon 
him  to  show  his  opinion  also.  '•  I  must  then  show,"  said  he, 
*'  that  I  know  no  man  after  the  flesh,  and  that  I  have  no  re- 
spect to  persons  any  further  than  is  consistent  with  my  duty 
to  my  Lord  and  Master."  And  therefore  he  took  pen  in  hand 
to  write  against  W^esley,  protestino;  that  Jonah  could  not  go 
with  more  reluctance  against  Nineveh.*  "Were  nature lo 
speak,"  said  he  "  I  had  rather  die  than  do  it ;  and  yet  if  I  am 
faithful  to  God,  and  to  my  own  and  other's  souls,  I  must  not 
stand  neuter  any  longer."     In  this  letter  "VVhitefield  related 

♦  The  reader  will  find  this  most  labored  of  Whitefield's  extant  writings  in 
the  after  part  of  the  volume. 

6 


62  MEMOIRS    OF    WHITEFIELD. 

how  Wesley  had  preached  and  printed  his  obnoxious  sermon, 
in  consequence  of  drawing  a  lot.  The  conclusion  however  is 
remarkable  for  the  honest  confidence  and  the  warmth  of  affec- 
tion which  it  breathes. 

That  this  letter  was  intended  for  publication  is  certain ;  but 
there  seems  to  have  been  a  hope  in  Whitefield's  mind  that  the 
effect  which  its  perusal  would  produce  mis^ht  render  publica- 
tion needless.  His  friends  in  London,  however,  thought  pro- 
per to  print  it,  without  either  his  permission  or  Wesley's,  and 
copies  were  distributed  at  the  door  of  the  Foundry,  and  in  the 
meeting  itself  Wesley  holding  one  in  his  hand  stated  to  the 
congregation  the  fact  of  its  surreptitious  publication,  and  then 
saying,  "  I  will  do  just  what  I  believe  Sir.  Whitefield  would 
were  he  here  himself,"  he  tore  it  in  pieces.  Every  person  pre- 
sent followed  his  example ;  and  Wesley,  in  reference  to  the 
person  by  Avhose  means  these  unlucky  copies  had  been  circu- 
lated, exclaims  in  his  Journal,  "  Ah  poor  Ahitophel !  Ihi 
omnis  effusus  labor  f 

The  person  who  seems  to  have  been  most  active  in  enforc- 
ing Calvinism  in  opposition  to  Wesley  at  this  time  was  the 
Kev.  John  Cennick,*  whom  he  employed  at  Kingswood  in  the 

*  "  The  Rev.  John  Cennick  was  one  ofWhitefield's  most  popular  and  useful 
fellow-laborers.  He  possessed  a  sweet  simplicity  of  spirit,  with  an  ardent 
zeal  in  the  cause  of  his  Divine  Master.  On  the  4th  of  July,  1755,  his  happy 
spirit  took  its  flight  to  the  mansions  of  bliss,  to  enjoy,  through  eternal  ages, 
uninterrupted  communion  and  fellowship  with  a  triune  Jehovah,  reconciled  in 
Christ  Jesus,  after  he  had  passed  a  life  of  thirty-five  years,  in  this  world  of 
sin  and  sorrow. 

Mr.  Cennick  was  rather  below  the  middle  stature,  of  a  fair  countenance, 
but  of  a  fairer  mind.  A  good  understanding,  an  open  temper,  and  a  tender 
heart  characterized  the  man.  His  christian  qualities  were  not  less  remark- 
able. If  unaffected  humility,  deadness  to  the  world,  a  life  of  communion  with 
God,  and  a  cheerful  reliance  on  a  crucified  Savior,  constitute  the  real  chris- 
tian, he  was  one  in  an  eminent  degree.  Nor  were  the  evidence  of  his  call 
lo  the  ministry  less  striking.  Few  ministers  have  felt  a  warmer  love  to  Je- 
sus Christ ;  few  were  more  unwearied  in  preaching  his  gospel ;  few  triumph- 
ed more  in  his  cross,  or  suffered  more  patiently  in  his  cause.  As  to  success 
in  his  labors,  perhaps  there  was  not  one  in  his  day,  except  Mr,  Whitefield, 
more  highly  honored  in  this  particular.  'Tis  true,  his  language  was  not  with 
the  enticing  words  of  man's  wisdom  ;  yet  his  doctrine  and  address  were  power- 
ful, and  found  access  to  the  hearts  of  "thousands.  The  gospel  he  so  diligently 
and  faithfully  dispensed,  was  the  food  of  his  own  soul.  He  drank  deeply  of 
the  cup  of  religious  pleasures.  His  altar  was  not  to  an  unknown  God  ;  he  exalt- 
ed not  a  Savior  whose  virtues  he  had  never  proved  ;  he  pointed  not  to  a  spirit, 
under  whose  almighty  influence  he  had  not  lived  ;  he  directed  not  to  a  heaven, 
the  happiness  of  which  he  had  not  anticipated.  His  career  was  short ;  but  if 
life  may  be  estimated,  by  the  comparative  quantity  of  good  produced  in  it, 
then  this  truly  active,  spiritual,  and  useful  man,  may  be  said  to  have  lived  to 
a  good  old  age. 

Where,  on  this  side  heaven,  can  a  more  enviable  person  be  found,  than  he 
whose  mind  is  thus  furnished  ;  whose  soul  is  thus  enriched  ;  whose  lips  thus 
drop  sweetness  ;  whose  life  is  thus  devoted  ;  whose  services  are  thus  blessed  1 
He  may  not  have  moved  in  the  circles  of  the  great ;  he  may  not' have  ranked 
with  characters  of  literary  fame ;  he  may  not  be  able  to  trace  his  pedigree 


MEMOIRS  OF    WHITEFIELD.  63 

school  which  Whitefield  had  designed  for  the  chiWiren  of  col- 
liers. Whitefield  had  collected  some  money  for  this  good 
work,  and  had  performed  the  ceremony  of  laying  the  founda- 
tion ;  but  further  than  this  ceremony  it  had  not  proceeded 
when  he  embarked  the  second  time  for  America,  and  left  it  to 
be  carried  forward  by  Wesley.  There  was  the  great  difficulty 
of  want  of  money  in  the  way ;  but  this  was  a  difficulty  which 
faith  would  remove,  and  in  faith  Wesley  began  building  with- 
out having  a  quarter  of  the  sum  necessaiy  for  finishing  it.  But 
he  found  persons  who  were  willing  to  advance  money  if  he 
would  become  responsible  for  the  debt ;  the  responsibility  and 
the  property  thus  devolved  upon  him,  and  he  immediately  made 
his  will,  bequeathing  it  to  his  brother  Charles  and  Whitefield. 
Two  masters  were  provided  as  soon  as  the  house  was  fit  to 
receive  them,  and  Mr.  Cennick  was  one.  He  was  not  in  holy 
orders,  but  the  practice  of  lay  preaching  which  had  at  first 
been  vehemently  opposed  by  the  Wesleys,  had  now  become 
inevitably  a  part  of  their  system,  and  Mr.  Cennick,  who  had 
great  talents  for  popular  speaking,  labored  also  as  one  of  these 
helpers,  as  they  were  called.  He  in  his  horror  against  the 
doctrines  of  the  Wesleys  wrote  urgently  to  Whitefield,  calhng 
upon  him  to  hasten  from  America  that  he  might  stay  the 
plague.  "I  sit,"  said  he,  "solitary  like  Eli,  waiting  what  will 
become  of  the  ark ;  and  while  I  wail  and  fear  the  carrying  of 
it  away  from  among  my  people,  my  trouble  increases  daily. 
How  glorious  did  the  gospel  seem  once  to  flourish  in  Kings- 
wood  !  I  spake  of  the  everlasting  love  of  Christ  with  sweet 
power.  But  now  brother  Charles  is  suffered  to  open  his  moutli 
against  this  truth,  while  the  affrighted  sheep  gaze  and  fly,  as 
if  no  shepherd  were  among  them.  It  is  just  as  if  Satan  Avere 
now  making  war  with  the  saints  in  a  more  than  common  way. 
Oh !  pray  for  the  distressed  lambs  yet  left  in  this  place,  that 
they  faint  not !  Surely  they  would  if  preaching  would  do  it, 
for  they  have  nothing  whereon  to  rest,  who  now  attended  on 
the  sermons,  but  their  own  faithfulness.  "With  universal  re- 
demption brother  Charles  pleases  the  world.  Brother  John 
follows  him  in  every  thing.  I  believe  no  Atheist  can  more 
preach  against  predestination  than  they ;  and  all  who  believe 
election  are  counted  enemies  to  God,  and  called  so.  Fly  dear 
brother  !  I  am  alone, — I  am  in  the  midst  of  the  plague  !  If 
God  give  thee  leave,  make  haste  !" 

through  families  of  noble  blood  ;  he  may  not  have  soared  on  the  wings  of  phi- 
losopnic  pursuits  ;  but  he  has  pierced  the  clouds  ;  he  has  explored  the  celestial 
regions,  he  has  presented  its  delicious  fruits,  and  invited  us  to  arise  and  pos- 
sess the  land.  "  O  my  soul,  come  thou  into  his  secret,  into  his  assembly  mine 
honor  be  thou  united  V'—Sec  Life  of  the  Rev.  John  Cennick,  by  the  Rev.  Mat- 
thew  WLlks,  prefixed  to  his  Sermons. 


64  MEMOIRS  OF   WHITEFIELD. 

A  copy  of  this  letter  came  into  Wesley's  handS;  and  it  stung 
him,  because  he  said  the  writer  was  "  one  I  had  sent  for  to  as- 
sist me,  a  friend  that  was  as  my  own  soul,  that  even  while  he 
opposed  me  lay  in  my  bosom/'  Charles  in  consequence  ad- 
dressed a  letter  to  him  which  forcibly  expresses  the  feeling  of 
the  two  brothers  upon  having  one  of  their  disciples  thus  rise 
against  them.  "You  came  to  Kingswood,"  says  he,  "upon 
my  brother's  sending  for  you.  You  served  under  him  in  the 
gospel  as  a  son,  I  need  not  say  how  well  he  loved  you.  You 
used  the  authority  he  gave  you  to  overthrow  his  doctrine. 
You  every  where  contradicted  it,  (whether  true  or  false  is  not 
the  question.)  But  you  ought  first  to  have  fairly  told  him,  '■  I 
preach  contrary  to  you :  are  you  willing,  notwithstanding,  that 
I  should  continue  in  your  house,  gainsaying  you  ?  If  you 
are  not,  I  have  no  place  in  these  regions.  You  have  a  right  to 
this  open  dealing.  I  now  give  you  fair  warning.  Shall  I  stay 
here  opposing  you,  or  shall  I  depart  V  My  brother,  have  you 
dealt  thus  honestly  and  openly  with  him?  No.  But  you 
have  stolen  away  the  people's  hearts  from  him.  And  when 
some  of  them  basely  treated  their  best  friend,  God  only  accept- 
ed, how  patiently  did  you  take  it !  When  did  you  ever  vindi- 
cate us  as  we  have  you  ?  Why  did  you  not  plainly  tell  them, 
you  are  eternally  indebted  to  these  men  ?  '  Think  not  that  I 
will  stay  among  you  to  head  a  party  against  my  dearest  friend 
and  brother,  as  he  suffers  me  to  call  him,  having  humbled  liim- 
self  for  my  sake,  and  given  me,  no  bishop,  priest,  or  deacon, 
the  right  hand  of  fellowship.  If  I  hear  that  one  word  more 
is  spoken  against  him,  I  will  leave  you  that  moment.'  This 
had  been  just  and  honest,  and  not  more  than  we  have  deserved 
at  your  hands." 

This  was  put  into  John  Wesley's  hands  that  he  might  de- 
liver it  to  Mr.  Cennick  if  he  thought  proper.  But  matters  had 
proceeded  so  far  that  Mr.  Cennick  was  forming  a  separate  so- 
ciety, and  Wesley  deemed  it  better  to  speak  to  him  and  his 
adherents  publicly  and  reproA^e  them  for  inveighing  against  him 
behind  his  back.  One  of  them  replied,  that  they  had  said  no 
more  of  him  behind  his  back  than  they  would  say  to  his  face, 
which  was  that  he  preached  false  doctrine  ; — he  preached  that 
there  is  righteousness  in  man.  "So,"  says  Wesley,  "there  is, 
after  the  righteousness  of  Christ  is  imputed  to  him  through 
faith.  But  who  told  you  that  what  we  preached  was  false  doc- 
trine ?  W^hom  would  you  have  believed  this  from,  but  Mr.  Cen- 
nick ?"  Mr.  Cennick  then  boldly  answered,  "  You  do  preach 
righteousness  in  man.  I  did  say  this,  and  I  say  it  still.  How- 
ever, we  are  willing  to  join  with  you ;  but  we  will  also  meet 
apart  from  you  ;  for  we  meet  to  confirm  one  another  in  those 


MEMOIRS  OP   WHITEFIELD.  65 

truths  which  you  speak  against"  Wesley  replied,  "You  should 
have  told  me  this  before,  and  not  have  supplanted  me  in  my 
own  house,  stealing  the  hearts  of  the  people,  and  by  private 
accusations  separating  very  friends." 

By  mutual  agreement  the  meeting  was  adjourned  a  week, 
and  when  they  re-assembled,  Mr.  Cennick  and  his  friends  were 
surprised  to  find  themselves  arraigned  by  Mr.  Wesley  as  fol- 
lows :  "  By  many  witnesses  it  appears  that  several  members 
of  the  Band  Society  in  Kingswood  have  made  it  their  common 
practice,  to  scoff  at  the  preaching  of  Mr.  John  and  Charles 
Wesley ;  that  they  have  censured  and  spoken  evil  of  them  be- 
hind their  backs,  at  the  very  time  they  professed  love  and  es- 
teem to  their  faces ;  that  they  have  studiously  endeavored  to 
prejudice  other  members  of  that  society  against  them,  and  in 
order  thereto,  have  belied  and  slandered  them  in  divers  instan- 
ces ;  therefore,  not  for  their  opinions,  nor  for  any  of  them, 
(whether  they  be  right  or  wrong)  but  for  the  causes  abov-e- 
mentioned,  viz.  for  their  scoffing  at  the  word  and  ministers  of 
God,  for  their  tale-bearing,  back-bitin^f,  and  evil  speaking,  for 
their  dissembling,  lying,  and  slandering ;  I,  John  Wesley,  by 
the  consent  and  approbation  of  the  Band  Society  in  Kings- 
wood,  do  declare  the  persons  above  mentioned  to  be  no  longer 
members  thereof.  Neither  will  they  be  so  accounted  until  they 
shall  openly  confess  their  fault,  and  thereby  do  what  in  them 
lies  to  remove  the  scandal  they  have  given." 

Having  come  prepared  for  a  discussion  of  their  opinions 
and  conduct,  they  were  astonished  at  hearing  themselves  thus 
excommunicated.  As  soon  as  they  recovered  from  their  sur- 
prise they  affirmed  that  they  had  heard  both  him  and  his  bro- 
ther preach  popery  many  times.  However,  they  were  still  wil- 
ling to  join  with  them,  but  they  would  not  own  that  they  had 
done  any  thing  amiss.  Wesley  desired  them  to  consider  upon 
it  yet  again,  but  finding  after  another  week  had  elapsed  that 
they  still  refused  to  acknowledge  that  they  had  been  in  the 
wrong,  he  once  more  assembled  "the  bands,  and  told  them  that 
every  one  must  now  take  his  chance  and  quit  one  society  or 
the  other.  One  of  the  Calvinistic  leaders  observed,  that  the 
true  reason  of  his  separating  from  them  was  because  they  held 
the  doctrine  of  election.  Wesley  made  answer,  "  You  know 
in  your  own  conscience  it  is  not.  There  are  several  predesti- 
narians  in  our  societies  both  at  London  and  Bristol ;  nor  did  I 
ever  yet  put  any  one  out  of  either,  because  he  held  that  opinion." 
They  then  offered  to  break  up  their  society,  provided  he  would 
receive  and  employ  Mr.  Cennick  as  he  had  done  before.  To 
this  Wesley  replied,  ''  My  broths  has  wronged  me  much :  but 
he  doth  not  say  I  repent."    Mr.  Cennick  made  answer,  "  Un- 

6* 


6&  MEMOIRS  OF   WHITEFIELD. 

less  in  not  speaking  in  your  defense  I  do  not  know  that  I  hare 
wronged  you  at  all."  "  It  seems  then,"  says  Wesley,  "  nothing 
remains  but  for  each  to  choose  which  society  he  pleases." 

At  this  time  Whitefield  was  on  the  way  from  America. 
While  upon  the  passage  he  wrote  to  Charles  Wesley,  expostu- 
lating with  him  and  his  brother,  in  strong  but  affectionate 
terms.  "My  dear,  dear  brethren,"  said  he,  "why  did  you 
throw  out  the  bone  of  contention  ?  AYhy  did  you  print  that 
sermon  against  predestination  ?  Why  did  you  in  particular, 
my  dear  brother  Charles,  affix  your  hymn,  and  join  in  putting 
out  your  late  hymn  book  ?  How  can  you  say  you  will  not 
dispute  with  me  about  election,  and  yet  print  such  hymns,  and 
your  brother  send  his  sermon  against  election  over  to  America  ? 
Do  not  you  think,  my  dear  brethren,  I  must  be  as  much  con- 
cerned for  truth,  or  w^iat  I  think  truth,  as  you?  God  is  my 
judge,  I  always  was,  and  hope  1  always  shall  be,  desirous  that 
you  may  be  preferred  before  me.  But  I  must  preach  the  gospel 
of  Christ,  and  that  I  cannot  now  do  without  speaking  of  elec- 
tion." He  then  informed  Charles,  that  one  copy  of  his  answer 
to  the  sermon  was  printing  at  Charleston ;  that  another  had 
been  sent  to  Boston  for  the  same  purpose ;  and  that  he  was 
bringing  a  copy  to  be  printed  in  London.  "If,"  said  he,  "it 
occasion  a  strangeness  between  us,  it  shall  not  be  my  fault. 
There  is  nothing  in  my  answer  excitinc^  to  it  that  I  Ivuow  of. 
O  my  dear  brethren,  my  heart  almost  bleeds  within  me  !  Me- 
thinks  I  could  be  willing  to  tarry  here  on  the  waters  forever, 
rather  than  come  to  England  to  oppose  you."  But  although, 
when  he  was  thus  addressing  the  Wesleys,  the  feelings  of  old 
friendship  returned  upon  him,  his  other  letters,  written  during 
tlie  voyage,  evince  that  he  looked  on  a  separation  as  the  cer- 
tain consequence  of  this  difference  in  opinion.  "  Great  perils,*' 
he  says,  "  await  me ;  but  Jesus  Christ  will  send  his  angel,  and 
roll  away  every  stone  of  difficulty."  "  JVTy  Lord's  command 
now,  I  believe,  is, '  Take  the  foxes,  the  little  foxes  that  spoil  the 
vines,  for  our  vines  have  tender  grapes.'  Help  me  by  your 
prayers  ;  it  is  an  ease  thus  to  unbosom  myself  to  a  friend.  I 
have  sought  the  Lord  by  prayer  and  fasting,  and  he  assures  me 
that  he  will  be  with  me  ;  whom  then  should  I  fear  ?"  "  The 
liord  is  girding  me  for  the  battle,  and  strengthening  me  mightily 
in  the  inner  man." 

In  this  state  of  mind  he  reached  London.  Charles  Wesley 
was  there,  aud  their  meeting  was  affectionate.  "It  would 
have  melted  any  heart,"  says  Whitefield,  "  to  have  heard  us 
weeping  after  prayer,  that,  if  possible,  the  breach  might  be 
prevented."  Old  feelings  of  respect  and  love  revived  with  such 
strength  in  his  heart,  that  he  promised  never  to  preach  against 


MEMOIRS  OP   WHITEFIELD.  C7 

the  Wesleys,  whatever  his  private  opinion  might  be.  But 
many  things  combined  to  sour  him  at  this  time.  He  had  writ- 
ten against  Archbishop  Tillotson's  works,  and  the  whole  Duty 
of  Man,  a  book  in  those  days  of  unrivalled  popularity,  in  a 
manner  which  he  himself  then  felt  to  be  injudicious ;  and  this 
had  offended  persons,  who  were  otherwise  favorably  disposed 
towards  him.  His  celebrity  also  seemed  to  have  passed  away ; 
the  twenty  thousands  who  used  to  assemble  at  his  preaching 
liad  dwindled  down  to  two  or  three  hundred  ;  and  in  one  ex- 
hibition at  Kennington  common,  the  former  scene  of  his 
triumphs,  scarcely  a  hundred  were  gathered  together  to  hear 
him.  Worldly  anxieties,  too,  were  fretting  him,  and  those  of 
a  kind  which  made  the  loss  of  his  celebrity  a  serious  evil. 
The  Orphan-house  in  Georgia  v/as  to  be  maintained :  he  had 
now  nearly  a  hundred  persons  in  that  establishment,  who  were 
to  be  supported  by  his  exertions :  there  were  not  the  slightest 
funds  provided,  and  Georgia  was  the  dearest  part  of  the  British 
dominions.  He  was  abov^e  a  thousand  pounds  in  debt  upon 
that  score,  and  he  himself  not  worth  twenty.  Seward,  the 
wealthiest  and  most  attached  of  his  disciples,  was  dead,  and 
had  made  no  provision  for  him,  nor  for  the  payment  of  a  heavy 
bill  on  the  Orphan-house  account,  which  he  had  drawn,  and 
for  which  Whitefield  was  now  responsible,  and  threatened 
with  an  arrest.  He  called  it  truly  a  trying  time:  "Many, 
very  many  of  my  spiritual  children,-'  says  he,  '•  who,  at  my  last 
departure  from  England,  would  have  plucked  out  their  own 
eyes  for  me,  are  so  prejudiced  by  the  dear  Messrs.  Wesleys 
dressing  up  the  doctrine  of  election  in  such  horrible  colors, 
that  they  will  neither  hear,  see  nor  give  me  the  least  assistance  ; 
yea,  some  of  them  send  threatening  letters  that  God  will  speedi- 
ly destroy  me."  This  folly  on  the  part  of  Wesley's  adherents 
irritated  him,  and  that  irritation  was  fomented  by  his  own 
feelings  ;  and  when  Wesley,  who  had  been  summoned  by  his 
brother  Charles  to  London  on  this  occasion,  went  to  him,  to 
see  if  the  breach  might  yet  be  closed,  Whitefield  honestly  told 
him,  that  they  preached  two  different  gospels,  and  therefore  he 
not  only  would  not  join  with  him,  or  give  him  the  right  hand 
of  fellowship,  but  would  publicly  preach  against  him  whereso- 
ever he  preached  at  all.  He  was  reminded  of  the  promise 
which  he  had  but  a  few  days  before  made,  that  whatever  his 
opinion  might  be  he  would  not  do  this :  but  he  replied,  that 
promise  was  only  an  effect  of  human  vv^eaK^ness,  and  he  was 
now  of  another  mind. 

Thus  was  the  breach  consummated  between  these  co-work- 
ers with  Christ ;  who,  in  a  more  confined  sense,  may  be  said 
to  have  now  ceased  being  co-workers  with  each  other. 


68  MEMOIRS  OP  WHITEFIELD. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

From  the  establishment  of  the  church  in  Moorjields  under  Mr.  Cen- 
nick,  and  his  visit  through  Scotland,  till  his  departure  from  Edin- 
burgh, with  some  letters  showing  his  reception  in  that  country,  1741. 

About  this  time  he  intended  to  return  with  all  possible  expe- 
dition to  America.  Meantime,  it  being  inconvenient,  on  account 
of  the  weather,  to  preach  morning  and  evening  in  Moorfields — 
some  free  Grace  Dissenters  (who  stood  by  him  closely  in  that 
time  of  trial)  obtained  the  loan  of  a  piece  of  ground,  and  en- 
gaged with  a  carpenter  to  build  a  large  temporary  shed,  to 
screen  the  auditory  from  cold  and  rain,  which  he  called  a  taber- 
nacle, as  it  was  only  intended  to  be  made  use  of  for  a  few 
months,  during  his  stay  in  his  native  country.  The  place  fixed 
upon  was  very  near  the  Foluidry,  which  he  disliked,  because 
he  thought  it  looked  like  erecting  altar  against  altar ;  but,  upon 
this  occasion,  he  remarks,  "All  was  wonderfully  overruled  for 
good  and  for  the  furtherance  of  the  gospel.  A  fresh  awakening 
immediately  began.  Congregations  grew  exceeding  large,  and 
at  the  people's  desire  I  sent  (necessity  reconciling  me  more  and 
more  to  lay-preaching)  for  Messrs.  Cennick,  Harris,  Seagrave, 
Humphries,  and  some  others  to  assist." 

Fresh  doors  were  now  open  to  him,  and  invitations  sent  to 
him  from  many  places  where  he  had  never  been.  At  a  com- 
mon, near  Braidtree  in  Essex,  upwards  of  ten  thousand  persons 
attended.  At  Halstead,  Dedham,  Cossleshall,  Weathersfield, 
Colchester,  Bury,  and  Ipswich,  the  congregations  were  very 
large  and  much  affected.* 

At  this  time,  also,  he  was  strongly  solicited  by  religious  per- 
sons, of  different  persuasions,  to  visit  Scotland.  Several  letters 
had  passed  between  him  and  the  Messrs.  Erskines,  some  time 
before,t  and  he  had  a  great  desire  to  see  them.     He  therefore 

*  "  Sweet  was  the  conversation  I  had  with  several  ministers  of  Christ.  But 
our  own  clerg}'  grew  more  and  more  sh}',  now  they  knew  I  was  a  Calvinist ; 
though  no  doiibt  (as  Mr.  Bedford  told  me  when  going  to  the  Bishop  of  Lon- 
don) our  Articles  are  Calvinistic.'' 

t  See  his  Journals,  and  his  Letters  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  R.  Erskine,  and  the 
Rev.  Mr.  E.  Erskine. 

In  his  last  letter  to  Mr.  E.  Erskine  before  coming  to  Scotland,  he  writes — 
"  May  16,  1711.  This  morning  I  received  a  kind  letter  from  your  brother 
Ralph,  who  thinks  it  best  for  me  wholly  to  join  the  Associate  Presbyter}^,  if  it 
should  please  God  to  send  me  into  Scotland.  This  I  cannot  altogethei"come 
into.  I  come  only  as  an  occasional  preacher,  to  preach  the  simple  gospel  to 
all  that  are  willing  to  hear  me,  of  whatever  denomination.  1  write  this,  that 
there  may  not  be  the  least  misunderstanding  between  us.  I  love  and  honor 
the  Associate  Presbvtery  in  the  bowels  of  Jesus  Christ :  But  let  them  not  be 
offended,  if  in  all  things  I  cannot  immediately  fall  in  with  them."  To  the 
same  purpose  he  writes  to  Mr.  R.  Erskine,  May  23. 


MEMOIRS  OP   WHITEFIELD.  69 

took  his  passage  from  London  to  Leith,  where  (after  Gve  days, 
which  he  employed  in  writing  many  excellent  letters  to  the 
orphans,  (fee.)  he  arrived  July  30,  1741.  Several  persons  of 
distinction  most  gladly  received  him,  and  would  have  had  him 
preach  at  Edinburgh  directly ;  but  he  was  determined  that  the 
Rev.  Messrs.  Erskines  should  have  the  first  offer  ;  and  therefore 
went  immediately  to  Dumfermline,  and  preached  in  Mr.  Ers- 
kine's  meeting  house. 

Great  efforts  were  made  to  detain  him  at  Dumfermiine,  and 
as  great  to  keep  him  from  preaching  for,  and  visiting^  the  Rev. 
Mr.  Wardlaw,  who  had  been  colleague  with  Mr.  Ralph  Erskine 
about  twenty  years  ;  and  who,  as  well  as  the  Rev.  Mr.  Davidson^ 
a  dissenting  minister  in  England,  that  went  along  with  Mr. 
Whitefield,  were  looked  upon  as  perjured,  for  not  adhering  to 
tlie  Solenm  League  and  Covenant.  This  was  new  language  to 
him,  and  therefore  unintelligible.  But  that  he  might  be  better 
informed,  it  was  proposed  that  the  Rev.  Mr.  Moncrief,  Mr. 
Ebenezer  Ersldne,  and  others,  members  of  the  Associate  Pres- 
bytery, should  convene  in  a  few  days,  in  order  to  give  him 
farther  light. 

In  the  mean  time,  Mr.  Ralph  Erskine  accompanied  him  to 
Edinburgh,  where  he  preached  in  the  Orphan-house  park  (field 
preaching  being  no  novelty  in  Scotland)  to  a  very  large  and 
affected  auditory,  upon  these  words — '•  The  Kingdom  of  God 
is  not  meat  and  drink,  but  righteousness  and  peace  and  joy  in 
the  Holy  Ghost."  The  next  day  he  preached  in  the  West  Kirk, 
and  expressed  great  pleasure  in  hearing  two  gospel  sermons 
from  the  Rev.  Mr.  Gusthart,  and  the  Rev.  Mr.  Mac  vicar.  And 
the  following  day,  he  preached  in  the  Cannongate  church, 
where  Mr.  Ralph  Erskine  went  up  with  him  into  the  pulpit. 

According  to  promise,  he  returned  with  him  to  Dumfermline, 
where  Mr.  E.  Erskine,  and  several  of  the  Associate  Presbytery, 
were  met  together.  When  Mr.  Whitefield  came  they  soon 
proposed  to  proceed  to  business.  He  asked  them  for  what 
purpose.  They  answered,  to  discourse  and  set  him  right  about 
church  government,  and  the  Solemn  League  and  Covenant. 
He  replied,  they  might  save  themselves  that  trouble,  for  he  had 
no  scruple  about  it,  and  that  settling  church  government,  and 
preaching  about  the  Solemn  League  and,  Covenant,  was  not 
his  plan.  He  then  told  them  something  of  his  experience,  and 
how  he  was  led  into  his  present  way  of  acting.  One  of  them, 
in  particular,  said  he  was  deeply  affected.  And  Mr.  E.  Erskine 
desired  they  would  have  patience  with  him,  for  that  having 
been  born  and  bred  in  England,  and  never  studied  the  point, 
he  could  not  be  supposed  to  be  perfectly  acquainted  with  it. 
But  Mr.  Macvicar  insisted,  tliat  he  was  therefore  more  inexo- 


70  MEMOIRS  OF    WHITEFIELD. 

rable,  for  England  had  revolted  most  with  respect  to  church 
government ;  and  that  he,  being  born  and  educated  there,  could 
not  be  acquainted  with  the  matter  in  debate.  Mr.  Whitefield 
told  him,  he  had  never  made  the  Solemn  League  and  Covenant 
the  subject  of  his  study,  being  too  busy  about  matters  which 
he  judged  of  greater  importance.  Sev^eral  replied,  that  every 
pin  of  the  tabernacle  was  precious.  He  answered,  that  in 
every  building  there  were  outside  and  inside  workmen ;  that 
the  latter,  at  present,  was  his  province :  that  if  they  thought 
themselves  called  to  the  former,  they  might  proceed  in  their 
own  way,  and  he  would  proceed  in  his.  He  then  asked  them 
seriously,  what  they  would  have  him  to  do.  The  answer  was, 
that  he  was  not  desired  to  subscribe  inmiediately  to  the  Solemn 
League  and  Covenant,  but  to  preach  only  for  them,  till  he  had 
further  light.  He  asked,  why  only  for  them?  Mr.  R.  Erskine 
said,  they  were  the  Lord's  people.  He  then  asked,  were  no 
others  the  Lord's  people  but  themselves.  If  not,  and  if  others 
were  the  devil's  people,  they  had  more  need  to  be  preached  to  ; 
that  for  his  part,  all  places  were  alike  to  him ;  and  if  the  pope 
himself  would  lend  him  his  pulpit,  he  would  gladly  proclaim  in 
it  the  righteousness  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  Something  pass- 
ed about  taking  two  of  their  brethren  with  him  to  England, 
to  settle  a  Presbytery  there ;  and  then,  with  two  more,  to  go 
and  settle  a  Presbytery  in  America.  But  he  asked,  suppose  a 
number  of  Independents  should  come,  and  declare  that  after 
the  greatest  search,  they  were  convinced  that  independency 
was  the  right  church  government,  and  would  disturb  nobody, 
if  tolerated,  should  they  be  tolerated  ?  They  answered,  no. 
Soon  after  this  the  company  broke  up.  And  Mr.  M.  preached 
upon  Isa.  xxi.  11,  12.  "Watchman,  what  of  the  night?"  dec. 
and  took  occasion  to  declaim  strongly  against  the  ceremonies 
of  the  Church  of  England,  and  to  argue,*  "  That  one  who 
held  communion  with  that  Church,  or  with  the  backslidden 
Church  of  Scotland,  could  not  be  an  instrument  of  reformation." 
The  consequence  of  all  this  was,  an  open  breach.  Mr. 
Whitefield  retired  thoughtful  and  uneasy  to  his  closet ;  and, 
after  preaching  in  the  fields,  sat  down  and  dined  with  them, 
and  then  took  a  fiinal  leave.f 

*  "  I  attended ;  but  the  good  man  so  spent  himself  in  the  former  part  of  his 
sermon,  in  talking  against  prelaoy,  the  Common  Prayer  Book,  the  surplice, 
the  rose  in  the  hat,  and  such  like  externals  ;  that  when  he  came  to  the  latter 
part  of  his  text  to  invite  poor  sinners  to  Christ,  his  breath  was  so  gone  that  he 
could  scarce  be  heard.  What  a  pitv  that  the  last  was  not  j&rst,  and  the  first 
last  !" 

+  "  Having  dropped  something  about  persons  building  a  Babel,  Mrs. 

t;aid,  it  was  a  hard  saying.  Upon  which  I  replied,  I  feared  it  was  a  true  one, 
and  that  they  would  iind  the  Babel  fall  down  about  their  ears.  I  was  never 
received  into  their  house  any  more.    ThiLs  was  I  called  to  make  another  sac- 


*  MEMOIRS  OF   WHITEFIELD.  71 

Many  waited  at  Edinburgh  to  know  the  issue  of  the  confer- 
ence, wlio  were  not  disappointed  in  the  event.  Thither  he 
returned,  after  preaching;  always  twice,  often  thrice,  and  once 
seven  times  a  day,  for  some  weeks  together.  The  churches 
were  open,  but,  not  being  able  to  hold  half  the  congTegations, 
he  generally  preached  twice  a  day  in  the  Orphan-hospital  park 
to  many  thousands.  The  most  fashionable,  as  well  as  those  of 
meaner  rank  attended  ;*  at  some  of  their  houses  he  generally 
expounded  every  evening.  And  ev^ery  day,  almost,  there  were 
new  evidences  of  the  success  of  his  labors.  Numbers  of  minis- 
ters and  students  came  to  hear  him,  and  as^ed,  experienced  chris- 
tians told  him  they  could  set  their  seal  to  what  he  preached. 

In  this  first  visit  to  Scotland,  he  preached  at  Edinburgh, 
Glasgow,  Aberdeen,  Dundee,  Paisley,  Perth,  Sterling,  Crief, 
Falkirk,  Airth,  Kinlassie,  Culross,  Kinross,  Couper  of  Fife ; 
and  also,  at  Stonehive,  Benholm,  Montrose,  Drechin,  Forfar, 
Couper  of  Angus  ;  and  at  Innerkeithing,  Newbottle,  Gala- 
shields,  Maxton,  and  Haddington  ;  and  in  the  west  country,  at 
Killern,  Fintry,  and  Balfrone.  To  other  places  to  which  he 
was  invited ,t  he  did  not  go  at  this  time.  But  (having  collect- 
ed above  five  hundred  pounds,  in  money  and  goods,  for  his 
orphans)  he  left  Edinburgh  in  the  latter  end  of  October,  to  go 
through  Wales  in  his  way  to  London,  His  reception,  minis- 
trations and  success,  at  the  principal  places  in  Scotland,  will 
farther  appear  from  the  following  letters  from  ministers  and 
private  christians  in  Scotland,  representing  Mr.  Whitefield's 
reception  and  success  there,  in  the  year  1741. 

At  Edinburgh,  one  of  the  ministers  of  that  city  thus  writes  to 
him : — "  April  20,  1742.  Rev.  and  dear  sir :  Knowing  that 
many  are  careful  to  inform  you,  from  time  to  time,  what  passes 
here,  I  have  hitherto  delayed  answering  your  most  accept- 
able letter,  until  I  should  tell  you  with  the  greatest  certainty, 
what  were  the  blessed  effects  of  your  ministrations  among  us; 
and  can  now  assure  you,  that  they  were  not  more  surprising 
than  lasting.  I  do  not  know  or  hear  of  any  wrought  upon  by 
your  ministry,  but  are  holding  on  in  the  paths  of  truth  and 
righteousness.  They  seem  possessed  of  a  truly  christian  spirit. 
Jesus  is  precious  to  their  souls ;  and,  like  the  morning  light, 
they  are  advancing  with  increasing  brightness  to  the  perfect 
day.  Since  you  left  Scotland  numbers  in  different  corners 
have  been  awakened.     Many  in  a  hopeful  way.     Religion  in 

rifice  of  my  aflfections.  But  what  I  had  met  with  in  England  made  this  the 
more  easy." 

*  Among  his  particular  friends  were  the  Marquis  of  Lothian,  the  Earl 
Leven,  Lord  Rae,  Lady  M^ry  Hamilton,  Lady  Frances  Gardiner,  Lady  Jean 
Nimmo,  Lady  Dirleton. 

t  Among  these  was  Cambuslang,  and  some  places  in  the  north  of  Scotland. 


72  MEMOIRS  OF   WHITEFIELD. 

this  sinful  cit^T-  revives  and  flourishes.  Ordinances  are  much 
more  punctually  attended,  people  hear  the  word  with  gladness, 
and  receive  it  in  faith  and  love.  New  meetings  for  prayer 
and  spiritual  conference  are  established  every  where.  Reli- 
gious conversation  has  banished  slander  and  calumny  from 
several  tea  tables,  and  christians  are  not  ashamed  to  own  their 
dear  Lord  and  Master.  Praise  is  perfected  out  of  the  mouths 
of  babes  and  sucklinsfs ;  and  some  stout-hearted  sinners  are 
captivated  to  the  obedience  of  Christ. 

"  I  cannot  easily  express,  with  what  pleasure  I  write  these 
things ;  and  doubtless,  they  will  give  you  no  less  joy  in  read- 
ing them.  Should  not  these  droppings  of  the  dew  of  heaven 
encourage  our  faith  and  hope  of  a  plentiful  effusion  of  the  Spir- 
it, which  will  at  once  change  our  barren  wilderness  into  a 
fruitful  field  ?  Should  not  this  hasten  your  return,  that  we 
may  take  sweet  counsel  together,  and  enter  into  the  house  of 
God  in  company  ?  You  are  often  in  our  hearts.  We  long  to 
see  you  face  to  face.  May  much  of  your  great  Master's  pre- 
sence ever  attend  and  come  along  with  you." 

Mr.  George  Muir,  (afterwards  the  Rev.  Dr.  Muir)  late  min- 
ister of  Paisley,  thus  wrote  to  James  Aitken,  schoolmaster  in 
Glasgow: — "Edinburgh,  Augusts,  1743.  As  you  desire,  I 
have  with  the  assistance  of  Mr.  Archibald  Bowie,  Mr.  Dun, 
and  the  sergeant,  informed  myself  a  little  with  respect  to  the 
number  and  situations  of  the  praying  societies  in  this  place, 
which  you  will  take  as  follows  :  They  are,  as  near  as  we  can 
guess,  between  twenty-four  and  thirty  in  number,  some  of 
which  will  necessarily  be  obliged  to  divide,  by  reason  of  too 
many  meeting  together ;  and  that  will  increase  the  number. 
Among  them  are  several  meetings  of  boys  and  girls,  who,  in  gen- 
eral, seem  not  only  to  be  growing  in  grace,  but  really  increasing 
in  knowledge.  The  little  lambs  appear  to  be  unwilling  to  rest 
upon  duties,  or  any  thing  short  of  Christ ;  as  a  young  gentle- 
man of  my  acquaintance  told  me,  when  under  a  temptation 
to  think  that  he  was  surely  seeking  some  imaginary  refuge, 
instead  of  the  Savior,  he  was  made  to  cry  out  in  prayer,  ^  Lord, 
I  want  nothing  else,  and  will  have  nothing  short  of  the  very 
Christ  of  God.'  There  are  several  meetings  of  young  women, 
who  (although  I  never  as  yet  visited  any  of  them)  I  am  in- 
formed, hold  on  very  well.  The  sergeant  tells  me,  that  at  one 
of  these  meetings,  on  the  morning  of  the  Lord's  day,  he  has 
known  them  all  wet  with  a  flood  of  tears,  melted  down  with 
love  to  Christ,  and  affection  to  one  another  for  Christ's  sake. 
I  have  myself  been  much  ravished  (when  in  a  meeting  in  the 
room  below  where  some  of  these  resort)  to  hear  them  sing  the 
Lord's  praises  with  such  melodious  voices.     There  are  nurri- 


MEMOIRS  OF    WHITEFIELD.  73 

bers  of  young  men.  who  meet  for  the  excellent  purpose  of  glo- 
rifying God,  and  promoting  christian  knowledge  ;  amongst 
some  of  them  I  have  the  honor  to  be  a  member ;  many  of 
them  are  divines,  who  are  useful  in  instructing  the  weaker 
sort  of  us ;  and  that  they  endeavor  to  do  with  the  greatest  de- 
sire. A  good  number  of  old  men,  substantial,  standing  chris- 
tians, meet  for  their  edification  and  instruction,  (the  glory  of 
their  God  being  always  their  chief  end)  and  are  hereby  often 
revived,  and  very  much  refreshed.  The  generality  of  these 
sorts,  above  mentioned,  do  walk  very  circumspectly,  and  really 
make  it  appear  to  the  world,  that  they  have  been  with  Jesus : 
which  is  very  much  evidenced  in  their  cheerfully  bearing  re- 
proaches for  Christ's  sake.  And  upon  the  whole,  we  hope 
there  is  such  a  flame  kindled,  as  shall  never  be  extinguished. 
And  with  respect  to  two  particular  societies,  whereof  Mr.  Bowie 
is  a  member,  he  gave  me  the  enclosed*  in  writing ;  which  you 
will  peruse  and  return.  This  is  not  all ;  for  several  country 
people  are  beginning  to  assemble  together  in  little  meetings,  to 
worship  their  God :  particularly  the  sergeant  informs  me  of 
one  about  two  miles  from  this  place,  where  several  plough- 
men and  other  illiterate  persons,  meet  for  the  most  noble  ends 
and  purposes  ;  and  are  going  most  sweetly  on,  much  increased 
in  grace  and  knowledge,  and  some  are  daily  added  to  their 
number.  I  am  informed  from  the  east  country,  (where  there 
have  been  no  societies  since  the  secession)  that  about  old  Cam- 
bus,  six  miles  from  Dunbar,  many  are  now  meeting  together 
for  social  prayer,  and  mutual  conversation  about  matters  of 
religion,  wherein  the  Lord  is  with  them  of  a  truth.  And  in 
that  place  there  is  more  eager  thirsting  for  the  word  than 
usual,  and  the  ministers  are  learning  to  speak  with  new  tongues. 
And  one  of  my  acquaintance,  who  was  in  this  place  last  winter, 
has  happily  been  the  Lord's  instrument  in  beginning  these  so- 
cieties.    How  beautiful  and  refreshing  is  it,  my  dear  friend,  to 

*  To  Mr.  Muir.  "  Edinburgh,  August  6,  1743.  As  you  desire  a  short  ac- 
count of  the  two  societies  I  am  concerned  in,  I  shall  give  it  in  a  very  few- 
words.  They  consist  of  twenty-five  or  twenty-six  members  each  ;  and,  except 
a  very  few,  are  all  persons  whose  concern  about  religion  began  in  the  late 
awakening.  I  never  saw  the  ends  of  such  societies  answered  near  so  well  sls 
among  these.  I  think  I  may  safely  declare,  that  I  was  never  witness  to  so 
much  of  real  christian  exercise  among  any  persons  I  have  known,  as  I  have 
observed  to  my  great  satisfaction,  among  most  of  them.  It  is  most  amazing 
to  observe  how  much  some  of  them,  who  at  their  first  concern  were  brutishly 
ignorant  of  every  thing  good,  have  now  made  such  advances  in  knowledge 
that  they  excel  those  who  were  formerly  before  them.  The  concern  about 
their  own  salvation  is  not  only  remarkable,  but  the  abiding  earnestness  they 
show  in  their  prayers  for  the  increase  of  the  Redeemer's  kingdom,  is  most  de- 
sirable ;  and  the  care  they  show  in  watching  over  one  another  is  one  convinc- 
ing evidence  of  their  brotherly  love,  and  true  christian  tenderness.  I  mio:h.t 
say  a  great  deal  more,  but  must  conclude.        ♦'  I  am,  &c.  A.  Bowie." 

7 


r4  MEMOIRS  OF    -VVIIITEFIELD. 

hear  of  so  many  folloAving  after  the  despised  Jesus  !  Should  we 
not  take  it  as  a  token  for  good,  that  young  ones,  instead  of 
spending  their  spare  hours  in  idle,  vain  and  unprofitable  play, 
do  now  assemble,  and  join  in  calling  upon  the  Lord?  Is  it  not 
a  good  sign  to  hear  many  poor  foolish  virgins  (instead  of  be- 
ing employed  in  the  vanities  of  the  generality  of  their  sex) 
meeting  together  for  prayer ;  and  many  prodigal  youths,  instead 
of  reveling  and  drunkenness,  chambering  and  wantonness, 
now  breathing  after  the  Ivuowledge  of  Jesus  Christ  and  him 
crucified?  Oh  that  the  Lord  would  more  and  more  exert  his 
almighty  power  amongst  us.  There  are  several  other  societies 
for  prayer,  near  about  this  city,  prospering  very  well." 

The  Rev.  Mr.  M'CuUoch,  of  Camsbuslang,  thus  writes  to  Mr. 
Whitefield,  a  few  months  after  his  first  visit  to  Glasgow  :  "As 
it  is  matter  of  great  joy  and  thankfulness  to  God,  Avho  sent  you 
here,  and  gave  you  so  much  countenance,  and  so  remarkably 
crowned  your  labors  when  here  at  Glasgow  with  success  ;  so 
I  doubt  not  but  the  following  account,  of  the  many  seals  to 
your  ministry  in  and  about  that  city,  will  be  very  rejoicing  to 
your  heart,  as  our  glorious  Redeemer's  kingdom  is  so  much 
advanced,  and  the  everlasting  happiness  of  immortal  souls  pro^ 
moted.     / 

'•  I  am  well  informed  by  some  ministers,  and  other  judicious 
and  experienced  christians,  that  there  are  to  the  number  of 
fifty  persons  already  ascertained,  in  and  about  Glasgow,  that, 
by  all  that  can  be  judged  by  persons  of  the  best  discerning  in 
spiritual  things,  are  savingly  converted  by  the  blessing  and 
power  of  God  accompanying  your  ten  sermons  in  that  place  : 
besides  several  others  under"  convictions,  not  reckoned  in  this 
number,  whose  state  remains,  as  yet,  a  little  doubtful ;  and  be- 
sides, seA'eral  christians  of  considerable  standing,  who  Avere 
much  strengthened,  revived  and  comforted,  by  means  of  hear- 
ing your  sermons  ;  being  made  to  rejoice  in  hope  of  the  glory 
of  God,  having  obtained  the  full  assurance  of  faith. 

'•Among  those  lately  converted  here  are  several  young  peo- 
ple who  were  formerly  openly  wicked  and  flagitious,  or  at  best 
but  very  negligent  as  to  spiritual  concerns,  but  are  now  in.  the 
way  of  salvation.  Some  young  converts  are  yet  under  doubts 
and  fears  ;  but  a  considerable  numb^er  of  them  have  attained 
to  joy  and  peace  in  believing. 

"  Several  lately  wrought  upon  in  a  gracious  way,  seem  to 
outstrip  christians  of  considerable  standincr,  in  spiritual-minded- 
ness,  and  many  other  good  qualifications ;  and  particularl)^,  in 
their  zeal  for  the  conversion  of  others,  and  love  of  the  ordi- 
nances, without  a  spirit  of  bigotry,  or  party  zeal. 

"  These  converts  by  your  ministry  are  discovered  irom  time 


MEMOIRS  OF    WHITEFIELD.  75 

to  time  ;  a  good  many  are  but  lately  ascertained  that  were  not 
known  before  ;  which  was  partly  occasioned  by  their  convic- 
tions not  being  so  strong  and  pungent  at  the  first  as  they 
proved  afterwards,  partly  by  the  discouragements  they  met  with 
in  the  families  where  they  resided,  and  partly  by  the  reserved 
tempers  of  the  persons  themselves,  and  their  bashfulness,  be- 
cause of  their  former  negligence  and  open  enormities.  These 
thino^s  give  ground  to  hope  there  maybe  more  discovered  after- 
wards, that  are  not  yet  known. 

••  Besides  these  awakened,  by  the  power  of  God  accompany- 
ing your  sermons,  there  are  others  awakened  since,  by  means 
of  the  great  visible  change  discovered  in  their  former  intimate 
acquaintance,  that  were  then  converted  when  they  saw  the 
change  so  remarkable,  and  the  effects  so  abiding. 

'•  Young  converts  are  exceeding  active  to  promote  the  con- 
version of  others,  especially  their  relations  and  near  connec- 
tions, by  their  exhortations,  and  letters  to  distant  friends  in  the 
country ;  and  there  are  some  instances  of  the  good  effects  of 
these  endeavors. 

'•  They  have  all  a  great  love  to  one  another  and  all  good 
christians,  and  a  great  sympathy  with  such  of  their  number 
as  are  under  doubts  and  fears.  Such*  of  them  as  have  not 
received  comfort,  by  their  earnest  and  deep  concern,  and  close 
attendance  on  the  means  of  grace,  are  hereby  instrumental  in 
exciting  christians  of  older  standino^  to  more  diligence  in  religion. 

"  These  dear  brother,  are  a  few  hints  of  some  of  the  most  re- 
markable things  as  to  the  success  of  your  labors  at  Glasgow, 
by  divine  blessing.  May  a  rich  and  pov/erful  blessing  give  a 
plentiful  increase  to  them  every  where,  where  you  come  with 
the  glad  tidings  of  the  great  salvation." 

At  Aberdeen,  one  of  the  ministers  of  that  city  thus  writes  of 
him,  to  a  person  of  distinction : — "October  3, 1741.  Honored  Sir: 
At  your  desire,  I  shall  not  refuse,  (however  much  reason  I  may 
have  for  declining  to  offer  my  judgment  or  opinion  in  things  of 
this  nature)  to  acquaint  you  freely  of  what  I  think  of  the  Rev. 
Mr.  Whitefield,  or  rather  what  is  the  opinion  of  persons  of 
more  acquaintance  with  the  good  ways  of  God. 

"  He  is.  I  believe,  justly  esteemed  by  all  who  are  personally 
acquainted  with  him,  an  eminent  instrument  of  reviving,  in 
these  declining  times,  a  just  sense  and  concern  for  the  great 
things  of  religion.  We  have,  of  late,  been  much  employed,  and 
a  great  noise  has  been  made  about  the  lesser  matters  of  the 
law:  and  are  now  much  broken  in  judgment  about  things, 
many  of  which,  I  must  own,  I  do  not  understand.  The  ciy 
has  been,  and  still  continues  loud,  'Lo  here  is  Christ,  and  lo 
there.'    And  now  the  Lord  has  raised  up  this  eminent  instru- 


76  MEMOIRS  OF   TTHITEFIELD. 

ment,  from  a  quarter  whence  vrc  could  not  have  expected  it,  to 
call  us  to  return  to  him.  from  whom,  it  is  plain,  we  have  deeply- 
revolted.  His  being  by  education  and  profession  of  a  dit!erent 
way  from  what,  I  cannot  but  think,  is  most  justly  professed 
among  us.  seems  to  me  to  add  no  small  weight  to  his  testimony : 
as  does  also  his  age.  The  Lord  by  this  is,  as  it  were,  attract- 
ing our  eyes  and  attention  to  one,  who,  had  he  been  formerly 
of  us,  would  doubtless,  like  others,  be  despised.  And  yet,  I 
cannot  but  look  upon  it  as  a  sad  instance  of  a  departing  God, 
that,  mstead  of  regard,  he  meets  not  only  with  contempt,  but 
with  opposition  also,  from  those  who  ought  to  act  a  very  ditierent 
part.  Did  he  preach  another  Jesus,  or  another  doctrine,  he 
ought  justly  to  be  rejected  :  but  this  is  not  the  case.  And  yet 
this  very  thinsf  is  advanced  as  an  arofument  against  him  :  It  is 
said,  he  advances  nothing  new.  And  I  allow  it.  This  gives 
his  friends  joy.  But  these  reverend  o-entlemen  should  mind, 
that  there  are  two  things  in  gospel  ordinances,  purity  and 
power.  The  first,  in  mercy,  we  still  have  in  some  good  mea- 
sure (thouofh  complaints  of  the  want  of  this  are  very  open :) 
but  the  last  we  sadly  confess  the  want  of,  and  this  is  what 
attends  the  gospel  dispensed  by  him.  And  sure  I  am,  that  even 
the  credible  report  of  it  should  much  endear  him  to  all  who 
wish  well  to  the  interests  of  our  dear,  thouo-h  too  unknown, 
and  altogether  lovely.  Lord  Jesus. 

••  His  calmness  and  serenity  under  all  he  meets  with,  yea, 
liis  joy  in  tribulation,  is  to  me  so  surprising,  that  I  often  thinlv 
the  Lord  sent  him  to  this  place,  in  particular,  to  teach  me  how 
to  preach,  and  especially  how  to  sutier. 

••  His  attachment  to  no  part^-,  but  to  Christ  and  true  grace 
alone,  has  long  appeared  to  me  a  peculiar  excellency  in  him. 
Christianity  has  been  so  long  broken  into  so  many  different 
sects  and  parties,  that  an  honest  Pagan  might  justly  be  at  a 
loss,  were  he  among  us,  where  to  find  the  religion  of  Jesus. 

'-  One  now  appears,  who  loudly  calls  us  (and  whose  voice 
the  Lord  seems  to  back  with  power)  to  look  into  the  original 
plan  of  that  relisfion  we  profess :  sure  nothing  more  just,  no- 
thmor  more  reasonable.  He  tells  us  wherein  the  kingdom  of 
God  does  consist.  And  yet  how  sad  is  it  he  should  be  de- 
spised !  "Who  knows  but  this  may  be  the  Lord's  last  voice  to 
us,  before  he  take  his  kins^dom  from  us  ? 

"  As  to  what  you  ask  of  his  reception  in  this  city,  I  invited 
him.  nay  urged  him.  to  undertake  this  journey,  in  consequence 
of  a  correspondence  with  him,  for  more  than  two  or  three  years. 
I  did  it  with  the  concurrence  of  a  ver^-  few.  His  journey  was 
delayed,  till  bad  reports  had  embittered  the  minds  of  almost  all 
against  him :  so  that  when  he  came,  I  could  scarcely  obtain 


MEMOIRS  OF    WHITEFIELD.  77 

liberty  for  him  to  preach  even  in  the  fields.  All  that  I  could 
do  was.  what  I  had  resolved  long  hefore ;  I  gave  him,  with 
^reat  pleasure,  and  full  freedom,  my  pulpit,  which,  for  that  day, 
was  in  the  church  which  our  magistrates  and  principal  people 
of  note  frequent.     At  once,  the  Lord,  by  his  preaching,  melted 

down  the  hearts  of  his  enemies,  (except and ;)  so 

that,  contrary  to  our  custom,  he  was  allowed  the  same  place 
and  pulpit  in  the  evening  of  that  day,  and  the  other  church  as 
often  as  he  pleased. 

"  While  he  stayed  among  us  in  this  city,  he  answered  our 
expectations  so  much,  that  he  has  not  more  friends  in  any  place 
of  its  size  than  here,  where,  at  first,  almost  all  were  against  him. 
And  the  word  came  also  with  so  much  power,  that  I  hope  se- 
veral of  ditferent  denominations  will  bless  the  Lord  evermore, 
that  they  ever  heard  him.  And  in  his  way  from  us,  I  saw  in 
part,  and  have  heard  more  fully  since,  what  satisfies  me,  that 
this  was  of  the  Lord,  and  for  the  good  of  many. 

"P.  S.  I  suppose  you  have  heard,  that  our  magistrates 
waited  on  him  while  here,  and  made  him  free  of  this  place  ; 
though  that  is  a  compliment  rarely  paid  to  strangers  of  late." 

Mr.  Willison,  minister  at  Dundee,  wrote  as  follows,  to  his 
friend  at  Edinburgh.  "  October  8,  174L  Honored  Sir  :  I  am 
favored  with  yours,  wherein  you  desire  my  thoughts  of  Mr. 
Whitefield,  and  an  account  of  his  labors  and  success  with  us. 
Although  my  sentiments  may  be  little  regarded  by  many,  yet 
when  you  put  me  to  it,  I  think  I  am  bound  to  do  justice  to  the 
character  of  this  stranger,  which  I  see  few  willing  to  do.  I 
am  not  much  surprised,  though  the  devil,  and  all  he  can  influ- 
ence, be  up  in  arms  against  the  youth,  seeing  he  makes  such 
bold  and  vigorous  attacks  upon  his  kingdom  and  strong  holds. 
As  you,  sir,  do  observe  it  to  be  with  you,  so  it  is  with  us.  He 
is  hated  and  spoken  evil  against  by  all  the  episcopal  party,  and 
even  the  most  of  our  clergy  labor  to  diminish  and  expose  him 
this  is  not  to  be  much  wondered  at,  seeing  his  incessant  labors  for 
Christ  and  souls  is  such  a  strong  reproof  to  them  ;  besides 
what  he  says  publicly  against  the  sending  out  of  unconverted 
ministers,  and  their  preaching  an  unknown  Christ ;  this  must  be 
galling  to  carnal  men.  I  look  upon  this  youth  as  raised  up  of 
God  for  special  service,  and  spirited  for  making  new  and  sin- 
gular attempts  for  promoting  true  Christianity  in  the  world,  and 
for  reviving  it  where  it  is  decayed :  and  I  see  him  wonderfully 
fitted  and  strengthened,  both  in  body  and  mind,  for  going  through 
with  his  projects,  amidst  the  greatest  discouragements  and  dif- 
ficulties. I  see  the  man  to  be  all  of  a  piece ;  his  life  ami  con- 
versation to  be  a  transcript  of  his  sermons.  It  is  truly  a  rare 
thing  to  see  so  much  of  God  about  any  one  man ;  to  see  one 


6  MEMOIRS  OF    WHITEFIELD. 

SO  eminent  for  humility  in  the  midst  of  applause — for  meelmess 
and  patience  under  reproaches  and  injuries — for  love  to  ene- 
mies— for  desire  to  glorify  Christ  and  save  souls — contentment 
in  a  mean  lot,  acquiescing  in  the  will  of  God  in  all  cases — 
never  fretting  under  any  dispensation,  but  still  praising  and 
giving  thanks  for  every  thing.  It  is  rare  to  see  in  a  man  such 
a  flaming  fire  for  God  and  against  sin  when  in  the  pulpit,  and 
yet  most  easy  and  calm  in  conversing  with  men  out  of  it :  care- 
ful not  to  give  offence  to  them,  and  yet  never  courting  the  favor 
of  any.  God  has  bestowed  a  large  measure  of  gifts  and  graces 
upon  him  ibr  the  work  he  is  engaged  in,  and  has  made  him  a 
chosen  vessel  to  carry  his  name  among  the  Gentiles,  and  to  re- 
vive his  work  in  several  other  churches.  Oh  that  God  may 
order  his  coming  to  poor  Scotland,  in  such  a  cloudy  time,  for 
the  same  end  !.  And  who  knows,  but  God  might  be  entreated, 
if  we  could  wrestle  with  him,  notwithstanding  all  our  provoca- 
tions !  Things  appeared  most  unlikely,  in  other  places,  some 
while  ago.  where  now  Christ  is  riding  in  triumph,  going  forth 
conquerino-  and  to  conquer.  This  worthy  youth  is  singularly 
fitted  to  do  the  work  of  an  evangelist ;  and  I  have  been  long 
of  opinion,  that  it  would  be  for  the  advantage  of  the  world, 
were  this  still  to  be  a  standing  office  in  the  church.  And  see- 
ing the  Lord  has  stirred  him  up  to  venture  his  life,  reputation, 
and  his  all  for  Christ,  refuse  the  best  benefices  in  his  own  coun 
try,  and  run  all  hazards  by  sea  and  land,  and  travel  so  many 
thousand  miles  to  proclaim  the  glory  of  Christ,  and  the  riches 
of  his  free  grace,  of  which  he  himself  is  a  monument ;  and 
especially,  seeing  God  has  honored  him  to  do  all  this  with  such 
surprising  success  among  sinners  of  ail  ranks  and  persuasions, 
and  even  many  of  the  most  notorious,  in  awakening  and  turn 
ing  them  to  the  Lord ;  I  truly  think  we  are  also  bound  to  hon- 
or him,  and  to  esteem  him  highly  in  love  for  his  Master's  and 
for  his  works'  sake,  according  to  1  Thess.  v.  13.  And  for 
those  who  vilify  and  oppose  him,  I  wish  they  would  even  no- 
tice Gamaliel's  words.  Acts  v.  '  Let  him  alone,  lest  haply  ye  be 
found  to  fight  against  God  :'  or  rather,  that  they  would  regard 
the  apostle  Peter's  words,  apologizing  for  his  going  in  with  the 
uncircumcised,  Acts  xi.  when  the  Holy  Ghost  fell  upon  them  ; 
'■  What  was  I  that  I  could  withstand  God  V  I  have  myself  been 
witness  to  the  Holy  Ghost  falling  upon  him  and  his  hearers, 
oftener  than  once,  I  do  not  say  in  a  miraculous,  though  in  an 
observable  manner.  Yea,  I  have  already  seen  the  desirable 
fruits  thereof  in  not  a  few ;  and  hope,  through  the  divine  bless- 
ing on  the  seed  sown,  to  see  more.  Many  here  are  blessing 
God  for  sending  him  to  this  country,  though  Satan  has  raged 
much  against  it. 


MEMOIRS  OF    WHITEFIELD.  79 

"  The  Lord  is  a  sovereign  agent,  and  may  raise  up  the  instru- 
ments of  his  glory,  from  what  churches  or  places  he  pleases ; 
and  gflorifies  his  grace  the  more,  when  he  does  it  from  those 
sociefies  whence  and  when  it  could  be  least  expected.  Though 
Mr.  Whitefield  be  ordained,  according  to  his  education,  a  inin- 
ister  of  the  Church  of  England,  yet  we  are  to  regard  him  as 
one  whom  God  has  raised  up  to  witness  against  the  corruptions 
of  that  Church  ;  whom  God  is  still  enlightening,  and  causing 
to  make  advances  toward  us.  He  has  already  conformed  to  us, 
both  in  doctrine  and  w;orship,  and  lies  open, to  light  to  conform 
to  us  in  other  points.  He  is  thoroughly  a  Calvinist,  and  sound 
to  the  doctrines  of  free  grace,  in  the  doctrine  of  original  sin, 
the  new  birth,  justification  by  Christ,  the  necessity  of  imputed 
righteousness,  and  the  operations  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  These 
he  makes  his  great  theme,  driA'es  the  point  home  to  the  con- 
science, and  God  attends  it  with  great  power.  And  as  God  has 
enlightened  him  gradually  in  these  things,  so  he  is  still  ready 
to  receive  more  light,  and'  so  soon  as  he  gets  it  he  is  more  frank 
in  declaring  it. 

'•  God,  by  owning  him  so  wonderfully,  is  pleased  to  give  «> 
rebuke  to  our  intemperate  bigotry  and  party  zeal,  and  to  tell 
us,  that  '  neither  circumcision  nor  uncircumcision  availeth  any 
thing,  but  the  new  creature.' 

"  P.  S.  Many  with  us  are  for  preferring  ministers,  according 
to  the  party  they  are  of;  but  commend  me  to  a  pious,  Christ- 
exaltins^,  and  soul-winning  minister,  whatever  be  his  denomina- 
tion. Such  are  ministers  of  Christ's  sending,  and  of  such  he 
saith,  '  He  that  receiveth  you,  receiveth  me,  and  he  that  de- 
spiseth  you,  despiseth  me ;'  which  is  a  rule  of  duty  to  us."* 

*  The  compiler  lately  received  a  transcript  from  (he  diary  of  a  very  worthy 
Christian  in  Edinburgh,  who  died  about  two  years  ago,  in  which  are  the  fol- 
lowing passages.  "  Sabbati,  August  9,  1741.  What  is  surprisir.g,  is  that  num- 
bers of  all  ranks,  all  denominations,  and  all  characters,  come  constantly  to 
hear  him,  though  his  sermons  abound  with  those  truths  which  would  be  un 
welcome  from  the  mouths  of  others.  He  is  indefatigable  in  his  works.  Three 
hours  before  noon  he  appoints  for  people  under  distress  to  converse  with  him, 
when  he  is  much  confined.  Then  he  writes  numbers  of  letters.  And  this 
week  he  is  to  add  a  morning  lecture  to  his  work.  I  have  reason,  among  many 
others,  for  blessing  God  for  sending  him  to  this  place. 

"  Sabbati,  August  30,  1741.  Mr.  Whitefield  preached  Monday  morning 
and  afternoon,  Tuesday  forenoon  in  the  Canongate  church,  evening  in  the 
park,  and  gathered  25/.  "7s.  Gd.  for  the  poor  Highlanders.  Next  day  he  went 
to  Newbottle,  and  preached  twice.  On  Thursday  at  Whitburn ;  Friday  morn- 
ing at  Torphichen;  Friday  evening  at  Linlithgow;  Saturday  morning  and 
afternoon,  both  at  Falkirk.  And  this  day  he  is  at  Airth.  "To-morrow  he 
will  preach  twice  at  Stirling.  Culross,  Tuesday  forenoon;  Dumfermline,  af- 
ternoon. Wednesday,  twice  at  Kinross.  Thursday,  Perth.  From  Friday  to 
Monday,  at  Dundee.  Monday,  Kinglassie,  and  corne  to  Edinburgh  on  Tues- 
day, Blessed  be  God,  he  seldom  preaches  without  some  one  or  other  laid  un- 
der concern.  Surely  God  has  sent  him  to  this  place  for  good.  The  devil 
never  raged  more  by  his  emissaries.    It  is  remarkable,  that  there  never  was 


80  MEMOIRS  OF    WHITEFIELD. 

The  foiir  preceding  letters  show  the  acceptableness  aiid  suc- 
cess of  Mr.  Whitefield's  ministrations  in  most  of  the  great  towns 
in  Scotland.  As  to  smaller  places,  the  following  extract  of  a 
letter  from  the  Rev.  Thomas  Davidson,  (his  fellow tr a \^eler)  to. 
the  Rev.  Mr.  Henry  Davidson  of  Galashields,  dated  CulrosSy 
December  3,  1741,  will  be  an  as^reeable  specimen. 

"  Our  journey  to  the  north  was  as  comfortable  as  any  we  had. 
In  several  places,  as  he  came  along  the  Lord  I  thought  coun- 
tenanced him  in  a  very  convincing  manner,  particularly  at  a 
place  called  Lundie,  five  miles  north  from  Dundee,  where  there 
is  a  considerable  number  of  serious  christians,  who,  hearing 
that  he  was  to  come  that  way,  spent  most  part  of  the  night  be- 

a  minister,  no  nor  any  other  man,  against  -whom  the  mouths  of  the  licentious 
have  been  more  opened.  Since  he  came,  I  have  found  myself  more  desirous 
to  be  watchful,  lest  my  foot  slip  at  any  time,and  to  guard  against  many  things 
which  before  I  thought  indifferent. 

"  Thursday,  October  27,  1741.  Yesterday  Mr.  Whitefield  left  this  place, 
to  return  to  England.  His  departure  was  a  great  grief  to  many,  whom  the 
Lord  has  mercifully  awakened  under  his  ministry,  the  number  of  which,  I 
believe,  is  very  great.  Mr.  Whitefield  alone,  among  about  thirty  young  com- 
municants that  came  to  converse  with  him,  found  about  a  dozen  who  told  him 
they  ^vere  first  effectually  touched  under  his  ministry ;  and  gave  very  good 
accoimts  of  a  work  of  God  upon  their  souls.  Some  of  the  most  abandoned 
wretches  are  brought  to  cry,  '  What  shall  I  do  to  be  saved  V  I  have  often  had 
the  opportunity  of  conversation  with  him,  and,  I  think,  I  never  heard  him,  or 
conversed  with  him,  but  I  learned  some  good  lesson.  I  do  not  remember  to 
have  heard  one  idle  word  drop  from  him,  in  all  the  times  I  have  been  in  com- 
pany with  him ;  and  others,  that  have  been  much  more  with  him.  give  him 
the  same  testimony.  On  Tuesday  last,  he  preached  and  exhorted  seven  times. 
I  heard  him  to  my  great  satisfaction,  the  fourth  lime  in  the  park.  From  that 
he  went  to  the  Old  People's  Hospital,  to  give  them  an  exhortation ;  but,  indeed 
I  never  was  a  witness  to  any  think  of  the  kind  before.  All  the  congregation 
(for  many  followed  him)  were  so  moved,  that  very  few,  if  any,  could  refrain 
from  crying  out.  I  am  sure  the  kingdom  of  God  was  then  come  nigh  unto 
them,  and  that  a  woe  will  be  unto  them  that  slighted  the  offers  of  a  Savior 
then  made  to  them.  From  that,  he  went  to  Heriot's  Hospital,  where  a  great 
change  is  wrought  upon  many  of  the  boys ;  for  there,  as  well  as  in  the  Maiden 
Hospitals,  fellowship  m.eetings  are  set  up,  which  is  quite  new  there  ;  f6r  the 
boys  at  that  hospital  were  noted  for  the  wickedest  boys  about  town.  I 
was  with  him  in  a  private  house  in  the  evening.  When  he  came  there  he  was 
quite  worn  out.  However,  he  expounded  there,  which  was  the  seventh  dis- 
course that  day;  and,  what  was  very  surprising,  he  was  much  fresher  after 
he  had  done,  than  at  the  beginning. 

"  November  29,  1741.  I  had  agreeable  accounts  of  some  of  the  children  who 
ATere  wrought  upon  by  the  ministry  of  Mr.  Whitefield.  I  heard  this  day  of  a 
good  many,  that  I  heard  not  of  formerly,  who  were  not  only  laid  under  con- 
cern, but  seemed  to  have  a  work  of  grace  wrought  upon  their  hearts,  appearing 
by  a  most  remarkable  change  in  their  conversation,  and  eager  desires  after 
farther  degrees  of  knowledge  of  the  Lord's  ways,  which  leads  them  to  attend 
every  opportunity  they  can  have  for  instruction. 

"  Sabbati,  December  6,  1741.  Since  Mr.  Whitefield's  coming  here,  I  find 
christians  more  free  in  conversation  than  formerly  ;  which  is  a  great  mercy 
both  to  themselves  and  all  about  them ;  the  experience  of  which  I  have  had 
this  past  week,  in  several  places  where  I  have  been.  I  had  occasion  to  see  a 
soldier,  who  was  lately  wrought  upon  by  INtr.  Whitefield's  means.  He  seems 
to  have  come  a  great  length  in  a  little  time,  and  gives  a  very  judicious  account 


MEMOIRS  OF    WHITEFIELD.  81 

fore  in  prayer  together.  Although  his  preaching  there  was 
only  in  a  passing  way,  having  to  ride  to  Dundee  after  it,  and  it 
was  between  three  and  four  before  he  reached  the  place ;  yet 
he  had  scarce  well  begun,  before  the  power  of  God  was  indeed 
very  discernable.  Never  did  I  see  such  joyous  melting  in  a 
worshipping  assembly.  There  was  nothing  violent  in  it,  or 
like  what  we  may  call  screwing  up  the  passions  ;  for  it  evi- 
dently appeared  to  be  deep  and  hearty,  and  to  proceed  from  a 
higher  spring." 

As  a  conclusion  of  this  article,  concerning  Mr.  Whitefield's 
first  reception  and  ministrations  in  Scotland,  the  reader  will 
not  be  displeased  to  see  the  following  extract  from  the  papers 
of  a  gentleman  deceased,  who  was  eminent  for  learning  and 
knowledge  of  the  world,  and  who  had  a  general  acquaintance 
with  those  who  professed  the  greatest  regard  for  religion. 

"Messrs.  Ebenezer  and  Ralph  Erskine  corresponded  with 
him  for  two  or  three  years,  and  invited  him  to  Scotland.  But 
afterwards,  reflecting,  that  if  they  held  communion  with  an 
episcopal  minister,  because  a  good  man  and  successful  preacher, 
they  could  not  vindicate  their  renouncing  communion  with 
such  ministers  in  the  Church  of  Scotland,  they  wrote  to  him 
not  to  come.  However,  on  the  invitation  of  some  ministers  and 
people  of  the  established  Church,  he  came  and  preached  his 
first  sermon  in  Mr.  Ralph  Erskine's  pulpit  at  Dunfermline,  (a 
town  ten  or  twelve  miles  from  Edinburgh,  on  the  other  side  of 
Forth.)  At  a  second  visit  to  Dunfermlme,  he  had  a  conference 
with  all  the  seceding  brethren,  where  he  honestly  avowed  that 
he  was  a  member  of  the  Church  of  England,  and  as  he  thought 
the  government  and  worship  of  it  lawful,  was  resolved,  unless 
violently  thrust  out  of  it,  to  continue  so,  rebuking  sin,  and 
preaching  Christ ;  and  told  them  he  reckoned  the  Solemn  Lea- 
gue and  Covenant  a  sinful  oath,  as  too  much  narrowing  the 
communion  of  saints,  and  that  he  could  not  see  the  divine  right 
of  Presbyterianism.  On  this  the  Presbytery  came  to  a  resolu- 
tion tQ  have  no  more  to  do  with  him  ;  and  one  of  them  preach- 
ed a  sermon  to  show,  that  one  who  held  communion  with  the 
Church  of  England,  or  the  backslidden  Church  of  Scotland, 
could  not  be  an  instrument  of  reformation.  This,  however,  did 
not  hinder  multitudes,  both  of  the  seceders  and  established 
Church  of  Scotland,  from  hearing  his  sermons.  His  soundness 
in  the  faith,  his  fervent  zeal  and  unwearied  diligence  in  pro- 
moting the  cause  of  Christ ;  the  plainness  and  simplicity,  the 
affection  and  warmth  of  his  sermons,  and  the  amazing  power 
that  had  accompanied  them  in  many  parts  of  England,  and  in 
almost  all  the  North  American  colonies,  joined  to  his  meekness, 
humility,  and  truly  candid  and  catholic  spirit,  convinced  them 


82  MEMOIRS  OP   WHITEFIELD. 

there  was  reason  to  thiiik  well  of  him.  and  to  countenance  his 
ministry.  Conversions  had  become  rare,  little  liveliness  was 
to  be  found  even  in  real  christians,  and  bigotry  and  blind  zeai 
were  producmg  animosities  and  divisions,  and  turning  away 
the  attention  of  good  men  from  matters  of  intinitely  crreater  im~ 
portance.  In  tliis  situation  an  animated  preacher  appears  sin- 
ofularly  qualified  to  awaken  the  secure,  to  recover  christians  to 
their  first  love  and  lirst  works,  and  to  reconcile  their  aliections 
one  to  another. 

'-  The  -episcopal  clergy  gave  him  no  countenance,  though 
some  few  of  their  people  did.  And  in  the  established  Cluirch 
of  Scotland,  some  of  the  more  rigid  Presbyterians  would  not 
hold  conmiunion  with  Mm.  on  account  of  his  connection  with 
the  Church  of  Encrland.  and  his  seemino;  to  assume  the  office 
of  an  evangelist,  peculiar,  in  their  apprehension,  to  the  first 
ages  of  the  church  :  while  some,  who  afiected  to  be  thought 
more  sensible,  or  more  modish  and  polite,  were  mio-htily  disaf- 
fected with  him  for  preacliins:  the  Calvinistic  doctrines  of  elec- 
tion, original  sin.  etficacious  grace,  justification  through  faith, 
and  perseverance  of  the  saints  :  and  for  inveighing  against  the 
play  house,  dancinsf  assemblies,  games  of  chance,  haunting 
taverns.  vanit\'  and  extra va2>ince  in  dress,  and  levity  in  beha- 
vior and  convei^ation. 

•'•  Some  gentlemen  and  ladies,  who  went  to  hear  him.  would 
not  cro  a  second  time,  because  he  disturbed  them  by  msisting 
on  mail's  miserable  and  dano-erous  state  by  nature,  and  the 
strictness  and  holiness  essential  to  the  christian  character. 
But,  upon  many  of  Ins  hearei-s  in  Edinburgh,  of  all  ranks  and 
ages,  especially  young  people,  deep  impressions  were  made, 
and  many  of  tliem  waited  on  him  privately,  lamenting  their 
foniier  immoral  lives,  or  stupid  thoughtlessness  about  religion, 
and  expressing  their  anxious  concern  about  obtaining  an  m- 
tercst  m  Christ  and  the  sanctit\ing  influences  of  the  Spirit. 
In  the  greater  pai't  of  these,  the  impressions  have  appeared  to 
be  savmg,  from  their  circumspect,  exemplary  conduct  since 
that  time,  or  from  their  comfortable  or  triumphant  deaths. 
Many  Presbyterians  beirin  to  tliink  more  mildly  and  candidly 
than  before  of  the  ministers  and  members  of  the  Church  of 
England. ■■* 

*  This  3'ear,  1741,  he  received  the  compliments  of  honorary  Burgess  Tickets 
from  the  towns  of  Stirling,  Glasgow.  Paislev,  and  Aberdeen.  And  in  17-42, 
firom  Inrme.    And  176-2.  from  Edinburgh, 


MEMOIRS  OP   WHITEFIELD.  83 


CHAPTER  IX. 

From  his  leaving  Edinburgh,  1741,  to  his  return  to  that  city  in  the 

year  1742. 

Mr.  Whitefield  having  left  Edinburgh  in  the  latter  end 
of  October,  1741,  set  out  for  Abergavenny,  in  Wales,  where, 
having  some  time  ago  formed  a  resolution  to  enter  into  the 
married  state,  he  married  one  Mrs.  James,  a  widow  between 
thirty  and  forty  years  of  age ;  of  whom  he  says,  '•  She  has 
been  a  house-keeper  many  years,  once  gay,  but  for  three  years 
last  past  a  despised  follower  of  the  Lamb  of  God."  From 
Abergavenny  he  went  to  Bristol,  where  he  preached  twice  a 
day  with  his  usual  success.  Upon  returning  to  London,  in 
the  beginning  of  December,  he  received  letters  from  Georgia 
concerning  his  orphan  family,  which,  with  respect  to  their 
external  circumstances,  were  a  little  discouraging.  On  the 
other  hand,  lie  had  most  comfortable  accounts  of  the  fruits  of 
his  ministry  in  Scotland.  This  made  him  think  of  paying 
anotlicr  visit  tliere  in  the  spring.  Meantime  he  had  the 
pleasure  of  seeing  his  labors  attended  with  the  divine  blessing 
at  London  and  Bristol.  And  from  Gloucester  he  thus  writes : 
— "  December  23,  174L  Last  Thursday  evening  the  Lord 
brought  me  hither.  I  preached  immediately  to  our  friends  in 
a  large  barn,  and  had  my  Master's  presence.  Both  the  power 
and  the  congregation  increased.  On  Sunday,  Providence 
opened  a  door  for  my  preaching  in  St.  John's,  one  of  the  parish 
churches.  Great  numbers  came.  On  Sunday  afternoon, 
after  I  had  preached  twice  at  Gloucester,  I  preached  at  Mr. 

F 's  at  the  hill,  six  miles  off,  and  again  at   night,  at 

Stroud.  The  people  seemed  to  be  more  hungry  than  ever, 
and  the  Lord  to  be  more  amongst  them.  Yesterday  morning 
I  preached  at  Painswick,  in  the  parish  church,  here  in  the 
afternoon,  and  again  at  night  in  the  barn.  God  gives  me  un- 
speakai^le  comfort  and  uninterrupted  joy.  Here  seems  to  be  a 
new  awakening,  and  a  revival  of  the  work  of  God.  I  fmd 
several  country  people  were  awakened  wlicn  1  preached  at 
Tewksbur}^,  and  have  heard  of  three  or  four  that  have  died  in 
the  Lord.  We  shall  never  know  what  2:ood  field  preaching 
has  done,  till  we  come  to  judgment.  Many,  wlio  were  pre- 
judiced against  me,  begin  to  be  of  another  mind ;  and  God 
shows  me  more  and  more  that  when  a  man's  ways  please  the 
Lord,  he  will  make  even  his  enemies  to  l^e  at  peace  with  him. 
To-morrow  morning  I  purpose  to  set  out  for  Abergavenny,  and 
to  preach  at  Bristol,  in  Wilts,  Gloucester  and  Gloucestershire, 
before  I  see  London." 


84  MEMOIRS  OF    WHITEFIELD. 

In  the  latter  end  of  December  he  came  to  Bristol,  where  he 
continued  nearly  a  month,  preaching  twice  every  day,  and  writ- 
ing to  his  friends  in  London  and  Scotland.  He  also  set  up  a 
general  monthly  meeting  to  read  corresponding  letters.  From 
Bristol  he  returned  to  Gloucester,  and  Janu-ary  28,  1743, 
writes — "On  Friday  last  I  left  Bristol,  having  first  settled 
affairs,  almost  as  I  could  wish.  At  Kingston  I  administered 
the  sacrament  on  Wednesday  night.  It  was  the  Lord's  passover. 
On  Thursday  we  had  a  sweet  love  feast ;  on  Friday  the  Lord 
was  with  me  twice  at  Tockington ;  on  Saturday  morning  I 
broke  up  some  fallow  ground  at  Newport ;  and  in  the  evening 
preached  to  many  thousands  at  Stroud ;  on  Monday  morning 
at  Painswich  ;  and  ever  since  twice  a  day  here.  Our  congre- 
gations, I  think,  are  larger  than  at  Bristol.  Every  sermon  is 
blessed." 

On  his  way  to  London,  Feb.  23,  he  was  still  farther  encou- 
rasfed  by  receiving  letters  from  America,  informing  him  of  the 
remarkable  success  of  the  gospel  there,  and  that  God  had 
stirred  up  some  wealthy  friends  to  assist  his  orphans  in  their 
late  extremity.*  Upon  his  return  to  London,  he  went  on  with 
greater  zeal  and  success,  if  possible,  than-  ever.  "  Our  Savior 
(says  he,  writing  to  a  brother,  April  6,  1742)  is  doing  great 
things  in  London  daily.  I  rejoice  to  hear  that  you  are  helped 
in  your  work.  Let  this  encourage  you ;  go  on,  go  on  ;  the 
more  we  do,  the  more  we  may  do,  for  Jesus.  I  sleep  and  eat 
but  little,  and  am  constantly  employed  from  morning  till 
naidnight,  and  yet  my  strength  is  daily  renewed.  O  free 
grace  !  It  fires  my  soul,  and  makes  me  long  to  do  something 
for  Jesus.  It  is  true,  indeed,  I  want  to  go  home  ;  but  here 
are  so  many  souls  ready  to  perish  for  lack  of  knowledge,  that 
I  am_  willing  to  tarry  below  as  long  as  my  Master  has  work 
for  me." 

From  this  principle  of  compassion  to  perishing  souls,  he  now 
ventured  to  take  a  very  extraordinary  step.  It  had  been  the 
custom  for  many  years  past,  in  the  holiday  seasons,  to  erect 
booths  in  Moorfields,  for  mountebanks,  players,  and  puppet- 
shows,  which  were  attended  from  morning  till  night  by  innu- 
merable multitudes  of  the  lower  sort  of  people.  He  formed  a 
resolution  to  preach  the  gospel  among  them,  and  executed  it. 
On  Whitmonday,  at  six  o'clock  in  the  morning,  attended  by  a 
lars^e  congres^ation  of  praying  people,  he  began.  Thousands, 
who  were  waiting  there,  gaping  for  their  usual  diversions,  all 

*  "  The  everlasting  God  reward  all  their  benefactors.  I  find  there  has  been 
a  fresh  awakening  among  them.  I  am  informed,  that  twelve  negroes,  be- 
longing to  a  planter  lately  converted  at  the  Orphan-house,  are  savingly  brought 
home  to  Jesus  Christ." 


MEMOIRS  OF    WHITEFIELD.  85 

flocked  around  him.  His  text  was,  John  iii.  14.  They  gazed, 
they  Ustened,  they  wept ;  and  many  seemed  to  be  stung  with 
deep  conviction  for  their  past  sins.  All  was  hushed  and  solemn. 
"Beins^  thus  encouraged  (says  he)  I  ventured  out  again  at  noon, 
when  the  fields  were  quite  full ;  and  could  scarce  help  smiling, 
to  see  thousands,  when  a  merry-andrew  was  trumpeting  to 
them,  upon  observing  me  mount  a  stand  upon  the  other  side  of 
the  field,  deserting  him,  till  not  so  much  as  one  was  left  behind, 
but  all  flocked  to  hear  the  gospel.  But  this,  together  with  a 
complaint  that  they  had  taken  near  twenty  or  thirty  pounds 
less  that  day  than  usual,  so  enraged  the  owners  of  the  booths, 
that  when  I  came  to  preach  a  third  time  in  the  evening,  in  the 
midst  of  the  sermon  a  merry-andrew  got  up  upon  a  man's 
shoulders,  and  advancing  near  the  pulpit,  attempted  to  slash 
me  with  a  long  heavy  whip  several  times.  Soon  after  they 
got  a  recruiting  sergeant,  with  his  drum,  to  pass  through  the 
congregation.  But  I  desired  the  people  to  make  way  for  the 
king's  oflicer,  which  was  quietly  done.  Finding  these  efforts 
to  fail,  a  large  body,  quite  on  the  opposite  side,  assembled  toge- 
ther, and  having  got  a  great  pole  for  their  standard,  advanced 
with  sound  of  drum,  in  a  very  threatening  manner,  till  they 
came  near  the  skirts  of  the  congregation.  Uncommon  courage 
was  given  to  both  preacher  and  hearers.  For  just  as  they  ap- 
proached us  with  looks  full  of  resentment,  I  know  not  by  what 
accident,  they  quarrelled  among  themselves,  threw  down  their 
staft',  went  their  way,  leaving,  however,  many  of  their  company 
behind,  who  before  we  had  done,  I  trust  were  brought  over  to 
join  the  besieged  party.  I  think  I  continued  in  praying,  preach- 
ing, and  singing  (for  the  noise  was  too  great  at  times  to  preach) 
about  three  hours.  We  then  retired  to  the  tabernacle,  where 
thousands  flocked.  We  were  determined  to  pray  down  the 
booth ;  but  blessed  be  God,  more  substantial  work  was  done. 
At  a  moderate  computation,  I  received  (I  believe)  a  thousand 
notes  from  persons  under  conviction  ;  and  soon  after,  upwards 
of  three  hundred  were  received  into  the  society  in  one  day. 
Some  I  married,  tliat  had  lived  together  without  marriage. 
One  tnan  had  exchanged  his  wife  for  another,  and  given  four- 
.  teen  shillings  in  exchange.  Numbers,  that  seemed  as  it  were 
to  have  been  bred  up  for  Tyburn,  were  at  that  time  plucked  as 
firebrands  out  of  the  burning." 

"  I  cannot  help  adding,  that  several  little  boys  and  girls,  who 
were  fond  of  sitting  round  me  on  the  pulpit,  while  I  preached, 
and  handing  to  me  people's  notes,  though  they  were  often  pelted 
with  eggs  and  dirt,  thrown  at  me,  never  once  gave  way ;  but 
on  the  contrary,  every  time  I  was  struck  turned  up  their  little 
weeping  eyes,  and  seemed  to  wish  they  could  receive  the  blows 

8 


86  MEMOIRS    OF    WHITEFIELD. 

for  me.  God  make  them,  in  their  growing  years,  great  and 
living  martyrs  for  him,  who  out  of  the  mouth  of  babes  and 
sucklings  perfecteth  praise." 


CHAPTER  X. 

From  his  arrival  in  Scotland,  1742,  to  his  return  to  London  the  same 

year. 

Soon  after  this  he  embarked  a  second  time  for  Scotland,  and 
arrived  at  Leith,  June  3,  1742.* 

But  here  it  is  proper  to  take  a  view  of  the  state  of  things  in 
that  country  upon  his  arrival.  It  had  pleased  God  to  bless  his 
first  visit  to  Scotland,  not  only  for  the  conversion  of  particular 
persons,  and  the  comforting  and  quickening  of  private  chris- 
tians, but  to  rouse  them  to  more  than  ordinary  concern  about 
the  salvation  of  their  neighbors,  and  to  excite  pious  and  con- 
scientious ministers  to  greater  diligence  in  their  work.  Prayers 
were  put  up,  with  some  degree  of  faith  and  hope,  that  God 
would  now  give  success  to  their  labors,  and  not  suffer  them 
always  to  complain  that  they  spent  their  strength  in  vain. 
Nor  were  these  prayers  long  unanswered  :  for  in  the  month  of 
February,  1742,  an  extraordinary  religious  concern  began  to. 
appear  publicly  at  Cambuslang,  and  soon  after  at  Kilsyth  and 
other  places  ;  the  news  of  which  spread  quickly  through  the 
land,  and  engaged  general  attention.  Of  this  a  just  though 
short  description  is  given  in  the  following  letter,  written  by  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Hamilton  (then  minister  in  the  Barony  parish,  now 
in  the  High  Church  of  Glasgow)  to  Mr.  Prince,  minister  in 
Boston.  "Glasgow,  Sept.  135'1742.  We,  in  the  south  and 
west  of  Scotland,  have  great  reason  to  join  in  thankfulness  to 
God,  with  you,  for  the  days  of  the  Redeemer's  power,  that  we 

*  "  Edinburgh,  Sabbath,  June,  6  1712.  On  Thursday  last  our  dear  friend 
Mr.  Whitefield  returned  to  this  place,  to  the  great  comfort  of  many  honest 
christians,  especially  of  those  to  whom  he  was  made  a  means  of  conviction 
and  conversion  when  last  here.  He  seems  1o  have  improved  much  in  chris- 
tian knowledge.  He  is  much  refreshed  with  the  accounts  of  the  v.'ork  of  God 
in  the  west  country.  I  have  heard  him  preach  five  excellent  discourses,  all 
calculated  for  the  building  up  of  christians  (though  he  never  fails  to  put  in  a 
word  for  the  conviction  of  sinners  ;)  and,  1  think,  can  say,  that  I  have  never 
heard  him  without  some  influence  attending  his  preaching,  especially  in  pri- 
vate houses.  Oh  may  the  impressions  made  on  my  heart  never  wear  off,  lest 
at  any  time  I  should  be  in  danger  of  dropping  my  watch,  and  becoming  un- 
tender." 

"  Oct.  17,  1742.  It  is  a  great  recommendation  of  Mr.  Whitefield  to  me,  that, 
though  the  seceders  give  him  every  bad  character  that  can  be  devised,  viz.  a 
sorcerer,  &c.  yet  he  takes  all  patieiitly,  and,  wherever  he  goes,  speaks  well  of 
them  so  far  as  he  can  :  for  none  can  approve  of  those  gross  parts  of  their  con- 
duct ;  therefore  these  he  chooses  to  cast  a  mantle  of  love  over." 


MEMOIRS   OF    WHITEFIELD.  87 

are  favored  with.  Mr.  AVhitefield  came  to  Scotland  in  the 
summer  of  1741,  for  the  first  time  ;  and  in  many  places  where 
he  preached,  his  ministrations  were  evidently  blessed,  particu- 
larly in  the  cities  of  Edinburgh  and  Glasgow,  where  a  consider- 
able number  of  persons  were  brought  under  such  impressions 
of  religion  as  have  never  yet  left  them ;  but  they  are  still  fol- 
lowing on  to  know  the  Lord.  However,  this  was  only  the 
beginning  of  far  greater  things :  for,  about  the  middle  of  Feb- 
ruary last,  a  very  gi'eat  concern  appeared  among  the  people 
of  Cambuslang,  a  small  parish,  lying  four  miles  south  east  of 
Glasgow,  under  the  pastoral  inspection  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  AVilliam 
McCulloch,  a  man  of  considerable  parts,  and  great  piety.  This 
concern  appeared  vdth  some  circumstances  very  unusual  among 
us :  to  wit,  severe  bodily  agonies,  outcryings  and  faintings,  in 
the  congregation.  This  made  the  report  of  it  spread  like  fire, 
and  drew  vast  multitudes  of  people  from  all  quarters  to  that 
place :  and  I  believe,  in  less  than  two  months  after  the  com- 
mencement of  it,  there  were  few  parishes  within  twelve  miles 
of  Cambuslang  but  had  some,  more  or  fewer,  awakened  there, 
to  a  very  deep,  piercing  sense  of  sin ;  and  many  at  a  much 
greater  distance.  I  am  verily  persuaded,  with  your  worthy 
brother,  Mr.  Cooper,  in  his  preface  to  Mr.  Edward's  sermon, 
that  God  has  made  use  of  these  uncommon  circumstances  to 
make  his  work  spread  the  faster.  But,  blessed  be  God,  Cam- 
buslang is  not  the  only  place  where  these  impressions  are  felt. 
The  same  work  is  spreading  in  other  parishes,  and  under  their 
own  ministers,  particularly  at  Calder,  Kilsyth,  and  Cumber- 
naud,  all  to  the  north  east  of  Glasgow ;  and  I  doubt  not,  that 
since  the  middle  of  February,  when  this  work  began  at  Cam- 
buslang, upwards  of  two  thousand  persons  have  been  awaken- 
ed, and  almost  all  of  them,  by  the  best  accounts  I  have,  in  a 
promising  condition  ;  there  being  very  few  instances  of  impos- 
tors, or  such  as  have  lost  their  impressions,  and  many  whom 
we  are  bound  to  think  true  scripture  converts,  and  who  evi- 
dence it  by  a  suitable  walk  and  conversation.  There  is  evi- 
dently a  greater  seriousness  and  concern  about  religion  appear- 
ing in  most  of  our  congregations,  than  formerly ;  a  greater 
desire  after  the  word  ;  people  applying  themselves  more  closely 
to  their  duty,  and  erecting  new  societies  for  prayer  and  spirit- 
ual conference :  which  gives  us  the  joyful  prospect  of  a  con- 
siderable enlarofement  in  the  Messiah's  kino^dom. 

"  My  parish  has  likewise  had  some  share  in  this  good  work. 
There  have  been  above  a  hundred  new  communicants  among 
them  this  summer,  who  never  did  partake  of  the  blessed  sacra- 
ment before  ;  which  is  five  times  as  many  as  ever  I  admitted 
in  any  former  year;  most  of  them  were  awakened  at  Cambus- 


88  MEMOIRS  OF   WHITEFIELD. 

lang,  some  of  them  in  their  own  church,  and  in  others  the 
impressions  have  been  more  gradual,  and  not  attended  with 
these  uncommon  circumstances  before  mentioned.  And  it  is 
to  be  observed,  that  before  we  admit  any  to  the  Lord's  table, 
we  particularly  examine  them,  and  are  satisfied  with  their 
knowledge  of  the  principles  of  religion,  of  the  nature  and  ends 
of  the  sacrament,  and  the  impressions  of  religion  they  have  on 
their  minds."* 

To  the  same  purpose  is  the  Rev.  Mr.  Willison's  letter  to  Dr. 
Colman,  minister  in  Boston,  dated  Dundee,  Feb.  28,  1743. 
■'  I  must  inform  you  a  little  of  the  work  of  God  begun  here. 
I  told  you  in  my  last,  that  after  Mr.  Whitefield's  first  coming 
imd  preaching  three  months  in  Scotland,  there  were  some  be- 
ginnings of  a  revival  of  religion  in  some  of  our  principal  cities 
— at  Edinburgh  and  Glasgow — which  still  continue  and  in- 
crease, especially  since  Mr.  Whitefield's  second  coming,  in 
June  last.  But,  besides  these  cities,  the  Lord  hath  been  pleased 
to  bes^in  a  work  much  like  that  in  New  England,  in  the  west 
of  Scotland.  The  first  parish  awakened  was  Cambuslang ; 
the  next  was  the  parish  of  Kilsyth,  about  nine  miles  north  east 
of  Glasgow ;  and  afterwards  the  parishes  of  Calder,  Kirkintil- 
loch, Cumbernaud,  Campfie,  Kilmarnock,  Gargunnock,  and 
a  great  many  others  in  the  country.  The  awakenins^s  of 
people  have  been,  in  a  good  many,  attended  with  outcryings, 
faintings,  and  bodily  distresses ;  but  in  many  more  the  work 
has  proceeded  with  great  calmness.  But  the  efiects  in  both 
sorts  are  alike  good  and  desirable,  and  hitherto  we  hear  nothing 
of  their  falling  back  from  what  they  have  professed  at  the  be- 
ginning ;  and  still  we  hear  of  new  parishes  falling  under  great 
concern,  here  and  there,  though  the  great  cryings  and  outward 
distresses  are  much  ceased. 

'•  The  Lord,  in  this  backsliding  time,  is  willing  to  pity  us, 
and  see  our  ways  and  heal  them,  however  crooked  and  perverse 
they  have  been.  Oh  shall  not  this  wonderful  step  of  divine 
condescension  lead  us  all  to  repentance,  and  to  go  out  to  meet 
a  returning  God,  in  the  way  of  humiliation  and  reformation  ? 
The  magistrates  and  ministers  in  Edinburgh  are  beginning  to 
set  up  societies  for  reformation  of  manners,  and  new  lectures 

*  Extract  of  a  letter  from  a  person  of  distinction  to  the  complier.  "  Edin- 
burgh, February,  1742.  I  would  not  ascribe  all  the  revival  of  religion  in  Scot- 
land to  the  instrumentality  of  Mr.  Whitefield.  At  Cambuslang  it  began  be- 
fore he  had  been  there  ;  but  in  Edinburgh,  and  all  the  other  places  in  Scot- 
land that  I  heard  of  after  dilligent  inquiry,  it  began  with  his  first  visit.  This 
honor  he  had  from  his  divine  Master,  and  it  ought  not  to  be  taken  from  him. 
And  every  time  he  came  to  Scotland,  it  is  an  undoubted  fact,  that  an  uncom- 
mon power  attended  his  ministry  ;  and  many  were  always  brought  under  se- 
rioue  and  lasting  impressions." 


MEMOIRS  OP  WhITEFIELD.  89 

on  week  days.  May  all  our  cities  follow  their  example.  There 
is  a  great  increase  of  praying  societies  also  in  Edinburgh  and 
other  towns  and  villages  ;  and  in  them  they  are  keeping  days 
of  thanksgiving  for  the  partial  waterings  Ihe  Lord  is  giving  us. 
Those  in  Edinburgh  send  printed  memorials  to  others  through 
the  nation,  to  excite  them  to  it.* 

"  The  greatest  strangers  to  religion  could  not  avoid  hearing 
of  these  things,  but  they  were  very  differently  affected  with 
them.  Whilst  some  became  more  thoughtful  and  serious,  many 
mocked,  and  some  were  even  filled  with  rage.  On  the  other 
hand,  the  temper  and  behavior  of  those  who  were  the  subjects 
of  this  remarkable  work,  were  strong  evidences  that  it  came 
from  above.  Their  earnest  desire  to  be  rightly  directed  in  the 
way  to  heaven,  their  tender  and  conscientious  walk,  their  faith- 
fulness in  the  duties  of  their  stations,  their  readiness  to  make  am- 
ple restitution  for  any  act  of  injustice  they  had  formerly  conunit- 
ted,  their  disposition  to  judge  mildly  of  others,  but  severely 
of  themselves,  their  laying  aside  quarrels  and  law  suits,  and 
desiring  to  be  reconciled,  and  to  live  peaceably  with  all  men ; 
such  amiable  and  heavenly  qualities,  especially  when  appearing 
in  some  who  had  formerly  been  of  a  very  opposite  character, 
could  not  fail  to  strike  every  serious  observer.  In  short,  it  was 
such  a  time  for  the  revival  of  religion,  as  had  never  before  been 
seen  in  Scotland. 

'•The  enmity  which  wicked  and  profane  men  discovered 
against  this  work,  and  the  derision  with  which  they  treated  it,  is 
no  more  than  what  might  naturally  be  expected.  But  it  is  not 
easy  to  account  for  the  conduct  of  the  seceders.  These,  not  satis- 
fied with  forbearing  to  approve  of  it,  went  the  length  even  to 
appoint  a  general  fast  among  themselves,  one  of  the  grounds  of 
which  was,  tlie  receiving  Mr.  Whitefield  in  Scotland  ;  and  ano- 
ther, the  delusion,  as  they  called  it,  at  Cambuslang  and  other 
places.  And  Mr.  Gibb,  one  of  their  ministers,  wrote  a  pamphlet 
inveighing  against  both  in  the  most  virulent  language.  Such 
was  the  bigotry  and  misguided  zeal  of  the  bulk  of  the  party 
at  that  time.  It  is  to  be  hoped  their  successors  have  juster 
views  of  this  subject. t     With  respect  to  Mr.  Whitefield,  the 

♦  The  Rev.  Mr.  Macknight  of  Irvine,  thus  writes  to  Mr.  Whitefield,  June 
21,  174-2.  "  Blessed  be  our  glorious  God,  there  are  some  awakenings  among 
us  at  Irvine,  not  only  of  those  who  have  been  at  Cambuslang,  but  several 
others  are  lately  brought  into  concern  about  their  eternal  state,  and  among 
them  several  children ;  the  news  of  which  I  know  will  rejoice  you,  and  I 
hope  will  encourage  you  to  visit  us  to  help  forward  this  great  and  glorious 
work  of  converting  sinners." 

t  The  reader  who  wants  to  see  the  objections  against  the  work  at  Cambus- 
lang, fully  refuted,  may  consult  Mr.  Robe's  Letters  to  Mr.  Fisher  :  and  Mr. 
Jonathan  Edwards'  Distinguishing  Marks  of  a  Work  of  the  Spirit  of  God. 
And,  as  to  the  argument  from  the  goodness  of  the  fruits,  which  is  level  to  tlie 

8* 


90  MEMOIRS   OF    WHITEFIELD. 

spring  of  their  first  opposition  to  him  sufficiently  appears  from 
his  conversation  with  them  at  Dunfermline,  formerly  men- 
tioned. And  the  following  letter,  which  he  wrote  at  Cambus- 
lang,  August,  1742,  and  which  was  afterwards  printed  at  Glas- 
gow, gives  an  account  of  their  objections  and  his  answers,  which 
are  perfectly  agreeable  to  the  spirit  of  both  :  •  I  heartily  thank 
you  for  your  concern  about  unworthy  me.  Though  I  am  not 
very  solcitious  Avhat  the  ^vorld  say  of  me,  yet  I  would  not  refuse 
to  give  any  one,  much  less  a  minister  of  Jesus  Christ  (and  such 
a  one  I  take  you  to  be)  all  reasonable  satisfaction  about  any 
part  of  my  doctrine  or  conduct.  I  am  sorry  that  the  Associate 
Presbytery,  besides  the  other  things  exceptionable  in  the  grounds 
of  their  late  fast,  have  done  me  much  wrong.  As  to  what 
they  say  about  the  supremacy,  my  sentiments,  as  to  the  power 
and  authority  of  the  civil  magistrate  as  to  sacred  thijigs,  agree 
with  what  is  said  in  the  Westminster  Confession  of  fai^li,  chap, 
xxiii.  paragraphs  3  and  4.  And  I  do  own  the  Lord  Jesus  to  be 
the  blessed  head  and  king  of  his  church. 

••  •  The  Soleni]!  League  and  Covenant  I  never  abjured, 
neither  was  it  ever  proposed  to  me  to  be  abjured ;  and  as  for 
my  missives,  if  the  Associate  Presbytery  will  be  pleased  to  print 
them,  the  world  will  see  that  they  had  no  reason  to  expect  I 
would  act  in  any  other  manner  than  I  have  done.  "What  that 
part  of  my  experience  is  that  savors  of  the  grossest  enthusiasm, 
I  know  not,  because  not  specified ;  but  this  one  thing  I  know, 
when  I  conversed  with  them  they  were  satisfied  with  the  ac- 
count I  then  gfave  of  my  experiences,  and  also  of  the  validity 
of  my  mission ;  only,  when  they  found  I  would  preach  the 
gospel  promiscuously  to  all,  and  for  every  minister  that  would 
invite  me,  and  not  adhere  only  to  them,  one  of  them,  particu- 
larly, said,  '  They  were  satisfied  with  all  the  other  accounts 
which  I  gave  of  myself,  except  of  my  call  to  Scotland  at  that 
time.'  1'hey  would  have  been  glad  of  my  help,  and  have  re- 
ceived me  as  a  minister  of  Jesus  Christ,  had  I  consented  to  have 
preached  only  at  the  invitation  of  them  and  their  people.  But 
that  was  contrary  to  tlie  dictates  of  my  conscience,  and  there- 
fore I  could  not  comply.  I  thought  their  foundation  too  nar- 
row for  any  high  house  to  be  built  upon.  I  declared  freely, 
when  last  in  Scotland,  (and  am  more  and  more  convinced  of 
it  since)  that  they  were  building  a  Babel.*     At  the  same  time, 

capacities  of  all,  the  Compiler  thinks  it  his  duty  to  add,  that,  among  his  ac- 
quaintance who  were  the  subjects  of  that  work,  the  fruits  were  generally  both 
good  and  lasting. 

*  The  event  verified  this  conjecture.  In  his  (MS.)  notes,  several  years  af- 
ter, he  makes  the  following  remark  :  "  Such  a  work,  (the  religious  concern  at 
Carabuslang)  so  very  extensive,  must  meet  with  great  opposition.  My  col- 
lections for  the  orphans  gave  a  great  handle ;  but  the  chief  opposition  was 


MEMOIRS  OF  WHITEFIELD.  91 

they  knew  very  well  I  was  far  from  being  against  all  church 
government  (for  how  can  any  church  subsist  without  it  ?)  I 
only  urged,  as  I  do  now,  that  since  holy  men  differ  so  much 
about  the  outward  form,  we  should  bear  with  and  forbear  one 
another,  though  in  this  respect  we  are  not  of  one  mind.  I 
have  often  declared,  in  the  most  public  manner,  that  I  believe 
the  Church  of  Scotland  to  be  the  best  constituted  national 
church  in  the  world.  At  the  same  time  I  would  bear  with  and 
converse  freely  with  all  others,  who  do  not  err  in  fundamen- 
tals, and  who  give  evidence  that  they  are  true  lovers  of  the 
Lord  Jesus.  This  is  what  T  mean  by  a  catholic  spirit.  Not 
that  I  believe  a  Jew  or  pagan,  continuing  such,  can  be  a  true 
christian,  or  have  true  Christianity  in  them ;  and  if  there  be 
any  thing  tending  that  way  in  the  late  extract  which  I  sent 
you,  I  utterly  disavow  it.  And  I  am  sure  I  observed  no  such 
thins:  in  it  when  I  published  it,  though,  upon  a  closer  review, 
some  expressions  seem  justly  exceptionable.  You  know  how 
strongly  I  assert  all  the  doctrines  of  grace,  as  held  forth  in  the 
Westminster  Confession  of  faith,  and  doctrinal  articles  of  the 
Church  of  England.  These  I  trust  I  shall  adhere  to  as  long 
as  I  live,  because  I  verily  believe  they  are  the  truths  of  God, 
and  have  felt  the  power  of  them  in  my  own  heart.  I  am  only 
concerned  that  good  men  should  be  guilty  of  such  misrepre- 
sentations. But  this  teaches  me  more  and  more  to  exercise 
compassion  toward  all  the  children  of  God,  and  to  be  more 
jealous  over  my  own  heart,  knowing  what  fallible  creatures 
we  all  are.  I  acknowledge  that  I  am  a  poor,  blind  sinner,  lia- 
ble to  err,  and  would  be  obliged  to  an  enemy,  much  more  to 
so  dear  a  friend  as  you  are,  to  point  out  my  mistakes,  as  to  my 
practice,  or  unguarded  expressions  in  preaching  or  writing. 
At  tlie  same  time  I  would  humble  myself  before  my  Master 
for  any  thing  I  may  say  or  do  amiss,  and  beg  the  influence 
and  assistance  of  his  blessed  Spirit,  that  1  may^say  and  do  so 
no  more.' " 

So  much  for  Mr.  Whitefield's  difference  with  the  seceders. 
But.  notwithstanding  all  this,  upon  his  second  arrival  in  Scot- 
land, June,  1742,  he  was  received  by  great  numbers,  among 

made  by  the  seceders,  who,  though  they  had  prayed  for  me  at  a  most  extrava- 
gant rate,  now  gave  out  that  I  was  agitated  by  the  devil.  Taking  it  for  grant- 
ed that  all  converted  persons  must  take  the  covenant,  and  that  God  had  left 
the  Scotch  established  churches  long  ago,  and  that  he  would  never  work  by 
the  hand  of  a  curate  of  the  Church  of  England,  they  condemned  the  whole 
work  as  the  work  of  the  devil,  and  kept  a  fast  through  all  Scotland,  to  humble 
themselves,  because  the  devil  was  come  down  in  his  wrath,  and  to  pray  that 
the  Lord  would  rebuke  the  destroyer,  (for  that  was  my  title.)  But  the  Lord 
rebuked  these  good  men;  for  they  split  among  themselves,  and  excommunica- 
ted one  another.  Having  afterwards  a  short  interview  with  Mr.  Ralph  Erskine, 
we  embraced  each  other,  and  he  said, '  We  have  seen  strange  things.'  " 


92  MEMOIRS  OF  WniTEFIELD. 

whom  were  some  persons  of  distinction,  with  much  joy :  and 
had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  and  hearing  more  and  more  of 
the  liappy  fruits  of  his  ministry.*  At  Edinburgh  he  preached 
twice  a  day,  as  usual,  in  the  liospital  park,  where  a  number  of 
seats  and  shades,  in  the  form  of  an  amphitheatre,  were  erect- 
ed for  the  acconmiodation  of  liis  hearers.  And  in  consequence 
of  earnest  invitations,  he  went  to  the  west  country,  particularly 
to  Cambuslang,  where  he  preached  three  times,  upon  the  very 
day  of  his  arrival,  to  a  vast  body  of  people,  ahhough  he  had 
preached  that  same  mornino:  at  Glasgow.  The  last  of  these 
exercises  began  at  nine  at  night,  continuing  till  eleven,  when 
he  said  lie  observed  such  a  commotion  among  the  people  as  he 
liad  never  seen  in  America,  ^h.  3lcCulloch  preached  after 
him,  till  past  one  in  the  morning,  and  even  then  could  hardly 
persuade  the  people  to  depart.  All  night  in  the  fields  might 
be  heard  the  voice  of  prayer  and  praise.  As  Mr.  Whitefield 
was  frequentlv  at  Cambuslang  during  this  *ason.  a  descrip- 
tion of  what  he  observed  there  at  dilferent  times  ^vill  be  best 
^iven  in  his  own  words  :  ••  Persons  from  all  parts  flocked  to 
see,  and  many,  from  many  parts,  went  home  convinced  and 
converted  unto  God.  A  brae,  or  hill,  near  the  manse  at  Cam- 
buslans:,  seemed  to  be  formed  by  Providence  for  containing  a 
large  congregation.  People  sat  unwearied  till  two  m  the  morn- 
inof,  to  hear  sermons,  disregarding  the  weather.  A'ou  could 
scarce  walk  a  yard,  but  you  must  tread  upon  some,  either  re- 
joicinof  in  God.  for  mercies  received,  or  crying  out  for  more. 
Thousands  and  thousands  have  I  seen,  before  it  was  possible 
to  catch  it  bv  sympathy,  melted  down  under  the  word  and  pow- 
er of  God.  At  the  celebration  of  the  holy  communion,  their 
joy  was  so  great,  that,  at  the  desire  of  many,  both  ministers 
and  people,  in  imitation  of  Hezekiah's  passover,  they  had.  a 
month  or  two  afterwards,  a  second,  which  was  a  general 
rendez^'OQS  of  the  people  of  God.  The  communion  table  was 
in  the  field :  three  tents  at  proper  distances,  all  surrounded 
with  a  multitude  oi  hearers :  above  twenty-  ministers  (among 
wliom  was  good  old  Mr.  Bonner)  attending  to  preach  and  as 
sist.  all  enlivenins:  and  enlivened  by  one  another.'" 

Besides  his  labors  at  Glasgow  and  Cambuslang,  it  is  some- 
what surprising  to  think  how  many  other  places  in  the  west  of 
Scotland  he  visited  within  the  compass  of  a  few  weeks,  preach- 
in  of  once  or  twice  at  every  one  of  them,  and  at  several,  three 

»  "  Edinburgh,  June  4,  174'2.  This  morning  I  received  glorious  accounts  of 
ihe  cariying  on  of  the  Mediator's  kingdom.  Three  of  the  little  boys  that  were 
copverted  when  I  was  last  here,  came  to  me  and  wept,  and  begged  me  to  pray 
for  and  with  them.  A  minister  tells  me,  that  scarce  one  is  fallerTback  who  was 
awakened,  either  among  old  or  young.  The  Sergeant,  whose  letter  brother 
(_• has,  goes  on  well  with  his  company." 


MEMOIRS  OP   WHITEFIELD.  93 

or  four  times.  It  is  worth  while  to  set  down  the  journal  of  a 
week  or  two.  In  the  beginning  of  July,  he  preached  twice  on 
Monday  at  Paisley  ;  on  Tuesday  and  Wednesday,  three  times 
each  day  at  Irvine  ;  on  Thursday,  twice  at  Mearns  ;  on  Friday, 
three  times  at  Cumberland  ;  and  on  Saturday,  twice  at  Falkirk. 
And  again  in  the  latter  end  of  August,  on  Thursday  he  preach- 
ed twice  at  Greenock  ;  on  Friday,  three  times  at  Kilbride  ;  on 
Saturday,  once  at  Kilbride,  and  twice  at  Stevenson  ;  on  the 
Sabbath,'  four  times  at  Irvine  ;  on  Monday  once  at  Irvine,  and 
three  times  at  Kilmarnock  ;  Tuesday,  once  at  Kilmarnock,* 
and  four  times  at  Stewarton  ;  on  Wednesday,  once  at  Ste war- 
ton,  and  twice  at  Mearns.  He  was  also  at  Inchanned,  New 
Kilpatrick,  Calder  and  Kilsyth,  (where  the  religious  concern 
was  still  increasing)  and  at  Torphichen.t  He  was  indeed 
sometimes  taken  very  ill,  and  his  friends  thought  he  was  going 
off;  "But  in  the  pulpit,  (says  he)  the  Lord,  out  of  weakness, 
makes  me  to  wax  strong,  and  causes  me  to  triumph  more  and 
more."  And  even  when  he  retired  for  a  day  or  two,  it  was  on 
purpose  to  write  letters,  and  to  prepare  pieces  for  the  press,  -so 
tliat  he  was  as  busy  as  ever. 

When  he  was  at  Edinburgh,  he  received  accounts  that  the 
Spaniards  had  landed  at  Georgia,  and  of  the  removal  of  his 
family  from  thence.  He  immediately  wrote  a  very  encourag- 
ing epistle  to  the  honourable  Mr.  Habersham ;  in  which  he 

*  A  gentleman  now  living,  of  an  irreproachable  character,  thus  writes  to 
the  compiler,  April  8,  1771.  "  When  Mr.  Whitefield  was  preaching  at  Kil- 
marnock, on  the  2,'}d  of  August,  17'42,  from  these  words,  'And  of  his  fulness 
have  all  we  received,  and  grace  for  grace,'  I  thought  I  never  heard  such  a 
sermon  on  the  fulness  of  grace  that  is  treasured  up  in  Christ  Jesus ;  and  can  tru- 
ly ?ay  that  I  felt  the  efficacy  of  the  Holy  Spirit  upon  my  soul,  during  that  dis- 
course. I  afterwards  shut  up  myself  in  my  chamber  during  the  remaining 
part  of  that  day ;  and,  before  I  laid  myself  down  to  rest,  I  made  a  solemn 
and  serious  dedication  of  myself  to  God,  by  way  of  covenant,  extended  and 
subscribed  the  same  with  my  hands,  and,  I  think,  had  communion  with  God 
in  so  doing,  to  which  I  have  often  had  recourse  since,  in  adhering  thereto, 
and  in  renewing  thereof.  Though  my  life  since  has  been  attended  with  many 
backslidings  from  God,  and  I  have  been  perfidious  in  his  covenant,  j'et  still  I 
rejoice  in  his  salvation  through  precious  Christ.  And  it  is  refreshing  to  be- 
hold the  place  at  this  very  day,  as  I  have  often  done  since.  I,  from  the  era 
above  mentioned,  always  looked  upon  Mr.  Whitefield  as  my  spiritual  father, 
and  frequently  heard  him  aftervvards  in  Edinburgh  and  Glasgow  with  much 
satisfaction.  The  mentioning  of  his  name  alwa)'s  gave  me  joy,  and  griev- 
ed me  when  he  was  reproached.  And  I  can  very  well  remember,  that  when 
Cape  Breton  was  taken,  I  happened  to  be  then  at  Edinburgh,  and,  being  in- 
vited to  breakfast  with  Mr.  Whitefield,  I  never  in  all  my  life  enjoyed  such 
another  breakfast.  He  gave  the  company  a  fine  and  liv^ely  descant  upon  that 
part  of  the  world,  made  us  all  join  in  a  hymn  of  praise  and  thanksgiving,  and 
concluded  with  a  most  devout  and  fervent  prayer.  In  the  evening  of  that 
day  he  preached  a  most  excellent  thanksgiving  sermon,  from  the  first  two 
rerses  of  Psalm  cxxvi. 

t  "  I  never  preached  with  so  much  apparent  success  before.  At  Greenock, 
Irvine,  Kilbride,  Kilmarnock,  and  Stewarton,  the  concern  was  great ;  at  the 
three  last,  very  extraordinary." 


94  MEMOIRS  OF   WHITEFIELD. 

said,  '•'  I  long  to  be  with  you— and.  methinks,  would  willingly 
be  foimd  at  the  head  of  you  kneeling  and  praying,  though  a 
Spaniard's  sword  should  be  put  to  my  throat."*  In  a"  few  weeks 
after,  he  heard  that  the  enemy  were  repulsed,  and  his  family 
returned  in  safety  to  Bethesda.  About  the  end  of  October,  he 
lett  Scotland,  and  rode  post  to  London,  where  he  arrived  in 
about  five  da  vs. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

From  his  arrival  in  London  in  the  year  1742,  to  his  evibarking  for 
America,  1744. 

Ox  !Mr.  AVliitefi eld's  arrival  in  London,  he  found  a  new 
awakeninor  at  the  tabernacle,  which  had  been  enlarged.  He 
observes  :  ••  I  am  employed,  and  oflor}'  to  rich  grace,  I  am  car- 
ried through  the  duties  of  each  day  with  cheerfulness  and 
ahnost  uninterrupted  tranquiht}'.  Our  societ}'  is  larofe.  but  in 
good  order.  My  blaster  gives  us  much  of  his  gracious  presence, 
both  in  our  public  and  private  ministrations.'' 

In  March.  1743.  he  went  into  Gloucestershire,  where  people 
appeared  to  be  more  eager  to  hear  the  word  than  ever.  '•  Preach- 
ing," says  he,  ••  in  Gloucestershire,  is  now  like  preacliing  at  the 
tabernacle  in  London."  And  in  a  letter,  dated  April  7,  he 
sa^'s,  ••  I  preached  and  took  leave  of  the  Gloucester  people, 
with  mutual  and  great  concern  on  Sunday  evening  last.  It 
was  past  one  in  the  morning  before  I  could  lay  my  wear)'  body 
do-um.     At  five  I  rose  again,  sick  for  want  of  rest :  but  I  was 

enabled  to  get  on  horseback,  and  ride  to  Mr.  T *s,  where 

I  preached  to  a  large  coneTesration,  who  came  there  at  seven 
in  the  morninof.  At  ten.  I  read  prayers  and  preached,  and 
afterwards  administered  the  sacrament  in  Stonehouse  church. 
Then  I  rode  to  Stroud,  and  preached  to  about  twelve  thou- 
sand in  ]Mr.  G "s  field  :  and  about  six  in  the  evening,  to 

a  like  number  on  Hampton  common."*  Next  morning  he 
preached  near  Dursley  to  some  thousands  ;  at  about  seven 
reached  Bristol,  and  preached  to  a  full  congregation  at  Smith's 
hall ;  and  on  Tuesday  morning,  after  preaching,  set  out  for 
Waterford,  in  South  AVales.^  where  he  opened  the  association 

*  The  manner  in  -which  the  Spaniards  were  repulsed,  with  remarks  upon 
the  kindness  of  Providence  to  the  colony,  may  be  seen  in  an  extract  of  genera] 
Oglerhorpe's  proclamation  for  a  thanksgivinsr,  in  Letter  502. 

t  "  The  work  begun  by  Mr.  Jones,  spread  itself  far  and  near,  in  North  and 
South  Wales,  where  the  Lord  had  made  Mr.  Howel  Harris  an  instrument  ol 
converting  several  clergy  as  well  as  laymen.  The  power  of  God  at  the  sacra- 
ment, under  the  ministry  of  Mr.  Rowland,  was  enough  to  make  a  person's 


MEMOIRS  OP   WHITEFIELD.  VO 

which  he  and  his  brethren  had  agreed  upon,  and  was  several 
days  with  them,  setthng  the  affairs  of  the  societies.  He  con- 
tinued in  Wales  some  weeks,  and  preached  with  great  apparent 
success  ;*  and  in  the  latter  end  of  April  returned  to  Gloucester, 
after  having,  in  about  three  weeks,  traveled  about  four  hun- 
dred English  miles,  spent  three  days  in  attending  associations, 
and  preached  about  forty  times. 

At  one  of  the  associations  held  in  Wales,  a  motion  was  made 
to  separate  from  the  established  church  :  "  But,"  says  Mr. 
Whitefield,  "  by  far  the  greater  part  strenuously  opposed  it,  and 
with  good  reason  :  for,  as  we  enjoy  such  great  liberty  under  the 
mild  and  gentle  government  of  his  present  majesty  King  George, 
I  think  we  can  do  him,  our  country,  and  the  cause  of  God, 
more  service  in  ranging  up  and  down,  preaching  repentance 
towards  God,  and  faith  in  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  to  those  mul- 
titudes who  would  neither  come  into  church  or  meeting,  but 
who  are  led  by  curiosity  to  follow  us  into  the  fields.  This  is  a 
way  to  which  God  had  affixed  his  seal  for  many  years  past." 

In  May,  he  went  back  to  London  :  "  Once  more,"  as  he 
expressed  it,  "  to  attack  the  prince  of  darkness  in  Moorfields," 
during  the  holidays.  The  congregations  were  amazingly 
great,  and  much  affected.  And  by  the  collections  made  now, 
and  formerly,  he  had  the  pleasure  of  paying  all  tliat  he  owed 
in  England,  and  of  making  a  small  remittance  to  his  friend 
Mr.  Habersham,  for  Georgia. 

About  the  middle  of  June  following,  he  again  left  London, 
and  went  to  Bristol,  where  he  continued  for  some  time,  preach- 
ing twice  every  day,  and  four  times  on  Sunday.  Afterwards 
he  preached  at  Exeter  to  very  large  congregations,  where  many 
of  the  clergy  attended,  who  were  successfully  connected  with 
him.  Among  these  was  the  Rev.  J.  Cennick,  then  in  co-ope- 
ration with  Mr.  Whitefield.  He  was  preaching  in  the  high 
street  of  the  city  of  Exeter,  on  a  large  open  spot  of  ground, 
and  surrounded  by  a  great  number  of  people,  by  some  of  whom 
he  had  been  previously  ill  treated.  An  incident  is  worth  re- 
lating here,  to  show  how  God  sometimes  confronts  his  servants' 
enemies.  Mr.  C.  was  expatiating  on  the  blood  of  Christ,  when  a 
profiine  butcher,  who  was  among  the  crowd,  said,  "  If  you  love 
blood,  you  shall  presently  have  enough  ;"  and  rail  to  get  some 

heart  burn  within  him.  At  seven  in  the  mornin<^  have  I  seen  perhaps  tkn 
THuusAND  from  difFerent  parts,  in  the  midst  of  a  sermon,  crying,  Gogunniant— 
be7idytU—rea.dy  to  leap  for  joy.  Associations  were  now  formed,  and  monthly 
or  quarterly  meetings  appointed,  and  a  closer  connection  established  between 
the  English  and  Welsh,  so  that  several  came  over  to  assist." 

*  When  at  Carmarthen,  he  writes  :  "  It  was  the  great  sessions.  The  jus- 
tices desired  I  would  stay  till  they  rose,  and  they  would  come.  Accordingly 
they  did,  and  many  thousands  more  j  and  several  people  of  quality." 


96  MEMOIRS  OF   WHITEFIELD. 

to  throw  on  him.  A  Mr.  Saunders  (who  for  several  years  drove 
what  was  called  road  2Vork,  post-chaises  not  then  being  much 
in  use)  was  also  a  by-stander,  and,  though  at  that  time  an  en- 
tire stranger  to  divine  things,  from  a  sense  of  the  ill  usage 
Mr.  C.  had  received,  and  was  likely  to  receive,  felt  an  inclina- 
tion to  defend  him.  Seeing  the  man  come  with  a  pail  nearly 
full  of  blood,  he  calmly  went  to  meet  him,  and  when  he  came 
even  ^v^ith  him,  suddenly  caught  hold  of  the  pail,  and  poured 
it  over  the  man's  head.  This  drew  the  attention  of  the  riotous 
part  of  the  people  from  the  preacher  to  Mr.  Saunders,  who  with 
some  difficulty  escaped  their  rage,  by  taking  shelter  in  a  house, 
and  was  obliged  to  leave  the  town  very  early  on  the  next 
morning. 

Mr.  Saunders  was  afterwards  awakened  to  a  true  sense  of 
his  condition  before  God,  under  the  ministry  of  the  late  Rev. 
William  Romaine,  at  St.  George's,  Hanover  Square.  He  continu- 
ed his  occupation  as  a  coachman,  till  about  the  year  1745  or  6 ; 
when  he  was  appointed  body-coachman  to  his  majesty,  and  so 
continued  till  about  the  year  1780,  when  he  petitioned  for  a 
dismission,  on  account  of  his  age,  being  about  seventy  years 
old  ;  it  was  granted  with  regret.  His  majesty,  when  riding  on 
horseback  through  Kensins^ton,  if  he  saw  his  old  servant  walk- 
ing, would  often  inquire  alter  his  health ;  and  the  sanje  regard 
Avas  shown  by  the  other  branches  of  the  royal  family.  On  the 
13th  August,  1799,  at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-nine,  he  sweet  • 
ly  breathed  his  happy  soul  into  the  bosom  of  his  Redeemer. 

In  August  Whitefield  returned  to  London,  but  made  no  long 
stay  there.  "I  thank  you,"  says  he  to  a  correspondent,  "for 
your  kind  caution  to  spare  myself;  but  evangelizing  is  certain- 
ly my  province.  Every  where  effectual  doors  are  opened.  So 
far  from  thinking  of  settling  at  London,  I  am  more  and  more 
convinced  that  I  should  go  from  place  to  place." 

Accordingly  we  find  him  in  the  months  of  October,  November 
and  December,  preaching  and  traveling  through  the  country,  as 
if  it  were  the  middle  of  summer.  At  Avon  in  Wilts,  Retherton, 
Clack,  Brinkworth,  Chippenham,  AVellington.  Collampton,  Ex- 
eter, Axminster,  Ottery,  Biddeford,*  St.  Gennis  in  Cornwall,! 

*  "  Here  is  a  clergyman  about  eighty  j'^ears  of  age,  but  not  above  one  year 
old  in  the  school  of  Christ.  He  lately  preached  three  times,  and  rode  forty 
miles  the  same  day.  A  yoang  Oxonian  who  came  with,  him,  and  many  others, 
were  deeply  affected.  I  cannot  well  describe  with  what  power  the  word  was 
attended.  Dear  Mr.  Hervey,  one  of  our  first  Methodists  at  Oxford,  and  who 
was  lately  a  curate  here,  had  laid  the  foundation." 

t  "  Many  prayers  were  put  up  by  the  worthy  rector  and  others,  for  an  out- 
pouring of  God's  blessed  Spirit.  They  were  answered.  Arrows  of  conviction 
flew  thick,  and  so  fast,  and  such  a  universal  weeping  prevailed  from  one  end 
of  the  congregation  to  the  other,  that  good  Mr.  J.  their  minister,  could  not  help 
going  from  seat  to  seat,  to  speak,  encourage,  and  comfort  the  wounded  souls. 


MEMOIRS  OF    WHITEFIELD. 


97 


Birmingham,*  Kidderminster,!  and  Broomsgrove.  Nor  did  he 
feel  his"  health  much  impaired,  though  it  Vas  so  late  in  the 
season.  He  observes,  indeed,  that  he  had  got  a  cold;  but 
adds,  "  The  Lord  warms  my  heart." 

February,  1741,  he  lost  his  only  child,  an  event  which  tend- 
ed to  keep  him  humble.  Before  its  birth,  his  mind  was  so  im- 
pressed, that  he  publicly  declared  that  the  child  would  be  a  boy, 
and  hoped  he  would  live  to  preach  the  gospel.  But  his  fond 
expectations  were  speedily  blasted,  the  infant  dying  when  but 
four  months  old.  This  was  no  doubt  very  humbling  to  the 
father  ;  but  he  was  helped  to  make  the  wisest  and  best  improve- 
ment of  it.  "  Though  I  am  disappointed,"  says  he,  writing  to 
a  friend,  "  of  a  living  preacher  by  the  death  of  my  son ;  yet  I 
hope  what  happened  before  his  birth,  and  since  at  his  death, 
has  taught  me  such  lessons  as,  if  duly  improved,  may  render 
his  mistaken  parent  more  cautious,  more  sober-minded,  more 
experienced  in  Satan's  devices,  and  consequently  more  useful 
in  his  future  labors  to  the  church  of  God."t 

March  3,  he  was  obliged  to  attend  the  assizes  at  Gloucester. 
Tiie  occasion  was  this :  in  the  summer  of  1734,  the  Methodists 
had  been  severely  persecuted  by  the  mob.  especially  at  Hamp- 
ton, where  many  were  hurt,  and  the  lives  of  the  preachers 
threatened.  Other  means  having  been  tried  in  vain,  Mr. 
Whitefield,  with  the  advice  and  assistance  of  his  friends,  resolv- 
ed to  seek  the  protection  of  the  law,  and,  lodged  an  information 
against  the  Hampton  rioters,  in  the  court  of  King's  Bench. 
Facts  being  proved,  and  the  defendants  making  no  reply,  the 
rule  was  made  absolute,  and  an  information  filed  against  them. 
They  pleading  not  guilty^  the  cause  was  referred  to  the  assizes 
in  Gloucester.  After  a  full  hearing,  a  verdict  was  given  for 
the  plaintifs,  and  all  the  defendants  were  brought  in  guilt^r. 
This  prosecution  had  a  very  good  effect;  the  rioters  were 
greatly  alarmed.  But  the  intention  of  the  Methodists  was  only 
to  show  them  what  they  could  do,  and  Xhen  forgive  them. 

About  this  time,  several  anonymous  papers,  entitled,  "  Ob- 
servations upon  the  conduct  and  behavior  of  a  certain  sect, 
usually  distinguished  by  the  name  of  Methodists,"  were  printed 
and  handed  about  in  the  religious  societies  of  London  and 

♦  "  It  is  near  eleven  at  night,  and  nature  calls  for  rest.  I  have  preached  five 
times  this  day,  and,  weak  as  I  am,  through  Christ  strengthening  me,  I  could 
preach  five  times  more." 

t  I  was  kindly  received  by  Mr.  Williams.  Many  friends  were  at  his  house. 
I  was  greatly  refreshed  to  find  what  a  sweet  savor  of  good  Baxter's  doctrine, 
works,  and  discipline  remained  to  this  day." 

t  In  speaking  to  a  friend  of  this  child  he  said,  he  would  not  part  with  him 
for  the  whole  world  ;  but  if  God  should  demand  him,  he  should  have  him  at  a 
moment's  warning.  God  he  added,  took  him  at  his  word,  and  deprived  him 
of  his  child  by  a  sudden  indisposition. 

9 


98  MEMOIRS  OF   WHITEFIELD. 

Westminster,  and  given  to  many  private  persons,  v;ith  strict 
injunctions  not  to  part  with  them.  Mr.  Whitefield  having  ac- 
cidentally had  the  hasty  perusal  of  them ;  and  finding  many 
queries  concerning  him  and  his  conduct  contained  therein  ; 
and  having  applied  for  a  copy  which  was  refused  him,  thought 
it  his  duty  to  publish  an  advertisement  desiring  (as  he  knew 
not  how  soon  he  might  embark  for  Georgia)  a  speedy,  open 
publication  of  the  said  papers,  that  he  might  make  a  candid 
and  impartial  answer.  He  had  reason  to  believe  the  bishop  of 
London  was  concerned  in  composing  or  revising  them :  but 
that  he  might  not  be  mistaken,  after  the  publication  of  the  ad- 
vertisement, he  wrote  the  bishop  a  letter,  wherein  he  desired  to 
know,  whether  his  lordship  was  the  author  or  not ;  and  also 
desired  a  copy.  The  bishop  sent  word,  "he  should  hear  from 
him."  Some  time  after,  a  Mr.  Owen,  printer  to  the  bishop,  left 
a  letter  for  Mr.  Whitefield,  informing  him  that  he  had  orders 
from  several  of  the  Mshojjs,  to  print  the  Observations,  with 
some  feio  additions,  for  their  use  :  and  when  the  impression 
was  finished,  Mr.  Whitefield  should  have  a  copy. 

For  these  reasons  Mr.  Whitefield  thought  it  proper  to  direct 
his  Answer  to  the  Observations,  to  the  bishop  of  London,  and 
the  other  bishops  concerned  in  the  publication  of  them.  This 
answer  occasioned  the  Rev.  Mr.  Church's  expostulatory  letter 
to  Mr.  Whitefield ;  to  which  he  soon  replied,  with  thanks  to 
the  author  for  prefixing  his  name. 

Being  invited  by  Mr.  Smith,  a  merchant,  then  in  England, 
(in  the  name  of  thousands)  to  make  another  visit  to  America, 
he  took  a  passage  with  that  gentleman,  in  a  vessel  going  from 
Portsmouth  ;  but  the  captain  refusing  to  take  him,  as  he  said, 
for  fear  of  spoiling  the  sailors,  he  was  obliged  to  go  to  Ply- 
mouth, where  he  was  in  imminent  danger  of  being  assassinated. 
"  In  my  way,''  says  he,  "  I  preached  at  Wellington,  where  a 
Mr.  Darracott  had  been  a  blessed  instrument  of  doing  mucli 
good.  Exeter  also,  I , re-visited,  where  many  souls  were  awa- 
kened to  the  divine  life.  At  Biddeford,  where  good  Mr.  Hervey 
had  been  curate,  we  had  much  of  the  power  of  God  ;  and  also 
at  Kingsbridge.  But  the  chief  scene  was  at  Plymouth  and  the 
Dock,  where  I  expected  least  success."* 

*  MS.  Upon  mentioning  Biddeford,  he  adds  [here  a  character  of  Mr, 
Hervey  :]  it  is  pity  he  did  not  write  it  down.  However,  we  have  a  sketch  of 
it.  "  Your  sentiments  co-ncerning  Mr.  Hervey's  book  are  very  just.  The 
author  of  it  is  my  old  friend ;  a  most  heavenly  minded  creature,  one  of 
the  first  of  the  Methodists,  Avho  is  contented  with  a  small  cure,  and  gives 
all  that  he  has  to  the  poor.  He  is  very  weak,  and  daily  waits  for  his  dis- 
solution." 

Among  the  many  whom  Mr.  Whitefield  was  honored  to  be  the  means  of 
converting  to  the  knowledge  of  the  truth,  who  shall  be  a  crown  of  joy  to  him 
in  the  day  of  the  Lord,  it  is  perhaps  not  generally  known  that  the  celebrated 


MtMOIRS  OF  VVHITEFIELD.  99 

While  at  Plymouth,  four  gentlemen  came  to  the  house  of  one 
of  his  particular  friends,  and  with  much  seeming  kindness,  in- 
quired after  him,  desiring  to  know  where  he  lodged.  Soon 
afterwards,  Mr.  Whitefield  received  a  letter  informing  him,  that 

the  writer  was  a  nephew  of  Mr.  S ,  an  attorney  at  New 

York  ;  that  he  had  the  pleasure  of  supping  with  Mr.  Whitefield 
at  his  uncle's  house  ;  and  desired  his  company  to  sup  with  him 
and  a  few  more  friends,  at  a  tavern.  Mr.  Whitefield  sent  him 
word,  "  that  it  was  not  customary  for  him  to  sup  abroad  at  a 
tavern,  but  showld  be  glad  of  the  gentleman's  company  to  eat  a 
morsel  with  him  at  his  lodgings. "  He  accordingly  came  and 
supped ;  but  was  observed  frequently  to  look  around  him,  and 
to  be  very  absent.  At  last  he  took  his  leave,  and  returned  to 
his  companions  in  the  tavern  ;  and  being  by  them  interrogated, 
what  he  had  done,  answered,  that  he  had  been  used  so  civilly, 
he  had  not  the  heart  to  touch  him."  Upon  which,  another  of 
the  company,  a  lieutenant  of  the  navy,  laid  a  wager  of  ten 
guineas,  that  he  would  do  his  business  for  him.  His  compan- 
ions, however,  took  away  his  sword.  It  was  midnight :  and 
Mr.  Whitefield,  having  preached  to  a  large  congregation,  and 
visited  the  French  prisoners,  had  gone  to  bed  ;  when  the  land- 
lady came  and  told  him,  that  a  well  dressed  gentleman  desired 
to  see  him.  Mr.  AVhitefield  imagining  it  was  somebody  under 
conviction,  desired  liim  to  be  brought  up.  He  came  and  sat 
down  by  the  bed  side,  congratulated  him  on  the  success  of  his 
ministry,  and  expressed  much  concern  at  being  detained  from 
hearing  him.  Soon, after  he  broke  out  into  the  most  abusive 
language  ;  and  in  a  cruel  and  cowardly  manner  beat  him  in 
bed.  The  landlady  and  her  daughter  hearing  the  noise,  rush- 
ed into  the  room,  and  seized  upon  him  ;  but  he  soon  disen- 
gaged himself  from  them,  and  repeated  his  blows  on  Mr.  White- 
field  ;  who,  being  apprehensive  that  he  intended  to  shoot  or 
stab  him,  underwent  all  the  surprise  of  a  sudden  and  violent 
death.  Afterwards,  a  second  came  into  the  house,  and  cried 
out  from  the  bottom  of  the  stairs,  "  take  courage,  I  am  ready 
to  help  you."  But  by  the  repeated  cry  of  murder  !  the  alarm 
was  now  so  great,  that  they  both  made  off.  "  The  next  morn- 
ing," said  Mr.  Whitefield,  "I  was  to  expound  at  a  private 
house,  and  then  to  set  out  for  Biddeford.  Some  urged  me  to 
stay  and  prosecute  ;  but  being  better  employed,  I  went  on  my 
intended  journey,  was  greatly  blessed  in  preaching  the  everlast- 
ing gospel,  and  upon  my  return  was  well  paid  for  what  I  had 

Mr.  Hervrey  is  to  be  numbered.  In  a  letter  to  Mr.  Whitefield,  Mr.  Hervey 
thus  expresses  himself:  "  Your  journals,  dear  sir,  and  sermons,  and  especially 
the  sweet  sernwn  on  '  What  think  ye  of  Christ  V  were  a  means  of  bringing 
me  to  the  knowledge  of  the  truth." 


100  MEMOIRS   OF   WHITEFIEa^D. 

suffered:  curiosity  having  led  perhaps  two  thousand  more  tlian 
ordinary,  to  see  and  hear  a  man  that  had  narrowly  escaped 
being  murdered  in  his  hed.  And  I  trust  in  the  five  weeks 
time,  while  I  waited  for  the  convoy,  hundreds  were  awakened 
and  turned  unto  the  Lord.  At  the  Dock  also,  near  Plymouth, 
a  glorious  work  was  begun.  Could  the  fields,  between  Ply- 
mouth and  the  Dock,  speak,  they  could  tell  what  blessed  sea- 
sons were  enjoyed  there. 

The  following  narrative  shows  the  power  and  influence  of 
his  preaching  there. 

The  late  Rev.  Henry  Tanner,  of  Exeter,  in  the  year  1743, 
removed  to  Plymouth,  to  obtain  employment  as  a  ship  builder. 
Here  it  pleased  God  to  call  him  by  his  grace,  under  the  min- 
istry of  Mr.  Whitefield.  Being  at  work,  he  heard  from  a  con- 
siderable distance,  the  voice  of  that  zealous  man  of  God,  who 
was  preaching  in  tlie  street,  or  fields,  probably  between  Ply- 
mouth town  and  Dock  :  he  immediately  concluded  that  the 
preacher  was  a  madman  ;  and  determined,  with  five  or  six 
more  of  his  companions,  to  go  and  knock  him  off  from  the  place 
on  which  he  stood;  and,  for  the  purpose  of  more  eflectually  in- 
juring the  mad  parson,  they  loaded  their  pockets  with  stones. 
When,  however,  Mr.  Tanner  drew  near,  and  perceived  Mr. 
Whitefield  extending  his  arms,  and  in  the  most  pathetic  lan- 
guage inviting  poor  lost  sinners  to  Christ,  he  was  struck  with 
amazement.  His  i evolution  failed  him  :  he  listened  with  asto- 
nishment, and  was  soon  convinced  that  the  preacher  was  not 
mad  ;  but  was  indeed  speaking  the  "  words  of  truth  and  sober- 
ness.'' Mr.  Whitefield  was  then  preaching  from  Acts  xvii.  19, 
20.  "May  we  know  what  this  new  doctrine  whereof  thou 
speaketh  is? — for  thou  bringest  certain  strange  things  to  our 
ears.-'  He  went  home  much  impressed,  and  determined  to  hear 
him  again  the  next  evening.  He  attended.  JNIr.  Whitefield 
was  wonderfully  fervent  in  prayer.  His  text  was  Luke  xxiv. 
47.  "  And  that  repentance  and  remission  of  sins  should  be 
preached  in  his  name  among  all  nations,  beginning  at  Jerusa- 
lem." After  speaking  of  the  heinous  sin  of  the  Jews,  and  of 
the  Roman  soldiers,  who  were  the  instruments  of  perpetrating 
the  cruel  murder  of  the  Lord  of  life,  Mr.  Whitefield,  turning 
from  the  spot  where  IMr.  Tanner  then  stood,  near  his  side,  said, 
"You  are  reflecting  now  on  the  cruelty  of  those  inhuman 
butchers,  who  imbued  their  hands  in  his  innocent  blood."  Avhen, 
suddenly  turning  round,  and  looking  intently  at  Mr.  Tanner, 
he  exclaimed,  "  Thou  art  the  man  !"  These  words,  sharper 
than  any  two  edged  sword,  pierced  him  to  the  heart ;  he  felt 
himself  the  sinner,  who,  by  his  iniquities,  had  crucified  the  Son 
of  God.    His  sins  stared  hnn  in  the  face ;  he  Imew  not  how  to 


WHITEFIELD  ASSAULTED  IN  BED. 


"Soon  aftf^r  lio  broke  out  iuto  Ih^  iiio5<t  a!)asive  !ang,i.ii,u- ;  anrl  in 
a  cruel  and  cowardly  manner  beat  liijn  in  bed."  [p.     9!). 


MEMOIRS  OP   WHITEFIELD.  101 

Stand  ;  and  in  agony  of  soul  he  was  forced  to  cry,  "  God  be 
merciful  to  me  a  sinner !"  The  preacher  then,  in  melting  lan- 
guage, proclaimed  the  free  and  superabounding  o^race  of  God 
in  Christ,  which  was  commanded  to  be  preached  ;  first  of  all 
to  Jerusalem  sinners,  the  very  people  who  had  murdered  the 
Prince  of  life  ;  and  from  which  a  gleam  of  hope  beamed  into 
his  heart.  Under  this  sermon,  many  other  persons  were  con- 
vinced of  sin,  and  brought  to  God.  The  next  night  Mr.  Tan- 
ner heard  Mr.  Whitefield  preach  again :  his  subject  was 
^'  Jacob's  ladder."  From  this  discourse  he  obtained  such  views 
of  the  person,  character,  and  love  of  the  great  Mediator,  as  en- 
abled him  to  lay  hold  on  the  hope  set  before  him,  and  to  rejoice 
in  Christ  Jesus. 

The  advances  which  Mr.  Tanner  made  in  religious  know- 
ledge and  experience,  were  exceedingly  rapid.  By  reviewing 
his  former  state,  he  learned  to  pity  the  souls  of  his  fellow  men, 
whom  he  saw  perishing  for  lack  of  knowledge.  Having  ex- 
perienced the  power  of  divine  truth  on  his  own  heart,  he  became 
strongly  inclined  to  the  ministry  of  the  gospel.  In  1754,  he 
hired  a  room,  and  soon  began  to  preach.  His  labors  were 
remarkably  blessed,  and  he  seemed  never  to  preach  one  sermon 
in  vain  !  A  circumstance  now  occurred,  which  perhaps  deserves 
to  be  recorded  : — A  man,  who  lived  in  the  court  in  which  Mr. 
Tanner  preached,  was  so  very  much  exasperated  at  having  a 
Methodist  preaching  room  near  him,  that  he  determined  to 
remove  to  another  part  of  the  city.  He  did  so  ;  but  afterwards 
returned  to  the  same  house.  Here  he  was  taken  ill ;  and  was 
confined  in  a  room  so  near  the  preaching  place,  as  to  be  able 
to  hear  Mr.  Tanner.  He  heard  him  pray  with  great  fervor  for 
the  king,  and  all  classes  of  men.  His  prejudices  Avere  overcome : 
he  began  to  think  well  of  him.  Mr.  Tanner,  introduced  some 
part  of  the  articles  and  homilies  of  the  Church  of  England,  to 
prove  that  the  doctrines  which  he  taught  were  consistent  with 
them.  The  next  morning  the  man  brought  a  bible  with  the 
articles,  that  he  might  judge  of  the  truth  of  what  he  had  heard. 
TVhen  he  read,  he  said  to  those  about  him,  '•  this  is  just  as  this 
man  preaches."  He  afterwards  ventured  to  go  into  the  room, 
where  the  Lord  made  the  gospel  "  the  power  of  God"  unto  his 
salvation.  This  man  afterwards  went  into  the  neighboring 
villages  to  speak  to  his  fellow  sinners  ;  and  there  is  reason  to 
believe  that  his  attempts  were  blessed  to  many  souls. 

In  1769,  Mr.  Tanner  built  the  Tabernacle  in  Exeter,  where 
he  labored  for  many  years,  preaching  three  times  every  Lord's 
day,  and  twice  in  the  week,  besides  engaging  in  more  private 
exercises. 

Mr.  Tanner  did  not  confine  his  ministry  to  Exeter :  he 

9* 


102  MEMOIRS  OF    WHITEFIELD. 

looked  with  compassion  on  its  peculiarly  dark  neighborhood. 
At  the  request  of  the  late  Rev.  Augustus  Montague  Toplady,  he 
used  to  preach  at  Broad  Hembury :  he  likewise  labored  in  the 
towns  of  Moreton,  Hampstead,  Crediton,  and  Topham,  and  in 
various  villages  in  the  vicinity.  In  each  of  these  places  he  met 
with  great  opposition  ;  yet  some  in  heaven,  and  others  on  their 
road  thither  bless  God  that  they  evel'  heard  him. 

Mr.  Tanner's  exertions  continued  unabated  till  within  a  short 
time  of  his  death.  His  frequent  petition  was,  that  he  might  die 
m  his  Master's  work.  His  petition  was  granted.  For  he  was 
taken  out  of  the  pulpit,  being  unable  to  finish  his  sermon  ;  and 
shortly  after  fell  asleep  in  Jesus,  March  30,  1805,  aged  eighty- 
six.  This  is  but  one  of  the  numberless  instances  showing 
Whitefield's  marvelous  instrumentality  in  forwarding  the  king- 
dom of  his  Master. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

yrom  his  embarking  for  America  in  1744,  to  his  going  to  (he  BermU' 
das,  in  the  year  1748. 

In  the  beginning  of  August  1744,  as  soon  as  the  convoy 
came,*  Mr.  Whitefield  embarked,  though  in  a  poor  state  of 
health ;  and  after  a  tedious  passage  of  eleven  weekst  arrived 
at  York  in  New  England.  Colonel  Pepperell  went  with  some 
friends  in  his  own  boat,  to  invite  him  to  his  house  ;  but  he  de- 
clined the  invitation,  being  so  ill  of  a  nervous  cholic,  that  he 
was  obhged  immediately  after  his  arrival  to  go  to  bed.  His 
friends  expressed  much  anxiety  on  his  behalf.  An  eminent 
physician  attended  him,  who  had  been  a  deist,  but  was  awak- 
ened the  last  time  he  was  in  New  England.  For  some  time  he 
was,  indeed  very  weak :  "  yet,"  he  writes,  "  in  these  three  weeks, 
I  was  enabled  to  preach :  but,  imprudently  going  over  the  ferry 
to  Portsmouth,  I  caug^ht  cold,  immediately  relapsed,  and  was 
taken,  as  every  one  thought,  with  death,  in  the  house  of  my 
dear  friend  Mr.  Sherburne.  What  concerned  me  was,  that 
notice  had  been  given  of  my  coming  to  preach.     While  the 

*  "August  4.  Our  convoy  is  now  come.  I  desire  you  all  to  bless  God  for 
U'hat  he  is  doing  in  these  parts ;  for  preaching  in  the  Dock  is  nowlike preach- 
ing at  the  Tabernacle.  Our  morning  lectures  are  very  delightful.  Oh  the 
thousands  that  flock  to  the  preaching  of  Christ's  gospel !" 

"  P.  S.  I  must  tell  you  one  thing  more.  There  is  a  ferry  over  to  Plymouth. 
The  ferry-men  are  now  so  much  my  friends,  that  they  will  take  multitudes  that 
come  to  hear  me  preach ;  saying,  '  God  forbid  that  we  should  sell  the  word  of 
God.'  " 

t  His  letter  to  the  clergy  of  the  Diocese  of  Litchfield  and  Coventry  is 
dated  during  this  voyage. 


MEMOIRS  OP   WHITEFIELD.  103 

doctor  was  preparing  a  medicine,  feeling  my  pains  abated,  I  on 
a  sudden  cried,  '  Doctor,  my  pains  are  suspended :  by  the  help 
of  God,  1  wUl  go  and  preach,  and  then  come  home  and  die.' 
In  my  own  apprehension,  and  in  all  appearance  to  others,  I  was 
a  dying  man.  I  preached,  the  people  heard  me  as  such.  The 
invisible  reahties  of  another  world  lay  open  to  my  view.  Ex- 
pecting to  stretch  into  eternity,  and  to  be  with  my  Master  before 
the  morning,  I  spoke  with  peculiar  energy.  Such  effects  fol- 
lowed the  word,  I  thought  it  was  worth  dying  for  a  thousand 
times.  Though  wonderfully  comforted  within,  at  my  return 
home  I  thought  I  was  dying  indeed.  I  was  laid  on  a  bed  upon 
the  ground,  near  the  fire,  and  I  heard  my  friends  say,  '  He  is 
gone.'  But  God  was  pleased  to  order  it  otherwise.  I  gradually 
recovered ;  and  soon  after,  a  poor  negro  woman  would  see  me. 
She  came,  sat  down  upon  the  ground,  and  looked  earnestly  in 
my  face,  and  then  said,  in  broken  language,  'Master,  you  just 
go  to  heaven's  gate,  but  Jesus  Christ  said,  Get  you  down,  you 
must  not  come  here  yet,  but  go  first  and  call  some  more  poor 
negroes.'  I  prayed  to  the  Lord,  that  if  I  was  to  live,  this  might 
be  the  event. 

'•  In  about  three  weeks  I  was  enabled,  though  in  great  weak- 
ness, to  reach  Boston  ;  and,  every  day,  was  more  and  more 
confirmed  in  what  I  had  heard  about  a  glorious  work  that  had 
been  begun  and  carried  on  there,  and  in  almost  all  parts  of 
New  England,  for  two  years  together.  Before  my  last  embark- 
ation from  Georgia,  Mr.  Colman  and  Mr.  Cooper  wrote  me 
word,  that  upon  Mr.  Tennent's  going  out  as  an  itinerant,  the 
awakening  greatly  increased  in  various  places,*  till,  at  lenofth, 
the  work  so  advanced  every  where,  that  many  thought  "the 
latter  day  glory  was  indeed  come,  and  that  a  nation  was  to  be 
born  in  a  day.  But,  as  the  same  sun  that  lightens  and  Avarms 
the  earth,  gives  life  to  noxious  insects,  so  the  same  work,  that 
for  a  while  carried  all  before  it,  was  sadly  blemished,  through 
the  subtlety  of  Satan,t  and  the  want  of  more  experience  in 
ministers  and  people,  who  had  never  seen  such  a  scene  before. 
Opposers,  who  waited  for  such  an  occasion,  did  all  they  could 
to  aggravate  every  thing.  One  rode  several  hundred  miles,  to 
pick  up  all  the  accounts  he  could  hear  of  what  was  wrong  in 
what  he  called  only  'a  religious  stir.'  And  God  having  been 
pleased  to  send  me  first,  all  was  laid  upon  me.  Testimonies 
signed  by  various  ministers  came  out  against  me,t  almost  every 
day.     And  the  disorders  were  also  at  the  highest ;  so  that  for 

♦  See  Prince's  Christian  History,  Vol.  II.  page  304,  where  are  attestations 
of  above  a  hundred  and  twenty  ministers  to  the  goodness  of  the  work, 
t  Thus  it  was  at  the  reformation  in  Germany. 
t  He  wrote  an  answer  to  a  testimony  by  Harvard  College. 


104  MEMOIRS    OF    WHITEFIELD. 

a  while  my  situation  was  rendered  uncomfortable.*  But 
amidst  all  this  smoke,  a  blessed  fire  broke  oat.  The  awaken- 
ed souls  were  as  eager  as  ever  to  hear  the  word.f  Having 
heard  that  I  had  expounded  early  in  Scotland,  they  begged  I 
would  do  the  same  in  Boston.  I  complied,  and  opened  a  lec- 
ture at  six  in  the  morning.  I  seldom  preached  to  less  than 
two  thousand.  It  was  delightful  to  see  so  many  of  both  sexes, 
neatly  dressed,  flocking  to  hear  the  word,  and  returning  home 
to  family  prayer  and  breakfast  before  the  opposers  were  out  of 
their  beds.  So  that  it  was  commonly  said,  that  between  early 
rising  and  tar  water  the  physicians  would  have  no  business." 
It  was  now  spring,  1745,  and  at  that  time  the  first  expedition 
was  set  on  foot  against  Cape  Breton.  Colonel  Pepperell,  who 
was  then  at  Boston,  and  constantly  attended  Mr.  Whitefield's 
lecture,  was  pleased,  the  day  before  he  accepted  a  commission 
to  be  general  in  that  expedition,  to  ask  Mr.  Whitefield's  opinion 
of  the  matter.     He  told  him,  with  his  usual  frankness,  "  That 

*  While  some  published  testimonials  against  Mr.  Whitefield,  others  publish- 
ed testimonials  in  his  favor ;  as  Mr.  Hobby,  Mr.  Loring,  fifteen  ministers 
convened  at  Taunton,  March  5,  1745.  The  following  paragraph  is  in  Prince's 
Christian  History,  No.  XCIV  : 

"  Saturday,  November  24,  1744,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Whitefield  was  so  far  revived 
as  to  be  able  to  set  out  from  Portsmouth  to  Boston,  whither  he  came  in  a  verj' 
feeble  state  the  Monday  evening  after  ;  since  which,  he  has  been  able  to 
preach  in  several  of  our  largest  houses  of  public  worship,  particularly  the 
Rev.  Dr.  Coleman's,  Dr.  Sewall's,  Mr.  Webb's,  and  Mr.  Gee's,  to  crowded  as- 
semblies of  people,  and  with  great  and  growing  acceptance.  At  Dr.  Col- 
man's  desire,  and  with  the  consent  of  the  church,  on  the  Lord's  day  after  his 
arrival  he  administered  to  them  the  holy  communion.  And  last  Lord's  day 
he  preached  for  Mr.  Cheever  of  Chelsea,  and  administered  the  holy  supper 
there.  The  next  day  he  preached  for  the  Rev.  Mr.  Emerson  of  Maiden. 
Yesterday  he  set  out  to  preach  in  some  towns  north,  and  purposes  to  return 
hither  the  next  Wednesday  evening,  and  after  a  few  days  to  comply  with  the 
earnest  invitations  of  several  ministers  to  go  and  preach  to  their  congrega- 
tions in  the  southern  parts  of  the  province.  He  comes  with  the  same  extraor- 
dinary spirit  of  meekness,  sweetness,  and  universal  benevolence,  as  before. 
In  opposition  to  the  spirit  of  separation  and  bigotry,  he  is  still  for  holding 
communion  with  all  Protestant  churches.  In  opposition  to  enthusiasm,  he 
preaches  a  close  adherence  to  the  scriptures,  the  necessity  of  trying  all  im- 
pressions by  them,  and  of  rejecting  whatever  is  not  agreeable  to  them,  as 
delusions.  "In  opposition  to  Antinomianism,  he  preaches  up  all  kinds  of  re- 
lativ^e  and  religious  duties,  though  to  be  performed  in  the  strength  of  Christ ; 
and,  in  short,  the  doctrines  of  the  Church  of  England,  and  of  the  first  fathers 
of  this  country.  As  before,  he  first  applies  himself  to  the  understandings  of 
his  hearers,  and  then  to  the  affections.  And  the  more  he  preaches,  the  more 
he  convinces  people  of  their  mistakes  about  him,  and  increases  their  satis- 
faction." 

t  "  A  man  of  good  parts,  ready  wit,  and  lively  imagination,  who  had  made 
it  his  busines-s,  in  order  to  furnish  matter  for  preaching  over  a  bottle,  to  come 
and  hear,  and  then  carry  away  scraps  of  my  sermons,  having  one  night  got 
sufficient  matter  to  work  upon",  as  he  thought,  attempted  to  go  out ;  but  being 
pent  in  on  every  side,  he  found  his  endeavors  fruitless.  Obliged  thus  to 
stay,  and  looking  up  to  me,  waiting  for  some  fresh  matter  for  ridicule,  God 
was  pleased  to  prick  him  to  the  heart.  He  came  to  Mr.  P.  full  of  horror,  con- 
fessed his  crimes,  and  longed  to  ask  pardon." 


WHITEFIELD  PREACHING  TO  SOLDIERS. 


**  As  many  as  wero  in  debt  came  to  David,  and  he  became  a  cap- 
tain oyer  them."  [p.  105. 


MEMOIRS  OP   WHITEFIELD.  105 

he  did  not,  indeed,  think  the  scheme  proposed  for  taking  Louis- 
burgh  very  promising ;  that  the  eyes  of  all  would  be  upon  him. 
If  he  did  not  succeed,  the  widows  and  orphans  of  the  slain 
soldiers  would  be  like  lions  robbed  of  their  whelps ;  but  if  it 
pleased  God  to  give  him  success,  envy  would  endeavor  to 
eclipse  his  glory ;  he  had  need,  therefore,  if  he  went,  to  go  with 
a  single  eye ;  and  then  there  was  no  doubt,  but  if  Providence 
really  called  him,  he  would  find  his  strength  proportioned  to 
the  day."  About  the  same  time,  Mr.  Sherburne,  another  of 
Mr.  Whitefield's  friends,  being  appointed  one  of  the  commis- 
sioners, told  him,  "  He  must  favor  the  expedition,  otherwise  the 
serious  people  would  be  discouraged  from  enlisting ;  not  only 
so,  but  insisted  he  should  give  him  a  motto  for  his  flag,  for  the 
encouragement  of  the  soldiers."  This  he  refused  to  do,  as  it 
would  be  acting  out  of  character.  But  Mr.  Sherburne  would 
take  no  denial.  He  therefore,  at  last,  gave  them  one,  Nil  des- 
perandum,,  Christo  Diice.  "  If  Christ  be  captain,  no  fear  of  a 
defeat."  Upon  which  great  numbers  enlisted.  And  before 
their  embarkation,  the  officers  desired  him  to  give  them  a  ser- 
mon. This  he  readily  complied  with,  and  preached  from  these 
words :  "  As  many  as  were  in  debt,  came  to  David,  and  he  be- 
came a  captain  over  them."  He  spiritualized  the  subject,  and 
told  them,  how  distressed  sinner.f  came  to  Jesus  Christ  the  son 
of  David ;  and  in  his  application,  exhorted  the  soldiers  to  be- 
have like  the  soldiers  of  David,  and  the  officers  to  act  like 
David's  worthies ;  then  he  made  no  manner  of  doubt,  there 
would  be  good  news  from  Cape  Breton.  After  this  he  preached 
to  the  general  himself,  who  asked  him  if  he  would  not  be  one 
of  his  chaplains.  But  he  excused  himself,  and  said,  "  He  should 
think  it  an  honor,  but  believed,  as  he  generally  preached  three 
times  a  day,  in  various  places,  to  large  congregations,  he  could 
do  more  service  by  stirring  up  the  people  to  pray,  and  thereby 
strengthening  his  and  his  soldiers'  hands."  And  in  this  prac- 
tice he  persisted  during  the  siege  of  Louisburgh.  "  I  believe 
(adds  he)  if  ever  people  went  with  a  disinterested  view,  the 
New  Englanders  did  then.  Though  many  of  them  were  raw 
and  undisciplined,  yet  numbers  were  substantial  persons,  who 
left  their  farms,  and  willingly  ventured  all  for  their  country's 
good.  An  amazing  scene  of  providences  appeared,  and  though 
some  discouraging  accounts  were  sent  during  the  latter  end  of 
the  siege,  yet  in  about  six  weeks  news  came  of  the  surrender 
of  Louisburgh.  Numbers  flocked  from  all  quarters  to  hear  a 
thanksgiving  sermon  upon  the  occasion.  And  I  trust  the  bless- 
in  or  bestowed  on  the  countrythrough  the  thanksgivings  of  many, 
redounded  to  the  glory  of  God." 

The  New  England  people  had,  some  time  ago,  offered  to 


106  MEMOIRS  OF  WHITEFIELD. 

build  him  a  large  house  to  preach  in ;  but  as  this  scheme  might 
have  abridged  his  liberty  of  itinerating,  he  thanked  them  for 
their  kind  offer,  and  at  the  same  time  begged  leave  to  refuse  the 
acceptance  of  it.  As  his  bodily  streng^th  increased,  and  his 
health  gi-ew  better,  he  began  to  move  farther  southward }  and, 
after  preaching  eastward  as  far  as  Casco  Bay  and  North  Yar- 
mouth, he  went  through  Connecticut,  Plymouth,  Rhode  Island, 
preaching  to  thousands,  generally  twice  a  day.  "And  though 
(says  he)  there  was  much  smoke,  yet  every  day  I  had  more  and 
more  convincing  proof,  that  a  blessed  gospel  fire  had  been  kin- 
dled in  the  hearts  both  of  ministers  and  people.  At  New  York, 
where  I  preached  as  usual,  I  found  that  the  seed  sown  had 
sprung  up  abundantly ;  and  at  the  east  end  of  Long  Island  I 
saw  many  instances.  In  my  way  to  Philadelphia,  I  had  the 
pleasure  of  preaching,  by  an  interpreter,  to  some  converted 
Indians,  and  of  seeing  near  fifty  young  ones  in  one  school,  near 
Freehold,  learning  the  Assembly's  catechism.  A  blessed  awak- 
ening had  been  begun  and  carried  on  among  the  Delaware 
Indians,  by  the  instrumentality  of  David  Brainerd,*  such  as  has 
not  been  heard  of  since  the  awakening  of  New  England  by  the 
venerable  Mr.  Elliot,  who  used  to  be  styled  the  apostle  of  the 
Indians ;  his  brother  followed  him.  Mr.  WiUiam  Tennent, 
Avhose  party  I  found  much  uj^on  the  advance,  seemed  to  encou- 
rage his  endeavors  with  all  his  heart. 

'-'His  brother,  Mr.  Gilbert  Tennent,  being  early  solicited 
thereto,  I  found  settled  in  the  place  formerly  erected  at  the  be- 
ginning of  the  awakening.  The  gentleman  offered  me  eight 
hundred  pounds  a  year,  only  to  preach  among  them  six  months, 
and  to  travel  the  other  six  months  where  I  would.  Nothing 
remarkable  happened  during  my  way  southward.  But  when 
I  came  to  Virginia,  I  found  that  the  word  of  the  Lord  had  run 
and  was  glorified.  During  my  preaching  at  Glasgow,  some 
persons  wrote  some  of  my  extempore  sermons,  and  printed 
them  almost  as  fast  as  I  preached  them.  Some  of  these  v/ere 
carried  to  Virginia,  and  one  of  them  fell  into  the  hands  of  Samuel 
Morris.  He  read  and  found  benefit.  He  then  read  them  to 
others  ;  they  were  awakened  and  convinced.  A  fire  was  kin- 
dled ;  opposition  was  made ;  other  laborers  were  sent  for ;  and 

*  It  is  a  circumstance  worthy  of  note,  that  about  the  same  period  that  the 
great  Head  of  the  church  was  preparing  Messrs.  Whitefield,  Wesleys,  and 
others,  in  England,  to  stem  the  torrent  of  infidelity,  and  propagate  divine  trutli, 
he  manifested  the  same  care  and  concern  for  the  inhabitants  of  the  new  world, 
in  raising  up  that  burning  and  shining  light.  Dr.  Jonathan  Edwards,  to  dis- 
seminate the  seed  of  eternal  life  in  that  barren  soil. 

In  the  year  1729,  the  spirit  was  poured  out  from  on  high,  and  the  divine 
glory  began  to  shine  upon  the  land  ;  but  in  ihe  year  1733,  there  was  a  veiy 
remar-kable  revival  of  the  work  of  God,  in  New  England,  and  great  numbers 
cf  souls  were  savingly  converted  unto  God. 


MEMOIRS  OF   WHITEFIELD.  107 

many,  both  white  people  and  negroes,  were  converted  to  the 
Lord. 

"  In  North  CaroUna,  where  I  stayed  too  short  a  time,  httle 
was  done.  At  Georgia,  through  the  badness  of  the  institution, 
and  the  Trustees'  obstinacy  in  not  altering  it,  my  load  of  debt 
and  care  was  greatly  increased,  and  at  times  almost  over- 
whelmed me.  But  I  had  the  pleasure  of  seeinsf  one,  who  came 
as  a  pla^rer  from  New  York,  now  converted  unto  God,  and  a 
preacher  of  Jesus  Christ,  One  Mr.  Ratteray  brought  me  ten 
pounds  ;  and,  at  my  return  northward,  fresh  supplies  were  raised 
up.  The  generous  Charleston  people  raised  a  subscription  of 
three  hundred  pounds,  with  which  I  bought  land,  it  being  cheap 
durinof  the  war ;  and  a  plantation  and  a  few  negroes  were  pur- 
chased at  Indian-land.  Thus,  for  a  while,  the  gap  was  stopped. 
I  preached  a  sermon  upon  the  rebellion  ;  was  very  sick  at  Phil- 
adelphia ;  kindly  received  at  Bohemia  and  at  New  York." 

As  itinerating  was  his  delight,  and  America,  beinof  a  new 
world,  particularly  pleasing,  he  now  began  to  think  of  returning 
no  more  to  his  native  country.  But  traveling,  care,  and  a  load 
of  debt,  contracted  not  for  himself  but  for  the  Orphan  house, 
weighed  him  down, 

III  his  letters  during  this  period,  are  the  following  passages  : 

'•'  August  26, 1746.  The  door  for  my  usefulness,  opens  wider 
and  wider.  I  love  to  range  in  the  American  woods,  and  some- 
times think  I  shall  never  return  to  England  any  more." 

"  October  8.  I  have  had  some  sweet  times  with  several  of 
the  Lutheran  ministers  at  Philadelphia." 

"  Jane  1, 1747.  The  congregations  yesterday  were  exceed- 
ingly large,  I  am  sick  and  well,  as  I  used  to  be  in  England  ; 
bat  the  Redeemer  fills  me  with  comfort.  I  am  determined,  in 
his  stren2:th  to  die  fighting." 

"  Jane  4.  I  have  omitted  preaching  one  night  to  oblige  my 
friends,  that  they  may  not  charge  me  with  murdering  myself; 
but  I  hope  yet  to  die  in  the  pulpit,  or  soon  after  [  come  out  of  it." 

"  June  23.  Since  my  last,  I  have  been  several-  times  on  the 
verge  of  eternity.  At  present  I  am  so  weak  that  I  cannot 
preach.  It  is  hard  work  to  be  silent,  but  I  must  be  tried  every 
way." 

"September  11.  "We  saw  great  things  in  New  England. 
The  flocking  and  power  that  aUended  the  word,  was  like  unto 
that  seven  years  ago.  Weak  as  I  was,  and  have  been,  I  was 
enabled  to  travel  eleven  hundred  miles,  and  preach  daily." 

About  this  time,  being  much  troubled  with  stitches  in  his 
side,  he  was  advised  to  go  to  the  Bermudas,  for  the  recovery 
of  his  health.  He  accordingly  embarked,  and  landed  there 
March  15,  1748. 


108  MEMOIRS  OF   WHITEFIELD. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

From  his  arrival  at  the  Bermudas,  to  his  return  to  London  in  July. 

1748. 

Whitefield  met  with  the  kindest  reception  at  the  Bermu- 
das, and  for  about  a  month  he  preached  generally  twice  a  day, 
traversing  the  island  from  one  end  to  the  other ;  but  his  acti- 
vity, treatment,  success,  will  best  appear  from  the  following 
extracts  from  his  manuscript  journal  of  that  period. 

"  The  simplicity  and  plainness  of  the  people,  together  with 
the  pleasant  situation  of  the  island,  much  delighted  me.  The 
Rev.  Mr.  Holiday,  minister  of  Spanish  Point,  received  me  in  a 
most  affectionate,  christian  manner  ;  and  begged  I  would  make 
Jiis  house  my  home.  In  the  evening  I  expounded  at  the  house 
of  Mr.  Savage,  at  Port  Royal,  which  was  very  commodious  ; 
and  which  also  he  would  have  me  make  my  home.     I  went 

with  Mr.  Savage,  in  a  boat  lent  us  by  Captain ,  to  the 

town  of  St.  George,  in  order  to  pay  our  respects  to  the  govern- 
or. All  along  we  had  a  most  pleasant  prospect  of  the  other 
part  of  the  island ;  a  more  pleasant  one  I  never  saw.  One 
Mrs.  Smith,  of  St.  George,  for  whom  I  had  a  letter  of  recom- 
mendation from  my  dear  old  friend,  Mr.  Smith,  of  Charleston, 
received  me  into  her  house.  About  noon,  with  one  of  the 
council,  and  Mr.  Savage,  I  waited  upon  the  governor.  He 
received  us  courteously,  and  invited  us  to  dine  with  him  and 
the  council  at  a  tavern.  We  accepted  the  invitation,  and  all 
behaved  with  great  civility  and  respect.  After  the  governor 
rose  from  the  table,  he  desired,  if  I  staid  in  town  on  "Sunday, 
that  I  would  dine  with  him  at  his  house. 

"  Sunday,  March  20.  Read  prayers  and  preached  twice  this 
day,  to  what  were  esteemed  here  large  auditories — in  the 
morning  at  Spanish  Point  church,  and  in  the  evening  at  Brack- 
ish Pond  church,  about  two  miles  distant  from  each  other.  In 
the  afternoon  I  spoke  with  greater  freedom  than  in  the  morn- 
ing ;  and  I  trust  not  altogether  in  vain.  All  were  attentive — 
some  wept.  I  dined  with  Colonel  Butterfield,  one  of  the 
council ;  and  received  several  invitations  to  other  gentlemen's 
houses.  May  God  bless  and  reward  them,  and  incline  them 
to  open  their  hearts  to  receive  the  Lord  Jesus  !  Amen  and 
Amen  ! 

"  Wednesday,  March  23.  Dined  with  Captain  Gibbs,  and 
went  from  thence  and  expounded  at  the  house  of  Captain 

F le,  at  Hunbay,  about  two  miles  distant.     The  company 

was  here  also  large,  attentive,  and  affected.  Our  Lord  gave  me 
utterance.    I  expounded  on  the  first  part  of  the  eighth  chapter 


MEMOIRS   OF    WHITEFIELD.  10^ 

of  Jeremiah.  After  lecture,  Mr.  Riddle,  a  counsellor,  invited 
me  to  his  house  ;  as  did  Mr.  Paul,  an  aged  Presbyterian  min- 
ister, to  his  pulpit :  which  I  complied  with,  upon  condition  the 
report  was  true,  that  the  governor  had  served  the  ministers  with 
an  injunction  that  I  should  not  preach  in  the  churches. 

"  Friday,  March  25,  Was  prevented  from  preaching  yester- 
day by  the  rain,  which  continued  from  morning  till  night ;  but 
this  afternoon,  God  gave  me  another  opportunity  of  declaring 
his  eternal  truths  to  a  large  company  at  the  house  of  one  Mr. 
B s,  who  last  night  sent  me  a  letter  of  invitation. 

"Sunday,  March  27.  Glory  be  to  God  !  I  hope  this  has 
been  a  profitable  Sabbath  to  many  souls  :  it  has  been  a  pleasant 
one  to  mine.  Both  morning  and  afternoon  I  preached  to  a 
large  auditory,  for  the  Bermudas,  in  Mr.  Paul's  meeting  house, 
which  I  suppose  contains  about  four  hundred.  Abundance  of 
negroes,  and  many  others,  were  in  the  porch,  and  about  the 
house.  The  word  seemed  to  be  clothed  with  a  convincing 
power,  and  to  make  its  way  into  the  hearts  of  the  hearers. 
Between  sermons,  I  was  entertained  very  civilly  in  a  neigh- 
boring house.  Judge  Bascom,  and  three  .more  of  the  council, 
came  thither,  and  each  gave  me  an  invitation  to  his  house. 
How  does  the  Lord  make  way  for  a  poor  stranger  in  a  strange 
land  !  After  the  second  sermon  I  dined  with  Mr.  Paul ;  and 
in  the  evening  expounded  to  a  very  large  company  at  Counsel- 
lor Riddle's.  My  body  was  somewhat  weak ;  but  the  Lord 
carried  me  through,  and  caused  me  to  go  to  rest  rejoicing. 
May  I  thus  go  to  my  grave,  when  my  ceaseless  and  uninter- 
rupted rest  shall  begin  ! 

"  Monday,  March  28.  Dined  this  day  at  Mrs.  Dorrel's,  mo- 
ther-in-law to  my  dear  friend  the  Rev.  Mr.  Smith  ;  and  after- 
wards preached  to  more  than  a  large  house  full  of  people,  on 
Matthew  ix.  12.  Towards  the  conclusion  of  the  sermon,  the 
hearers  began  to  be  more  affected  than  I  have  yet  seen  them. 
Surely  the  Lord  Jesus  will  give  me  some  seals  in  this  island ! 
Grant  this,  O  Redeemer  for  thy  infinite  mercy's  sake  ! 

"  Thursday,  March  3L  Dined  on  Tuesday,  at  Colonel  Cor- 
busier's ;  and  on  Wednesday,  at  Colonel  Gilbert's,  both  of  the 
council ;  and  found,  by  what  I  could  hear,  that  some  good 
had  been  done,  and  many  prejudices  removed.  Who  shall 
hinder,  if  God  will  work  ?  Went  to  an  island  this  afternoon, 
called  Ireland,  upon  which  live  a  few  families ;  and  to  my  sur- 
prise, found  a  great  many  gentlemen,  and  other  people,  with 
my  friend,  Mr.  Holiday,  who  came  from  different  quarters  to 
hear  me.  Before  I  began  preaching,  I  went  round  to  see  a 
most  remarkable  cave,  which  very  much  displayed  the  exquisite 
workmanship  of  Him,  who  in  his  strength  setteth  fast  the  moun- 

10 


110  MEMOIRS  OF    WHITEFIELD. 

tains,  and  is  girded  about  with  power.  While  I  was  in  the 
cave,  quite  unexpectedly  I  turned  and  saw  Counsellor  Riddle, 
who  with  his  son,  came  to  hear  me  :  and  while  we  were  in  the 
boat,  told  me.  that  he  had  been  with  the  governor,  who  declar- 
ed he  had  no  personal  prejudice  against  me — and  wondered  I 
did  not  come  to  town,  and  preach  there,  for  it  was  the  desire  of 
the  people ;  and  that  any  house  in  the  town,  the  court  house 
not  excepted,  should  be  at  my  service.  Thanks  be  to  God  for 
so  much  favor !  If  his  cause  requires  it,  I  shall  have  more. 
He  knows  my  heart :  I  value  the  favor  of  man  no  farther,  than 
as  it  makes  room  for  the  gospel,  and  gives  me  a  larger  scope  to 
promote  the  glory  of  God.  There  being  no  capacious  house 
upon  the  island,  I  preached  for  the  first  time  here  in  the  open 
air.  All  heard  very  attentively ;  and  it  was  very  pleasant  after 
sermon  to  see  so  many  boats  full  of  people  returning  from  the 
worship  of  God.  I  talked  seriously  to  some  in  our  own  boat, 
and  sung  a  psalm,  in  which  they  readily  joined. 

"  Sunday,  April  3.  Preached  twice  this  day  at  Mr.  Paul's 
meeting  house,  as  on  the  last  Sabbath,  but  with  greater  freedom 
and  power,  especially  in  the  morning ;  and  I  think  to  as  great, 
if  not  greater  auditories.  Dined  with  Colonel  Harvy,  another 
of  the  council — visited  a  sick  v/oman,  where  many  came  to 
hear — and  expounded  afterwards,  to  a  great  company,  at  Cap- 
tain John  Dorrel's,  Mrs.  DorrePs  son,  who  with  his  wife,  cour- 
teously entertained  me,  and  desired  me  to  make  his  house  my 
home.  So  true  is  that  promise  of  our  Lord,  '  that  whosoever 
leaves  father  and  mother,  houses  or  lands,  shall  have  in  this 
life  a  hundred  fold  with  persecution,  and  in  the  world  to  come, 
life  everlasting.'  Lord,  I  have  experienced  the  one :  in  thy 
good  time  grant  that  I  may  experience  tlie  other  also  ! 

"  Wednesday,  April  6.  Preached  yesterday  at  the  house  of 
Mr.  Anthony  Smith,  of  Baylis  }3ay,  with  a  considerable  degree 
of  warmth  ;  and  rode  afterwards  to  St.  George,  the  only  town 
on  the  Island.  The  gentlemen  of  the  town  had  sent  me  an 
invitation  by  Judge  Bascom ;  and  he,  with  several  others,  came 
to  visit  me  at  my  lodgings ;  and  informed  me,  that  the  governor 
desired  to  see  me.  About  ten  I  waited  upon  his  excellency, 
who  received  me  with  great  civility,  and  told  me  he  had  no 
objection  against  my  person,  or  my  principles,  having  never  yet 
heard  me ;  and  he  knew  nothing  in  respect  to  my  conduct  in 
moral  life,  that  might  prejudice  him  against  me  ;  but  his  inten- 
tions were,  to  let  none  preach  in  the  island,  unless  he  had  a 
written  license  to  preach  somewhere  in  America,  or  the  West 
Indies :  at  the  same  time  he  acknowledged  that  it  was  but  a 
matter  of  mere  form.  I  informed  his  excellency  that  I  had 
been  regularly  inducted  into  the  parish  of  Savannah  ;  that  I 


MEMOIRS  OP    WHITEFIELD.  Ill 

was  ordained  priest  by  letters  dismissary  from  my  lord  of  Lon- 
don, and  under  no  church  censure  from  his  Jordsjiip;  and 
would  always  read  the  church  prayers,  if  the  clergy  would  give 
me  the  use  of  their  churches.  I  added  farther,  th^at  a  minister's 
pulpit  Avas  looked  upon  as  his  freehold,  and  that  I  knew  one 
clero-yman  who  had  denied  his  own  diocesan  the  use  of  his 
pulpit.  But  I  told  his  excellency,  I  was  satisfied  with  the 
liberty  he  allowed  me,  and  would  not  act  contrary  to  his  in- 
junction. I  then  begged  leave  to  be  dismissed,  because  I  was 
obliged  to  preach  at  eleven  o'clock.  His  excellency  said  he 
intended  to  do  himself  the  pleasure  to  hear  me ;  at  eleven  the 
church  bell  rung.  The  church  bible,  prayer  book,  and  cushion, 
were  sent  to  the  town  house.  The  governor,  several  of  the 
council,  the  minister  of  the  parish,  and  assembly-men,  with  a 
great  number  of  the  town's  people,  assembled  in  great  order.  I 
was  very  sick,  through  a  cold  I  caught  last  night ;  but  read  the 
church  prayers.  The  first  lesson  was  the  15th  chapter  of  the 
1st  book  of  Samuel.  I  preached  on  those  words,  '  Righteous- 
ness exalteth  a  nation.'  Being  weak  and  faint  and  afliicted 
much  with  the  head-ache,  I  did  not  do  that  justice  to  my  sub- 
ject, which  I  sometimes  am  enabled  to  do;  but  the  Lord  so 
helped  me,  that,  as  I  found  afterwards,  tlie  governor  and  the 
other  gentlemen  expressed  their  approbation,  and  acknowledg- 
ed they  did  not  expect  to  be  so  well  entertained.  Not  unto  me, 
Lord  !  not  unto  me  !  but  unto  thy  free  grace  be  all  the  glory ! 

"  After  sermon,  Dr.  F bs,  and  Mr.  P 1,  the  collector, 

came  to  me,  and  desired  me  to  favor  them  and  the  gentlemen  of 
the  town  with  my  company  at  dinner.  I  accepted  the  invita- 
tion. The  governor  and  the  president,  and  Judge  Bascom  were 
there.  All  wondered  at  my  speaking  so  freely  and  fluently, 
without  notes.  The  governor  asked,  whether  I  used  minutes'? 
I  answered  no.  He  said  it  was  a  great  gift.  At  table,  his  ex- 
cellency introduced  something  of  religion,  by  asking  me  the 
meaning  of  the  word  hades?  Several  other  things  were 
started  about  free  will,  Adam's  fall,  predestination,  (fee,  to  all 
which  God  enabled  me  to  answer  so  pertinently,  and  taught 
me  to  mix  the  utile  and  dulce  so  together,  that  all  at  table 
seemed  highly  pleased,  shook  me  by  the  hand,  and  invited  me 
to  their  respective  houses.     The  governor,  in  particular,  asked 

me  to  dine  with  him  on  the  morrow;  and  Dr.  F bs,  one  of 

his  particular  intimates,  invited  me  to  drink  tea  in  the  after- 
noon. I  thanked  all,  returned  proper  respects,  and  went  to  my 
lodgings  with  some  degree  of  thankfulness  for  the  assistance 
vouchsafed  me,  and  abased  before  God  at  the  consideration  of 
my  unspeakable  unworthiness.  In  the  afternoon,  about  five 
o'clock,  I  expounded  the  parable  of  the  prodigal  son  to  many 


112  MEMOIRS  OF   WHITEFIELD. 

people  at  a  private  house ;  and  in  the  evening  had  Hberty  to 
speak  freely  and  closely  to  those  that .  supped  with  me.  Oh 
that  this  may  be  the  beginning  of  good  gospel  times  to  the  in- 
habitants of  this  town  !  Lord,  teach  me  to  deal  prudently 
with  them,  and  cause  them  to  melt  under  thy  word ! 

"  Friday,  April  8.  Preached  yesterday  with  great  clearness 
and  freedom,  to  about  fourscore  people,  at  a  house  on  David's 
Island,  over  against  the  town  of  St.  George — went  and  lay  at 
Mr.  Holiday's,  who  came  in  a  boat  to  fetch  me — and  this  day 
I  heard  him  preach  and  read  prayers ;  after  which  I  took  the 
sacrament  from  him.  Honest  man  !  he  would  have  made  me 
administer  and  officiate ;  but  I  chose  not  to  do  it,  lest  I  should 
bring  him  into  trouble  after  my  departure.  However,  in  the 
afternoon,  I  preached  at  Mr.  Todd's,  in  the  same  parish,  to  a 
very  large  company  indeed.  The  Lord  was  with  me.  My 
heart  was  warm — and  what  went  from  the  heart,  I  trust  went 
to  the  heart ;  for  many  were  affected.  Oh  that  they  may  be 
converted  also  !  Then  will  it  be  a  good  Friday,  indeed,  to  their 
souls. 

"  Sunday,  April  10.  Dined  and  conversed  yesterday  very 
agreeably  with  Judge  Bascom,  who  seems  to  have  the  greatest 
insight  into  the  difference  between  Arminian  and  Calvinistic 
schemes,  of  any  one  I  have  met  with  upon  the  island.  In  the 
afternoon,  I  visited  a  paralytic  ;  and  this  day  preached  twice 
again  at  Mr.  Paul's  meeting  house.  The  congregations  were 
rather  larger  than  ever,  and  the  power  of  God  seemed  to  be 
more  among  them.  I  think  I  see  visible  alteration  for  the 
better  every  Lord's  day.  Blessed  be  God  !  In  the  evening  I 
expounded  at  Mr.  Joseph  Dorrel's,  where  1  dined,  to  a  very 
large  company  :  then  went  to  his  kinsman's,  my  usual  lodging 
on  Saturday  and  Sunday  evenings  ;  who  with  his  wife  and 
other  friends,  seemed  kinder  and  kinder  daily.  Good  measure 
pressed  down,  and  running  over,  may  the  Lord,  both  as  to 
spirituals  and  temporals,  return  into  all  their  bosoms ! 

"  Saturday,  Apnl  16.  Preached  since  Lord's  day,  at  five 
different  parts  of  the  island ;  but  was  more  indisposed  one  night 
after  going  to  bed,  than  I  had  been  for  some  time.  On  two  of 
the  days  of  this  week,  I  dined  with  the  president,  and  Captain 
Spafford,  one  of  the  council,  both  of  whom  entertained  me  with 
the  utmost  civility. 

"Sunday,  April  17.  Still  God  magnifies  his  power  and 
goodness  more  and  more.  This  morning  we  had  a  pleasing 
sight  at  Mr.  Paul's  meeting  house.  I  began  to  preach,  and  the 
|3eople  to  hear  and  be  affected  as  in  days  of  old  at  home.  In- 
deed, the  prospect  is  encouraging.  Praise  the  Lord,  O  my 
soul!     After  preaching  twice  to  a  large  congregation  in  the 


MEMOIRS  OF  WIIITEFIELD.  113 

meeting  house,  I,  at  the  desire  of  the  parents,  preached  in  the 
evening  a  sermon  at  the  funeral  of  a  httle  boy,  about  five  years 
of  age.  A  great  number  of  people  attended,  and  the  Lord  ena- 
bled me  so  to  speak,  as  to  affect  many  of  the  hearers.  Blessed 
be  the  Lord  for  this  day's  work  !  Not  unto  me,  O  Lord  !  not 
unto  me,  but  unto  thy  free  grace  be  all  the  glory  ! 

"  Sunday,  April  24.  The  last  week  being  rainy,  I  preached 
only  five  times  in  private  houses  ;  and  this  day  but  once  in  the 
meeting  house ;  but  I  hope  neither  time  without  effect.  This 
evening  expounded  at  Counsellor  Riddle's,  who  with  the  other 
gentlemen  treat  me  with  great  respect  every  day.  Colonel 
Gilbert,  one  of  the  council,  has  lent  me  his  horse,  during  my 
stay ;  and  Mr.  Dorrel,  this  morning,  informed  me  of  a  design 
the  gentleman  had,  to  raise  a  contribution  to  help  me  to  dis- 
charge my  arrears,  and  support  my  orphan  family.  Thanks 
be  given  to  thy  name,  O  God !  Thou  knowest  all  things; 
Thou  knowest  that  I  want  to  owe  no  man  any  thing,  but  love; 
and  provide  for  Bethesda,  after  my  decease.  Thou  hast  pro- 
mised Thou  wilt  fulfil  the  desire  of  them  that  fear  thee.  I 
believe.  Lord  help  my  unbelief,  that  thou  wilt  fulfil  this  desire 
of  my  soul.     Even  so.     Amen ! 

"  Saturday,  April  30.  Preached  since  Lord's  day,  two  fune- 
ral sermons,  and  at  five  different  houses  in  different  parts  of 
the  island,  to  still  larger  and  larger  auditories,  and  perceived 
the  people  to  be  affected  more  and  more.  Twice  or  thrice  I 
preached  without  doors.  Riding  in  the  sun,  and  preaching 
very  earnestly,  a  little  fatigued  me ;  so  that  this  evening  I  was 
obliged  to  lie  down  for  some  time.  Faint,  yet  pursuing^  must 
be  my  motto  still. 

'-  Sunday,  May  1.  This  morning  was  a  little  sick ;  but  I  trust 
God  gave  us  a  happy  beginning  of  the  new  month.  I  preach- 
ed twice  with  power,  especially  in  the  morning,  to  a  very  great 
congregation  in  the  meeting  house  ;  and  in  the  evening,  having 
given  previous  notice,  I  preached  about  four  miles  distant,  in 
the  fields,  to  a  large  company  of  negroes,  and  a  number  of 
white  people  who  came  to  hear  what  I  had  to  say  to  them.  I 
believe  in  all,  there  were  nearly  fifteen  hundred  people.  As  the 
sermon  was  intended  for  the  negroes,  I  gave  the  auditory  warn- 
ing, that  my  discourse  would  be  chiefly  directed  to  them,  and 
that  I  should  endeavor  to  imitate  the  example  of  Elijah,  who, 
when  he  was  about  to  raise  the  child,  contracted  himself  to  its 
length.  The  negroes  seemed  very  sensible,  and  attentive. 
When  I  asked,  if  they  all  did  not  desire  to  go  to  heaven,  one 
of  them,  with  a  very  audible  voice  said,  '  Yes,  sir.'  This  caused 
a  little  smiling ;  but  in  general  every  thing  was  carried  on 
with  great  decency ;  and  I  believe  the  Lord  enabled  me  so  to 


114  MEMOIRS    OF   WHITEFIELD. 

discourse,  as  to  touch  the  negroes,  and  yet  not  to  give  them  the 
least  umbrage  to  shght,  or  behave  imperiously  to  their  masters. 
If  ever  a  minister  in  preaching,  needs  the  Avisdom  of  the  ser- 
pent to  be  joined  with  the  harmlessness  of  the  dove,  it  must  be 
when  discoursing  to  negroes.  Vouchsafe  me  this  favor,  O 
God,  for  thy  dear  Son's  sake  ! 

"  Monday,  May  2.  Upon  inquiry,  I  found  that  some  of  the 
negroes  did  not  hke  my  preaching  because  I  told  them  of  their 
cursing,  swearing,  thieving,  and  lying.  One  or  two  of  the 
worst  of  them,  as  I  was  informed,  went  away.   Some  said,  they 

would  not  go  any  more.     They  liked  Mr.  M r  better,  for 

he  never  told  them  of  these  things  ;  and  I  said,  their  hearts 
were  as  black  as  their  faces.  They  expected,  they,  said  to  hear 
me  speak  against  their  masters.  Blessed  be  God,  that  I  was 
directed  not  to  say  any  thing,  this  first  time,  to  the  masters  at 
all,  though  my  text  Jed  me  to  it.  It  might  have  been  of  bad 
consequence,  to  tell  them  their  duty,  or  cliarge  them  too  round- 
ly with  the  neglect  of  it,  before  their  slaves.  They  would  mind 
all  I  said  to  .their  masters,  and,  perhaps,  nothing  that  I  said  to 
them.  Every  tiling  is  beautiful  in  its  season.  Lord,  teach  me 
always  that  due  season,  wherever  I  am  called,  to  give  either 
black  or  white  a  portion  of  thy  word  !  However,  others  of  the 
poor  creatures,  I  hear  were  very  thankful,  and  came  home  to 
their  masters'  houses,  saying,  that  they  would  strive  to  sin  no 
more.  Poor  hearts  !  These  different  accounts  affected  me  ; 
and  upon  the  whole,  I  could  not  help  rejoicing,  to  find  that 
their  consciences  were  so  far  awake. 

"  Saturday,  May  7.  In  my  conversation  these  two  days, 
with  some  of  my  friends,  I  was  diverted  much,  in  hearing 
several  things  that  passed  among  the  poor  negroes,  since  my 
preaching  to  them  last  Sunday.  One  of  the  women,  it  seems, 
said,  '  that  if  the  book  I  preached  out  of,  was  the  best  book  that 
was  ever  bought  at  London,  she  was  sure  it  had  never  all  that 
in  it,  v/hichi  spoke  to  the  negroes.'  The  old  man,  who  spoke 
out  loud  last  Sunday,  and  eaid,  '^^es,'  when  I  asked  them 
whether  all  the  negroes  would  not  go  to  heaven,  being  ques- 
tioned by  somebod}^,  why  he  spoke  out  so,  answered,  '  that  the 
gentleman  put  the  question  once  or  twice  to  them,  and  the 
other  fools  had  not  the  manners  to  make  me  any  answer  ;  till, 
at  last,  I  seemed  to  point  at  him,  and  he  was  ashamed  that  no- 
body should  answer  me,  and  therefore  he  did.'  Another, 
wondering  why  I  said  negroes  had  black  hearts  ;  was  answer- 
ed by  his  black  brother  thus  :  'Ah,  thou  fool  !  dost  thou  not 
miderstand  it  ?  He  means  black  with  sin.'  Two  more  girls 
were  overheard  by  their  mistress,  talking  about  religion  ;  and 
tliey  said,  '  they  Imew,  if  they  did  not  repent,  they  must  be 


MEMOIRS   OFv  WHITEFIELD. 


115 


damned.'  From  all  which  I  infer,  that  these  negroes  on  the 
Bermudas  are  more  awake  than  I  supposed  ;  that  their  con- 
sciences are  awake,  and  consequently  prepared  in  a  good 
measure,  for  hearing  the  gospel  preached  unto  them. 

'•  Sunday,  May  8.  This  also,  I  trust,  has  been  a  good  Sab- 
bath. In  the  morning  I  was  helped  to  preach  powerfully  to  a 
meltino-,  and  rather  a  larger  congregation  than  ever,  in  Mr. 
Paul's  "meeting  house  ;  and  in  the  evening,  to  almost  as  large 
a  congregation  of  blacks  and  whites  as  last  Sunday  in  the  fields, 
near  my  hearty  friend,  Mr.  Holiday's  house.  To  see  so  many 
black  faces  was  affecting.  They  heard  very  attentively,  and 
some  of  them  now  bega'n  to  weep.  May  God  grant  them  a 
godly  sorrow  that  worketh  repentance  not  to  be  repented  of! 

"  Friday,  May  13.  This  afternoon  preached  over  the  corpse 
of  Mr.  Paul's  eldest  son,  about  twenty  four  years  of  age  ;  and 
by  all  I  could  hear,  and  judge  of  by  conversing  with  him,  he 
did  indeed  die  in  the  Lord.  I  visited  him  twice  last  Lord's 
day,  and  was  quite  satisfied  with  what  he  said,  though  he  had 
not  much  of  the  sensible  presence  of  God.  I  find  he  was  a 
preacher  upon  his  death  bed  :  for  he  exhorted  all  his  compan- 
ions to  love  Christ  in  sincerity ;  and  blessed  his  brother  and 
sister,  and,  I  think,  his  father  and  motiicr,  just  before  his 
departure.  A  great  many  people  attended  the  funeral.  I 
preached  on  Luke  vii.  13.  'And  when  the  Lord  saw  her,  he 
had  compassion  on  her,  and  said  unto  her,  weep  not.'  Many 
were  affected  in  the  application  of  my  discourse,  and,  I  trust, 
some  will  be  induced,  by  this  youno^  man's  good  example,  to 
remember  tlieir  Redeemer  in  the  days  of  their  youth.  Grant 
it,  O  Lord,  for  thy  dear  Son's  sake. 

"  Sunday,  May  15.  Praise  the  Lord,  O  my  soul,  and  all  that 
is  within  me  praise  his  holy  name  !  This  morning  I  preached 
my  farewell  sermon  at  Mr.  Paul's  meeting  house — it  was  quite 
full ;  and,  as  the  president  said,  above  one  hundred  and  fifty 
whites,  besides  blacks,  were  around  the  house.  Attention  sat  on 
every  face  ;  and  when  I  came  to  take  my  leave.  Oh  !  what  a 
sweet,  unaffected  weeping  was  there  to  be  seen  every  where. 
I  believe  there  were  few  dry  eyes.  The  negroes,  likewise, 
without  doors,  I  heard  weep  plentifully.  My  own  heart  was 
affected ;  and  though  I  have  parted  with  friends  so  often,  yet  I 
find  every  fresh  parting  almost  unmans  me,  and  very  much 
affects  my  heart.  Surely,  a  great  work  is  begun  in  some  souls  at 
the  Bermudas.  Carry  it  on,  O  Lord  !  and  if  it  be  thy  will,  send 
me  to  this  dear  people  again.     Even  so,  Lord  Jesus.     Amen  ! 

"  After  sermon,  I  dined  with  three  of  the  council,  and  other 
gentlemen  and  ladies,  at  Captain  Bascom's  ;  and  from  thence 
went  to  a  funeral,  at  which  Mr.  M r  preached  :  and  after 


116  MEMOIRS  OF    WHITEFIELD. 

that,  I  expounded  on  our  Lord's  transfiguration,  at  the  house 
of  one  Mrs.  Harvey,  sister  to  dear  Mr.  Smith,  of  Charleston. 
The  house  was  exceedingly  full,  and  it  was  supposed  above 
three  hundred  stood  in  the  yard.  The  Lord  enabled  me  to  lift 
up  my  voice  like  a  trumpet.  Many  wept.  Mr.  M r  re- 
turned from  the  funeral. with  me,  and  attended  the  lecture  ;  as 
did  the  three  counsellors,  with  whom  I  conversed  freely.  May 
God  reward  them,  and  all  the  dear  people  of  the  island,  for 
those  many  favors  conferred  on  me,  who  am  the  chief  of  sin- 
ners, and  less  than  the  least  of  all  saints  ! 

"  Sunday,  May  22.  Blessed  be  God  !  the  little  leven  thrown 
into  the  three  measures  of  meal,  begins  to  ferment,  and  work 
almost  every  day  for  the  week  past.  I  have  conversed  with 
souls  loaded  with  a  sense  of  their  sins  ;  and,  as  far  as  I  can 
judge,  really  pricked  to  the  heart.  I  preached  only  three  times, 
but  to  almost  three  times  larger  auditories  than  usual.  Indeed 
the  fields  are  white  ready  unto  harvest.  God  has  been  pleased 
to  bless  private  visits.  Go  where  I  will,  upon  the  least  no- 
tice, houses  are  crowded,  and  the  poor  souls  that  follow,  are 
soon  drenched  in  tears.  This  day  I  took,  as  it  were,  another 
farewell.  As  the  ship  did  not  sail,  I  preached  at  Somerset  in  the 
morning  to  a  large  congregation  in  the  fields  ;  and  expounded 
in  the  evening,  at  Mr.  Harvey's  house,  around  which  stood 
many  hundreds  of  people.  But  in  the  morning  and  evening, 
how  did  the  poor  souls  weep  !  Abundance  of  prayers  and  bless- 
ings were  put  up  for  my  safe  passage  to  England,  and  speedy 
return  to  the  Bermudas  again.  May  they  enter  into  the  ears 
of  the  Lord  of  Sabaoth  !  With  all  humility  and  thankfulness 
of  heart,  will  I  here,  O  Lord,  set  up  my  Ehenezer :  for  hitherto 
surely  thou  hast  helped  me !  Thanks  be  to  the  Lord  for  send- 
ing me  hither.  I  have  been  received  in  a  manner  I  dared 
not  expect ;  and  have  met  with  little,  very  little  opposition,  in- 
deed. The  inhabitants  seem  to  be  plain  and  open  hearted. 
They  have  loaded  me  with  provisions  for  my  sea  store  ;  and  in 
the  several  parishes,  by  a  private  voluntary  contribution,  have 
raised  me  upwards  of  one  hundred  pounds  sterling.  This 
will  pay  a  little  of  Bethesda's  debt,  and  enable  me  to  make  such 
a  remittance  to  my  dear  yoke  fellow,  as  may  keep  her  from  be- 
ing embarrassed,  or  too  much  beholden  in  my  absence.  Blessed 
be  God,  for  bringing  me  out  of  my  embarrassments  by  degrees ! 
May  the  Lord  reward  all  my  benefactors  a  thousand  fold  !  I 
I  hear  that  what  was  given,  was  given  exceedingly  heartily ; 
and  people  only  lamented  that  they  could  do  no  more."* 

♦  Bermudas  is  placed  by  itself  in  almost  the  middle  of  the  Atlantic  ocean. 
It  has  been  justly  celebrated  by  Waller  the  Poet,  and  the  late  Bishop  Berkeley, 
who  resided  there  for  some  time. 


MEMOIRS  OF   WHITEPIELD.  117 

After  having  transmitted  to  Georgia  what  was  given  to  him 
for  the  Orphan-house,  and  dreading  to  go  back  to  America  in 
that  season  of  heat,  for  fear  of  relapsing,  and  having  pressing 
calls  to  England,  he  took  the  opportunity  of  sailing  in  a  brig, 
and  in  twenty-eight  days  arrived  at  Deal.*  The  next  evening, 
July  6,  1748,  he  reached  London,  after  an  absence  of  nearly 
four  years. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

Froin  his  arrival  in  London,  1748,  to  his  going  to  Ireland  in  the 

year  1751. 

On  Whitelield's  visiting  a  few  of  his  friends,  immediately 
after  his  return,  he  found  himself  in  no  very  agreeable  situa- 
tion. His  congregation  at  the  Tabernacle  was  sadly  scattered. 
And  as  to  his  outward  circumstances,  he  had  sold  all  his  house- 
hold furniture,  to  help  to  pay  the  Orphan-house  debt,  which 
yet  was  far  from  being  canceled.  But  under  all  these  dis- 
couragements, he  was  still  supported.  His  congregation  was 
soon  recruited,  and  received  him  with  the  greatest  joy.  And 
at  this  time  a  very  unexpected  thing  happened  to  him.  The 
Countess  of  Huntingdon,  before  his  arrival,  had  ordered  Mr. 
Howel  Harris  to  bring  him  to  her  house  at  Chelsea,  as  soon  as 
he  came  on  shore.  He  went  and  having  preached  twice,  the 
countess  wrote  to  him,  that  several  of  the  nobility  desired  to 

*  During  this  voyage,  among  other  letters,  he  wrote  the  following : — 
"  June  24,  1748,  (on  board.)  Yesterday  I  made  an  end  of  revising  all  my 
Journals.  Alas  !  alas!  in  how  many  things  I  have  judged  and  acted  wrong. 
I  have  been  too  rash  and  hasty  in  giving  characters  both  of  places  and  per- 
sons. Being  fond  of  scripture  language,  1  have  often  used  a  style  too  apos- 
tolical, and  at  the  same  time  I  have  been  too  bitter  in  my  zeal.  Wild-fire  has 
been  mixed  with  it,  and  I  find  that  I  frequently  wrote  and  spoke  in  my  own 
spirit,  when  I  thought  I  was  writing  and  speaking  by  the  assistance  of  the 
Spirit  of  God.  I  have,  likewise,  too  much  made  inward  impressions  my  rule 
of  acting,  and  too  soon  and  too  explicitly  published  what  had  been  better  kept 
in  longer,  or  told  after  my  death.  By  "these  things  I  have  hurt  the  blessed 
cause  I  would  defend,  and  also  stirred  up  needless  opposition.  This  has  hum- 
bled me  m.uch,  and  made  me  think  of  a  saying  of  Mr.  Henry —'Joseph  had 
more  honesty  than  he  had  policy,  or  he  never  would  have  told  his  dreams.' 
At  the  same  time,  I  cannot  but  praise  God,  who  fills  me  with  so  much  of  his 
holy  fire,  and  carried  me,  a  poor  weak  youth,  through  such  a  torrent,  both  of 
popularity  and  contempt,  and  set  so  many  seals  to  my  unworthy  ministrations. 
1  bless  him  for  ripening  my  judgment  a  little  more,  for  giving  me  to  see  and 
confess,  and  I  hope  in  some  degree  to  correct  and  amend  some  of  my  former 
mistakes." 

At  this  time  also  he  finished  his  "Abridgment  of  Mr.  Law's  Serious  Call ;" 
which  he  endeavored  to  make  more  useful,  by  excluding  whatever  is  not 
truly  evangelical,  and  illustrating  the  subject  more  fully  from  the  Holy  Scrip- 
tures. 


118  MEMOIRS  OF  WHITEFIELD. 

he^r  him.  "  Blessed  be  God,"  he  says,  in  his  reply,  "  that  the 
rich  and  great  begin  to  have  a  hearing  ear :  I  think  it  is 
a  good  sign  that  our  Lord  intends  to  give,  to  some  at  least,  an 
obedient  heart.  How  wonderfully  does  our  Redeemer  deal 
with  souls  !  If  they  will  hear  the  gospel  only  under  a  ceiled 
roof,  ministers  shall  be  sent  to  them  there  ;  if  only  in  a  church, 
or  a  field,  they  shall  have  it  there.  A  word  in  the  lesson, 
when  I  was  last  with  your  ladyship,  struck  me, — Paul  preach- 
ed privately  to  those  that  were  of  reputation.  This  must  be 
the  way,  I  presume,  of  dealing  with  the  nobility,  who  yet  know 
not  the  Lord."  This  is  characteristic  ;  and  his  answer  to  a 
second  note,  respecting  the  time,  is  still  more  so.  "  Ever  since 
the  reading  your  ladyship's  condescending  letter,  my  soul  has 
been  overpowered  with  His  presence,  who  is  all  in  all.  When 
your  ladyship  styled  me  your  friend^  I  was  amazed  at  your 
condescension  ;  but  when  I  thought  that  Jesus  was  my  friend, 
it  quite  overcame  me  and  made  me  to  lie  prostrate  before  Him, 
crying,  Why  me  ?  wh)^  me  ?  I  just  now  rose  from  the  ground, 
after  praying  the  Lord  of  all  lords  to  water  your  soul,  honored 
madam,  every  moment.  As  there  seems  to  be  p,  door  opening 
for  the  nobility  to  hear  the  gospel,  I  will  defer  my  journey,  and, 
God  willing,  preach  at  your  ladyship's.  Oh  that  God  may  be 
with  me,  and  make  me  humble  !  I  am  ashamed  to  think  your 
ladyship  will  admit  me  under  your  roof ;  much  more  am  I 
amazed  that  the  Lord  Jesus  will  make  use  of  such  a  creature 
as  I  am  ; — quite  astonished  at  your  ladyship's  condescension, 
and  the  unmerited  superabounding  grace  and  goodness  of  Him 
who  has  loved  me,  and  given  Himself  for  me." 

Lord  Chesterfield  and  Bolingbroke*  were  among  his  audi- 
tors at  Chelsea  :  the  countess  had  done  well  in  inviting  those 
persons  who  stood  most  in  need  of  repentance.  The  former 
complimented  the  preacher  with  his  usual  courtliness  ;  the 
latter  is  said  to  have  been  much  moved  at  the  discourse  :  he 
invited  Whitefield  to  visit  him,  and  seems  then  to  have 
been  not  disinclined  to  pass  from  infidelity  to  Christianity, 

*  This  celebrated  infidel  and  toiy,  was  one  day  reading  Calvin's  Institutes. 
A  clergyman  (the  Rev.  Mr.  Church,  who  died  curate  of  Battersea)  of  his  lord- 
ship's acquaintance  coming  in  on  a  visit,  Lord  B.  said  to  him,  "  You  have 
caught  me  reading  John  Calvin  ;  he  was  indeed  a  man  of  great  parts,  pro- 
found sense,  and  vast  learning  ;  he  handles  the  doctrines  of  grace  in  a  very 
masterly  manner."  "  Doctrines  of  grace  !"  replied  the  clergyman,  "  the  doc- 
trines of  grace  have  set  all  mankind  together  by  the  ears."  "  I  am  surprised 
to  hear  you  say  so  ;"  answered  Lord  B.,  *'  you  who  profess  to  believe  and  to 
preach  Christianity.  Those  doctrines  are  certainly  the  doctrines  of  the  Bible, 
and  if  I  believe  the  Bible  I  must  believe  them.  And,  let  me  seriously  tell  you, 
that  the  greatest  miracle  in  the  world  is  the  subsistence  of  Christianity,  and  its 
continued  preservation,  as  a  religion,  when  the  preaching  of  it  is  committed 
to  the  care  of  such  unchristian  wretches  as  you." 


MEMOIRS  OF  WHITEFIELD.  119 

Lady  Huntingdon,  pleased,  perhaps,  by  the  applause  which 
was  bestowed  upon  the  performance,  appointed  Whitefield  one 
of  her  chaplains.  He,  at  this  time,  writing  to  Mr.  Wesley, 
says,  "What  have  you  thought  about  a  union?  I  am  afraid 
an  external  one  is  impracticable.  I  find,  by  your  sermons, 
that  we  differ  in  principles  more  than  I  thought,  and  I  believe 
we  are  upon  two  different  plans.  My  attachment  to  America 
will  not  permit  me  to  abide  very  long  in  England,  consequent- 
ly I  should  but  weave  a  Penelope's  web  if  I  formed  societies  ; 
and,  if  I  should  form  them,  I  have  not  proper  assistants  to  take 
care  of  them ;  I  intend,  therefore,  to  go  about  preaching  the 
gospel  to  every  creature." 

In  September,  1748,  he  visited  Scotland  the  third  time,  and 
was  received  with  a  hearty  welcome.  Multitudes  crowded  to 
hear  him,  both  at  Edinburgh  and  Glasgow.  "  I  have  reason," 
says  he,  --to  believe  some  have  been  awakened,  and  many 
quickened  and  comforted.  My  old  friends  are  more  solidly  so 
than  ever ;  and  a  foundation,  I  trust,  has  been  laid  for  doing 
much  good,  if  ever  the  Lord  should  call  me  thitlier  again. 
Two  Synods  and  one  Presbytery,  brought  me  upon  the  cai-pet ; 
but  all  has  worked  for  good." 

These  were  the  Synods  of  Glasgow  and  Perth,  gnd  the 
Presbytery  of  Edinburgh.  What  happened  in  the  Synod  of 
Glasgow,  may  be  seen  in  a  pamphlet,  entitled,  "  a  fair  and  im- 
partial Account  of  the  Debate  in  the  Synod  of  Glasgow  and 
Air,  October  6th,  1748,  against  employing  Mr.  Whitefield," 
published  at  Edinburgh  the  same  year,  and  supposed  to  be 
written  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Erskine,  who  was  then  minister  at 
Kirkintillock.  The  short  history  of  the  matter  is  this :  A 
motion  was  made,  tending  to  prohibit  or  discourage  ministers 
from  employing  Whitefield.  The  speeclies  made  in  support 
of  the  motion  were  upon  the  following  topics  :  His  being  a 
priest  of  the  Church  of  England — That  he  had  not  subscribed 
the  Formula — His  imprudences — Chimerical  scheme  of  the 
Orphan-house — Want  of  evidence  that  the  money  he  collects 
is  rightly  applied — Asserting  that  assurance  is  essential  to  faith 
— Encouraging  a  dependence  on  impulses  and  immediate  reve- 
lations— Declaring,  on  slender  evidence,  some  people  converted, 
and  others  carnal  and  unregencrated — Often,  indeed,  pretend- 
ing to  repent  of  his  blunders,  and  retract ;  but  as  often  relapsing 
into  them — And  lastly,  his  being  under  a  sentence  of  suspension 
by  Commissary  Garden,  from  which  he  had  appealed  to  the 
High  Court  of  Chancery,  and  made  oath  to  prosecute  that  ap- 
peal in  a  twelve  month  ;  and  yet  it  was  never  prosecuted. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  ministers  who  were  against  the  mo- 
tion, spoke  in  this  manner  :  "  I  blush  to  think  (said  one)  that, 


120  MEMOIRS   OF    WHITEFIELD. 

any  of  our  brethren  should  befriend  a  proposal  so  contrary  to 
that  moderation  and  catholic  spirit  which  now  is,  and  I  hope 
ever  will  be,  the  glory  of  our  church.  I  am  sensible,  that  many 
things  in  the  Church  of  England  need  reformation  ;  but  I 
honor  her,  notwithstanding,  as  our  sister  church.  If  Bishop 
Butler,  Bishop  Sherlock,  or  Bishop  Seeker,  were  in  Scotland,  I 
should  welcome  them  to  my  pulpit.  In  this  I  should  imitate 
Mr.  Samuel  Rutherford,  as  firm  a  Presbyterian  as  any  of  us, 
who  yet  employed  Bishop  Usher.  There  is  no  law  of  Christ, 
no  act  of  Assembly,  prohibiting  me  to  give  my  pulpit  to  an 
Episcopal,  Independent,  or  Anabaptist  minister,  if  of  sound 
principles  in  the  fundamentals  of  religion,  and  of  a  sober  life. 
Our  church  expressly  enjoins.  Act.  XII,  April,  1711,  that  great 
tenderness  is  to  be  used  to  foreign  Protestants.  The  requiring 
strangers  to  subscribe  our  Formula,  before  they  preach  with 
us,  would  lay  as  effectual  a  bar  against  employing  those  of 
Congregational  principles,  or  Presbyterian  non-subscribers,  as 
those  of  the  Church  of  England." 

"As  to  Mr.  Whitefield  (said  another)  there  are  few  ministers 
whose  characters  have  been  so  well  attested,  by  the  most  com- 
petent judges,  both  at  home  and  abroad.  One  thing  I  cannot 
but  observe  :  those  who  have  spoken  most  warmly  against  Mr. 
Whitefield  in  this  debate,  acknowledge  they  have  made  little 
or  no  inquny  into  his  character  :  whereas  those  on  the  other 
side  have  made  a  careful  inquiry  ;  and  that  inquiry  has  turned 
out  entirely  to  their  satisfaction.  With  regard  to  his  impru- 
dences, there  is  a  great  difference  betwixt  blunders  owing  to  a 
bad  heart,  ,and  those  that  are  owing  only  to  a  misinformed 
judgment ;  especially,  when  the  mistakes  that  occasioned  them 
have  misled  several  great  and  good  men.  Whether  Mr.  White- 
field's  scheme  of  the  Orphan-house  be  prudent  or  not,  it  is  de- 
monstrable it  was  honestly  meant.  The  magistrates  of  Savan- 
nah published,  three  years  ago,  in  the  Philadelphia  Gazette, 
an  affidavit  that  they  had  carefully  examined  Mr.  Whitefield's 
receipts  and  disbursements,  and  found  that  what  he  had  col- 
lected in  behalf  of  the  orphans  had  been  honestly  applied ;  and 
that,  besides,  he  had  given  considerably  to  them  of  his  own 
property.  As  to  his  maintaining  that  assurance  is  essential  to 
faith,  encouraging  an  unwarrantable  regard  to  impressions, 
and  JDcing  too  hasty  in  pronouncing  men  carnal  or  converted, 
his  sentiments  in  these  particulars,  have  been  altered  for  up- 
wards of  two  years.  And  now  he  scarce  preaches  a  sermon, 
without  guarding  his  hearers  against  relying  on  impressions, 
telling  them  that  faith,  and  a  persuasion  we  are  justified,  are 
very  different  things,  and  that  a  holy  life  is  the  best  evidence 
of  a  gracious  state.     The   retractions  are  owing  to  a  real 


MEMOIRS   OF    WHITEFIELD.  121 

change  of  sentiment.  Letters  from  correspondents  in  New 
England  show,  that  this  change  is  at  least  of  two  years  date, 
and  that  ever  since  it  happened  he  has  preached  and  acted 
with  remarkable  caution.  Lastly,  with  respect  to  the  prosecu- 
tion of  his  appeal,  Mr.  Whitefield  exerted  himself  to  the  utmost 
to  get  his  appeal  heard,  but  could  not  prevail  on  the  Lords 
Commissioners  so  much  as  once  to  meet  on  the  affair  ;  they, 
no  doubt,  thinking  of  Mr.  Garden's  arbitrary  proceedings  with 
the  contempt  they  deserved.  But,  say  some,  'Mr.  Whitefield, 
beinof  under  a  suspension  not  yet  reversed,  is  now  no  minister.^ 
But  for  what  was  he  suspended  ?  Why,  for  no  other  crime, 
than  omitthig  to  use  the  form  of  prayer  prescribed  in  the  com- 
munion book,  when  officiating  in  a  Presbyterian  congregation. 
And  shall  a  meeting  of  Presbyterian  ministers  pay  any  regard, 
to  a  sentence  which  had  such  a  fonndation  V 

The  issue  of  the  debate  was,  a  rejecting  of  the  motion  by  a 
vote  of  37  to  13  ;  and  a  resolution  which  was  so  expressed  as 
to  be  a  decent  burial  of  it ;  laying  no  new  restriction  on  minis- 
ters from  inviting  strangers,  b.vit  leaving  thinirs  precisely  as 
they  were  before.  And  they  who  chose  to  give  Whitefield  their 
pulpits  never  after  met  with  any  molestation.  Upon  the  whole, 
the  attacks  made  on  "Whitefield's  character  proved  the  occa- 
sion of  informing  the  S\iiod  of  the  falsehood  of  many  asper- 
sions thrown  out  against  him,  of  the  great  increase  of  his 
prudence  and  caution,  and  the  remarkable  change  in  his 
sentiments  and  behavior,  so  far  as  either  were  offensive.  And 
thus  what  was  intended  for  his  reproach  turned  out  to  his 
honor. 

While  he  was  in  Scotland,  he  endeavored  to  do  all  the  ser- 
vice he  could  to  the  New  Jersey  College,  and  in  conjunction 
with  some  ministers  who  wished  well  to  the  institution,  advis- 
ed the  sending  over  a  minister  from  America,  to  make  apphca- 
tion  in  person  :  which  was  afterwards  done  in  the  year  1754, 
when  application  was  made  by  Mr.  Tennent  and  Mr.  Davies 
to  the  assembly,  who  appointed  a  general  collection. 

Mr.  Whitefield's  thoughts  were  now  engaged  on  a  plan  for 
making  his  Orphan-house,  which  was  at  first  intended  only  for 
the  reception  of  poor  fatherless  children,  a  seminary  of  litera- 
ture and  academical  learning.  He  thought  that  such  an  in- 
stitution was  much  Avanted  in  America,  and  that,  if  proi>erly 
conducted,  it  would  render  very  essential  service  to  the  colony- 
In  consequence  of  which,  on  his  return  to  England,  he  signi- 
fied this  to  be  his  intention,  by  letter  to  the  Trustees,  if  they 
would  be  pleased  to  alter  the  government  of  the  colony,  and 
permit  a  limited  use  of  negroes ;  for  otherwise,  it  was  Iiis 
opinion,  that  Georgia  would  never  become  a  flourishing  pro- 


122  MEMOIRS  OF    WIIITEFIELD. 

vince.     In  the  mean  time,  he  traveled,  preached  ei^eiy  where 
as  usual,  meeting-  with  great  success  during  the  winter. 

In  February,  1749,  he  made  an  excursion  to  Exeter*  and 
Plymouth,  where  he  was  agreeably  surprised  to  fmd  a  great 
alteration  in  the  people,  since  his  last  visit  to  those  parts,  about 
five  years  before,  lie  was  received  by  his  late  converts  as  an 
angel  of  God ;  and  by  none  more  cordially  than  the  Rev.  An- 
drew Kinsman  ;t  at  whose  house  he  resided  during  the  present 

*  When  Whitefield  was  preaching  at  Exeler,  a  man  was  present  who  had 
loaded  his  pockets  with  stones,  in  order  to  fling  them  at  that  precious  ambas- 
sador of  Christ.  He  heard  his  prayer,  however,  with  patience  :  but  no  sooner 
had  he  named  his  text,  than  the  man  pulled  a  stone  out  of  his  pocket,  and 
held  it  in  his  hand,  wailing  for  a  fair  opportunity  to  throw  it.  But  God  sent 
a  word  to  his  heart,  and  the  stone  dropped  from  his  hand.  After  sermon  he 
v/ent  to  Mr.  Whitefield  and  told  him,  "  Sir,  I  came  to  hear  you  this  day, 
with  a  view  to  break  your  head ;  but  the  Spirit  of  God,  through  your  ministry, 
has  given  me  a  broken  heart."  The  man  proved  to  be  a  sound  convert  and 
lived  an  ornament  to  the  gospel.     Such  power  belongeth  unto  God ! 

t  The  Rev.  Andrew  Kinsman  was  born  at  Tavistock,  in  the  county  of  De- 
von, November  17,  1721.  His  childhood  and  youth  were  marked  by  a  dispo- 
sition and  manners  mild  and  engaging,  together  with  a  behavior  to  his  pa- 
rents peculiarly  dutiful.  He  was,  however,  unacquainted  with  the  religion  of 
the  gospel,  until  he  had  attained  his  seventeenth  year,  when  providentially 
meeting  with  a  volume  of  Mr.  Vv'hiteficld's  sermons,  one  of  those  on  the  new 
birth,  was  greatly  blessed  as  a  means  of  informing  his  judgment,  and  alarming 
his  conscience.  Having  but  a  few  spiritual  friends  to  converse  with,  he  con- 
tinued for  some  time  in  a  state  of  suspense,  relative  to  his  interest  in  divine 
things,  and  was  uncertain  v/hether  he  was  actually  renewed  in  the  .spirit  of 
his  mind.  But  God,  who  hearelh  the  sorrowful  sighing  prisoner,  at  length 
gave  him  the  "  oil  of  joy  for  mourning,  and  the  garment  of  praise  for  the  spirit 
of  heaviness." 

His  gloomy  and  tormenting  fears  being  happily  dissipated,  and  his  heart  ex- 
ulting in  the  grace  of  God  his  Savior,  he  was  soon  impressed  with  an  ardent 
concern,  to  interest  the  attention  of  his  relations  in  these  important  objects. 

Their  great  indifference,  even  to  the  form  of  godliness,  gave  frequent  occa- 
sion to  many  strong  cries  and  tears  to  God  in  secret,  that  Christ  might  be 
formed  in  their  hearts,  the  hope  of  glory.  But  being  unable  to  suppress  his 
feelings  any  longer,  he  one  evening  exclaimed,  with  an  effectual  emotion, 
as  they  were  retiring  to  their  chambers,  "What !  shall  we  go  to  bed  without 
prayer'?  How  do  we  know  but  some  of  us  may  awake  in  hell  before  morn- 
ing 7"  By  this  unexpected  address,  the  family  were  siezed  with  a  solemn 
awe;  and  while  they  looked  on  each  other  with  conscious  shame,  for  the  neg- 
lect of  so  obvious  a  duty,  he  fell  upon  his  knees,  and  prayed  with  a  readiness 
£ind  fervor,  which  greatly  excited  their  astonishment. 

Nor  was  his  anxiety  confined  to  their  spiritual  welfare;  for  his  heart's  de- 
sire was,  that  his  neighbors  might  also  participate  in  the  unsearchable  riches 
of  Christ.  He  therefore  shortly  began  to  read  Whitefield's  sermons,  to  as 
many  as  would  attend  ;  and  supposed,  with  Melancthon,  that  what  had  proved 
so  singular  a  blessing  to  himself,  would  not  fail  to  produce  similar  effects  on 
them,'as  soon  as  they  were  heard.  Continuing  to  read  the  works  of  eminent 
divines  for  some  time,  the  small  company  who  attended  these  exercises,  per- 
ceiving him  to  be  a  youth  of  promising  abilities,  encouraged  him  to  cultivate 
them,  by  the  study  and  delivery  of  his  own  discourses.  After  repeated  soli- 
citations he  was  prevailed  upon  ;  and  his  first  essay  of  this  nature,  was  from 
Ezek.  xxxvii.  3.  "  Son  of  man,  can  these  bones  live  1  and  I  answered,  O  Lord 
God,  thou  knowest."  He  used  to  speak  of  this  as  a  season  peculiarly  solemn 
and  afiecting.  The  Lord  encouraged  these  his  early  efforts,  giving  him  many 
seals  to  his  ministry,  among  whom  were  his  father,  mother,  and  three  sisters. 


MEMOIRS  OF    V/HITEFIELD.  123 

and  every  subsequent  visit.     From  this  time,  Mr.  Kinsman  be- 
came intimately  acquainted,  and  closely  connected  with  White- 

About  this  period,  Whitefield,  in  one  of  his  voyages  to  America,  was  obliged, 
by  an  unexpected  occurrence,  to  repair  to  Plymouth,  where  he  had  never  been 
before,  to  secure  himself  a  passage  in  a  ship  about  to  sail  from  that  port. 
Here,  according  to  his  usual  custom,  he  embraced  the  first  opportunity  of 
preaching  to  the  inhabitants.  He  had  not  delivered  many  discourses,  before 
a  gracious  Providence  preserved  him  from  being  assassinated,  and  at  the 
same  time,  overruled  the  horrid  attempt  of  his  enemies,  to  the  furtherance  of 
the  gospel.  Intelligence  of  these  circumstances  being  circulated  around  tiie 
adjacent  country,  Mr.  Kinsman  fled  with  great  eagerness  to  hear  him.  Being 
introduced  after  sermon  to  his  company,  he  prevailed  on  him  to  visit  Tavi- 
stock. But  the  opposition  he  there  met  with  was  so  violent,  as  to  excite  such 
a  deep  rooted  antipathy  in  the  mind  of  Mr.  Kinsman,  to  his  native  town,  that 
he  resolv^ed  to  reside  in  it  no  longer.  Having  removed  to  Plymouth,  he,  at 
the  age  of  about  twenty-one,  commenced  an  acquaintance  with  Miss  Ann  Ti- 
ley,  with  whom  he  was  united  in  marriage,  in  the  year  1745.  She  was  a  very 
spiritual  and  zealous  christian :  and,  with  many  "others,  had  been  converted 
under  Mr.  Whitefield's  ministry,  while  he  was  detained  there  through  the  de- 
lays of  the  convoy.  By  her  he  had  four  children,  Ann,  Andrew^  John,  and 
George;  the  two  former  of  whom  still  survive,  and  are  members  of  the  reli- 
gious community  over  which  he  presided. 

At  Plymouth,  God  gave  testimony  to  the  word  of  his  grace.  The  congrega- 
tions rapidly  increased ;  and  many  were  "added  to  the  church  of  such  as  should 
be  .saved."  A  large  place  of  worship  was  shortly  after  erected,  called  '•  Tho 
Tabernacle,"  towards  the  erection  of  which,  ]\lr.  Kinsman  generously  con- 
tributed. This  place  was  chiefly  supplied  by  Mr.  Whitefield's  colleagues, 
the  Rev.  Messrs.  Cennick,  Adams,  Middleton,  &c.  &c.  who  were  kindly  enter- 
tained under  Mr.  Kinsman's  roof,  free  of  any  expense  to  themselves,  or  the 
infant  cause. 

As  Plymouth  Dock,  about  two  irfiles  from  Plymouth,  became  increasingly 
populous ;  and  as  there  was  no  place  of  worship  in  all  the  town  to  accommo- 
date the  inhabitants,  except  the  little  chapel  in  the  King's  Yard,  Mr.  Kins- 
man considered  this  circumstances  as  a  fit  occasion  to  difluse  among  them  the 
savor  of  the  knowledge  of  Christ.  He  began  to  preach  out  of  doors,  and 
continued  this  practice  for  some  time,  amidst  the  most  violent  persecutions  j 
being  frequently  obliged  to  fly  for  his  life  ;  and  he  often  expected  that  before 
the  ensuing  morning,  his  dwelling  house  at  Plymouth  would  be  demolished. 
At  times  he  has  been  surrounded  by  eight  or  nine  drums  from  the  military,  to 
drown  his  voice. 

But  amidst  this  formidable  opposition,  his  strength-  was  equal  to  his  day. 
Now  Providence  would  soften  his  adversaries  into  pity,  and  thereby  divert 
them  from  their  evil  purposes;  then  would  fortify  him  with  courage  to  with- 
stand the  united  efforts  of  outrageous  mobs.  Once  in  particular,  at  Dock,  a 
person  of  considerable  fortune  hired  a  number  of  men  to  interrupt  his  preach- 
ing. On  arriving  at  the  spot,  they  were  so  moved  by  his  engaging  address, 
that  they  not  only  desisted  from  their  design,  but  directed'  their  vengeance 
against  their  mischievous  employer,  who  with  diificulty  escaped  with  his 
life;  and  so  exemplified  the  Avords  of  David,  "His  mischief  shall  retuDi 
upon  his  own  head,  and  his  violent  dealing  shall  come  down  upon  his  own 
pate." 

At  another  time,  when  the  congregation  was  assembled  in  Plymouth  Taber- 
nacle, it  was  disturbed  by  a  lieutenant  of  the  navy  ;  who  came  with  a  part 
of  his  crew,  armed  for  a  desperate  assault.  Having  broken  the  windows, 
they  entered  the  place  in  a  body.  Their  first  attempt  was  to  extinguish  the 
lights,  and  then  to  fall  upon  the  people  ;  but  a  person  perceiving  their  design, 
drew  up  the  chandelier  to  the  ceiling  of  the  building.  Baflled  in  this  project, 
they  fell  upon  the  people,  without  regard  either  to  age  or  sex,  and  beat  them 
with  their  bludgeons  in  a  merciless  manner. 

The  worship  being  interrupted,  a  general  alarm  and  outcry  of  murder 


124  MEMOIRS    OF    V/HITEFIELD. 

field;  for  whom  He  retained  the  most  hhal  affection  to  his  dying" 
day:  frequently  traveled  with,  and  consulted  him  as  a  father 
upon  all  his  religious  concerns. 

ensued.  At  this  instant,  Mr.  Kinsman,  by  an  extraordinary  effort,  throwin^r 
hiniielt'  into  the  midst  of  the  throng,  seized  the  lieutenant,  the  ringleader  ot 
the  rioters  ;  and  as  he  v/as  drawing  his  sword  upon  him,  wrested  it  from  his 
liand.  No  exertion  on  the  side  of  the  rioters  could  force  Mr.  Kinsman  to  quit 
Ills  hold  of  the  lieutenant;  and  by  main  strength,  in  the  heat  of  the  rencoun- 
ter, he  drew  him  out  of  the  Tabernacle  into  the  yard,  where  the  same  scene  of 
confusion  was  continued.  Here  the  lieutenant  "made  many  violent  struggles 
to  disengage  himself,  left  his  laced  hat,  and  had  his  clothes  considerably  torn 
in  the  attempt.  But  ]Mr.  Kinsman  preserved  his  hold,  dragged  him  into  his 
dwelling-house,  and  carried  him  otf  through  the  front  door  to  the  magistrate. 
Both  panics  were  now  at  a  loss  to  discov^er  what  had  become  of  their  cham- 
pions. Mr.  Kinsman's  friends  were  almost  distracted,  supposing  he  had  been 
carried  oli'  by  the  rioters,  and  torn  piece-meal.  But  they  were  soon  agreea- 
bly disappointed.*  The  lieutenant  conducted  himself  with  great  insolence 
before  the  magistrate,  who  committed  him  to  the  Avatch  house,  where  he  lay 
all  night.  Being  brought  before  him  again  the  next  morning,  he  acknowledg- 
ed his  offence,  engaged  to  repair  all  damages,  and  make  such  other  conces- 
sions as  the  injured  party  might  require.  Mr.  Kinsman  having  obtained  his 
object,  and  being  unwilling  to  injure  the  cause  of  reiglion  in  the  esteem  of 
the  worlil,  by  a  spirit  of  inexorable  resentment,  acceded  to  his  proposals,  and 
he  was  accordingly  dismissed ;  nor  was  he  ever  after  called  upon  by  Mr. 
Ivinsman  or  his  friends,  to  fulfil  his  engagements. 

Having  procured  a  private  house  in  Dock,  he  preached  the  first  time  to 
about  sixteen  persons ;  but  the  congregations  rapidly  increased  ;  and  in  the 
year  17rr2,  a  meeting  house  was  erected,  which,  by  the  blessing  of  God  upon 
ills  ministry,  it  became  necessary  to  enlaz'ge  six  or  seven  times. 

He  was  now  called  out  to  itinerate  frequently  in  many  counties  in  the 
kingdom;  and  his  peculiar  abilities  attracted  general  attention,  which,  to- 
gether with  the  affability  of  his  manners,  and  his  uncommon  cheerfulness, 
raised  him  to  a  high  degree  of  esteem  wherever  he  went.  Nor  was  he  less 
respected,  nor  his  ministry  attended  with  less  general  good,  at  Bristol  and 
London — cities  to  which  he  was  invited  by  ^Vhitefield ;  who  used  to  call 
Bristol  Mr.  Kinsman's  America,  alluding  to  his  o\vn  popularity  and  success 
in  that  quarter  of  the  world. 

"Whitetield  being  about  to  sail  for  America,  sent  for  him  to  London.  On 
liis  arrival  he  was  introduced,  and  dined  with  him  at  the  Tabernacle-house, 
in  company  with  a  young  clerg\'man.  After  dinner  there  M-as  a  most  tre- 
inendoiis  storm  of  thunder  and  lightning.  As  they  stood  at  the  window  be-- 
low  the  raging  elements,  Mr.  Kinsman,  supposing  the  clergyman,  from  his 
^emg  a  visitant  to  Whitefield,  to  be  a  serious  person,  familiarly  put  his  hand 
upon  his  shoulder,  and  with  great  cheerfulness  and  energv,  repeated  the 
words  of  Dr.  Watts  :— 

'■  The  God  that  rules  on  high 

And  thunders  when  he  please; 
That  rides  upon  the  stormy  sky, 

And  manages  the  seas, — " 

And  then,  with  peculiar  pathos  and  confidence,  added, 

'■  This  aAvful  God  is  ours, 
Our  Father  and  our  Love  !" 

The  words  so  appositely  introduced,  so  solemnly  and  so  emphatically  deliv- 
ered, made  a  deep  impression  on  the  mind  of  the  young  clergyman,  and 
began  a  conversation,  which,  by  the  blessing  of  God,  ended  in  his  saving 
conversion. 


MEMOIRS  OF    WHITEFIELD.  125 

Multitudes  crowded  to  hear  him  ;  and  many  gave  proofs  of 
a  solid  conversion  to  God.     '•  Now,"  says  he,  "  Plymouth  seems 

Here  his  ministry  was  greatly  o^^^led. :  and  he  thought  himself  highly- 
honored  in  preaching  the  first  sermon  that  ever  was  delivered  from  the  pulpit 
of  the  present  Tabernacle.  His  harmonious  voice,  his  sprightly  and  pathetic 
manner  of  address,  brought  no  small  number  of  all  ranks  to  hear  him  :  among 
whom  was  Shuter,  the  celebrated  comedian,  who,  having  been  excited  by 
curiosity  to  hear  Whitefield,  was  so  aflected  with  his  preaching,  that  at  one 
time  there  were  hopes  of  his  being  under  serious  impressions.  Having  also 
heard  Mr.  Kinsman,  he  was  so  delighted  with  him,  that  he  frequently  visited 
him.  But  the  lamentable  immorality  that  pervades  the  stage,  the  scoffs  of 
ridicule  from  men  of  considerable  influence,  and  the  contemptuous  insinua- 
tions of  the  profane,  that  most  dangerous  and  destructive  method  of  attack  to 
which  Mr.  Shuter  was,  by  his  profession,  particularly  exposed,  soon  operated 
as  a  foil  to  those  rising  hopes  that  were  entertained  concerning  him,  and,  as 
blasts,  swept  away  those  promising  and  blooming  flowers. 

Some  years  after,  having  forgotten  where  he  lived,  accidentally  meeting 
Mr.  Kinsman  at  Plymouth,  he  embraced  him  with  rapture,  and  inquired  if 
that  was  the  place  of  his  residence.  He  replied,  "  Yes ;  but  I  am  just  return- 
ed from  London,  where  I  have  preached  so  often,  and  to  such  large  auditories, 
and  have  been  so  indisposed,  that  Dr.  Folhergill  advised  my  immediate  return 
to  the  country,  for  change  of  air."  "  And  I,"  said  Mr.  Shuter,  "  have  been 
acting  Sir  John  Falstaff  so  often,  that  I  thought  I  should  have  died ;  and  the 

Physicians  advised  me  to  come  into  the  country  for  the  benefit  of  the  air. 
lad  you  died,  it  would  have  been  serving  the  best  of  Masters;  but  had  /,  it 
would  have  been  in  the  service  of  the  devil.  Oh,  sir,  do  you  think  I  shall 
ever  be  called  again  1  I  certainly  was  when  I  was  studying  my  part  in  the 
park ;  and  if  Mr.  Whitefield  had  let  me  come  to  the  Lord's  table  with  him,  I 
never  should  have  gone  back  again.  But  the  caresses  of  the  great  are  ex- 
ceedingly ensnaring.     My  Lord  E sent  for  me  to  day  j  and  I  was  glad  I 

could  not  go.  Poor  things  !  they  are  unhappy,  and  they  want  Shuter  to  make 
them  laugh.  But,  oh,  sir!  such  a  life  as  yours  !^  As.  soon  as  I  leave  you,  I 
shall  be  King  Richard.  This  is  what  they  call  a  good  play,  as  good  as  some 
sermons.  I  acknowledge  there  are  some  striking  and  moral  things  in  it.  But 
after  it,  I  shall  come  again  with  my  farce  of  A  Dish  of  all  Sorts,  and  knock  all 
that  on  the  head.  Fine  reformers  are  we  !"  The  inhabitants  afterwards 
taking  notice  that  he  visited  Mr.  Kinsman,  were  astonished  ;  and  one  gentle- 
man in  particular,  asked  him,  if  he  were  a  Methodist  1  "  Mine  is  a  fine 
method,  is  it  not  1     No  ;  I  wish  I  was.     If  any  are  right,,  they  are." 

Mr.  Kinsman  was  once  preaching  in  London  on  the  Lord's  day,  and  a  heavy 
and  unexpected  shower  of  rain  coming  on,  several  Sabbath  breakers  passing 
at  that  instant,  fled  into  the  Tabernacle  for  shelter.  Among  these,  Mas  a 
young  man  who  was  personally  acquainted  with  Mr.  Kinsman  at  Plymouth. 
Seeing  him  in  the  pulpit  he  immediately  resolved  to  waft  till  the  conclusion 
of  the  service,  and  inquire  after  the  welfare  of  his  relation.  This  he  accord- 
ingly did — to  whom  Mr.  Kinsman  replied,  with  his  usual  affability,  "  Your 
good  aunt  and  religious  mother  are  both  lately  gone  to  heaven  ;  but  which 
way  are  you  going  7  What  will  your  pious  mother  say,  if  she  should  miss 
her  William  there  7"  Though  the  sermon  had  not  the  least  effect,  this  sen- 
tence struck  him  to  the  heart ;  and  God  made  it  the  means  of  his  conver- 
sion. He  afterwards  became  a  very  valuable  member  of  the  church  at  Dock, 
and  died  an  Israelite  indeed!  Some  years  after,  his  youngest  son,  a  vvikl 
young  man,  marrying,  and  having  a  child,  applied  to  Mr.  Kinsman  to  baptize 
It.  Mr.  K.  having  some  knowledge  of  his  character,  told  him,  he  would  bap- 
tize his  child  for  the  grandfather's  .sake ;  and  then  began  to  relate  the  strikmg 
circumstance  of  his  father's  conversion.  This  so  affected  the  young  man,  that 
from  that  time  he  became  serious  ;  and  is  now  a  member  of  the  same  church 
at  Dock. 

At  Plymouth  and  Dock-his  preaching  was  still  attended  with  remarkable 
success,  particularly  among  young  persons.    At  length  the  repealed  solicitJi- 

IX* 


126  MEMOIRS  OF    WHITEFIELD. 

to  be  quite  a  new  place  to  me."'  As  his  health  was  impaired  in 
London,  he  loved  to  range,  as  he  calls  it,  after  precious  souls. 

tious  of  the  people  induced  him  to  limit  the  sphere  of  his  operations,  and,  ex- 
cept his  visits  to  London  and  Bristol,  his  labors  were  chiefly  confined  to  the 
above  places. 

In  the  year  1763,  the  society  at  Dock  becoming  very  numerous,  wished  to 
be  formed  into  a  regular  church.  They  therefore  gave  Mr.  Kinsman  a  una- 
nimous call  to  take  the  oversight  of  them ;  and  he  having  accepted  it,  was  set 
apart  for  the  pastoral  office  at  Broadmead,  in  Bristol,  August  4th,  by  the  Rev. 
Benjamin  Fawcctt  of  Kidderminster ;  the  Rev.  George  Powell  of  Wethers- 
field  ;  the  Rev.  Jeremiah  Field  of  Wellington,  Somerset ;  the  Rev.  Hugh 
Evans,  and  the  Rev.  John  Thoman  of  Bristol.  In  the  year  1771,  he  went  to 
reside  wholly  at  Dock ;  until  which  period  he  never  received  any  pecuniary 
consideration  for  his  services  ;  nor  did  he,  in  the  whi^le  course  of  "his  ministry 
at  Plymouth,  never  having  required  any. 

After  his  settlement  in  the  pastoral  office,  Providence  raised  up  several  of 
the  members  of  the  church  to  assist  in  preaching,  particularly  the  Rev. 
Robert  Heath,  now  of  Redborough.  But  these  being  frequently  called  to 
labor  in  the  adjacent  towns  and  villages,  and  the  state  of  Mr.  Kinsman's 
health  for  many  years,  not  admitting  of  his  preaching  three  times  on  the 
Lord's  day,  both  places  were  obliged  to  be  provided  with  regular  assistants, 
the  most  distinguished  of  whom  Avere :  at  Plymouth  the  Rev.  Messrs.  Dunn 
and  Padden  ;  at  Dock,  the  Rev.  Messrs.  Jones  and  Lake ;  each  of  whom  con- 
tinued for  some  time  in  the  exercise  of  his  talents  Avith  success,  until  mvited 
to  the  pastoral  office  of  other  places.  After  they  were  removed,  a  succession 
of  ministers  from  the  metropolis  and  other  parts  of  the  kingdom,  regularly 
supplied  the  congregation,  much  upon  the  same  plan  Avith  the  London  an*? 
Bristol  Tabernacles.  In  Januarj^,  1792,  dropsical  symptoms  began  first  to 
make  their  appearance  in  his  legs,  and  left  little  hope  to  his  friends  of  a  long 
continuance  among  them.  For  the  last  twelve  months  he  could  do  little  more 
than  preach  two  or  three  sermons  ;  and  it  Avas  with  great  difficulty  that  he 
continued  to  administer  the  Lord's  supper. 

As  he  approached  to  the  close  of  life,  he  Avould  frequently  look  out  of  his 
chamber  AvindoAv,  and  on  seeing  multitudes  flocking  to  the  meeting,  Avould 
say — "  Thither  I  once  led  up  the  tribes  of  the  Lord  to  Avorship."  When  an- 
ticipating his  approaching  dissolution,  he  would  freqently  adopt  the  confiden- 
tial language  of  the  pious  Watts : — 

"  My  God,  my  portion,  and  my  love,  , 

My  ev^erlasting  all : 
I've  none  but  thee  in  heav'n  aboA^e, 

Or  on  this  earthly  ball !" 

And  that  other  Avell  knoAvn  A'erse  in  the  17ih  Psalm : — 

"  O  glorious  hour  !  O  bless'd  abode ! 

I  shall  be  near  and  like  my  God  ! 

And  flesh  and  sin  no  more  control 

The  sacred  pleasures  of  the  soul."  « 

A  feAV  hours  before  he  died,  he  said,  "  Oh  hoAV  ill  I  am  !  but  my  God, 
my  life,  my  time,  my  all  is  in  thy  hands.  On  thee  do  I  trust ;  in  thee  I  can 
confide." 

•'  A  guilty,  Aveak,  and  helpless  worm, 

On  thy  kind  arms  I  fall ; 
Be  thou  my  strength  and  righteousness, 

My  Jesus  and  my  all  V 


MEMOIRS  OP   WHITEFIELD.  127 

Yet  he  never  wished  to  form  a  new  sect,  or  strove  to  become  the 
head  of  a  party.  "  I  have  seen  enough  of  popularity,"  says  he, 
'•  to  be  sick  of  it ;  and  did  not  the  interest  of  my  blessed  Master 
require  my  appearing  iii  pubhc,  the  world  should  hear  but  little 
of  me  henceforth."  Notwithstanding,  his  zeal  abated  not.  "I 
dread  the  thoughts  of  flagging  in  the  latter  stage  of  my  road," 
v/as  an  expression  used  in  his  letters  to  his  friends.  He  was 
often  indisposed ;  but  he  thought  that  traveling  and  preaching 
did  him  good.  "  Fear  not  your  weak  body,"  says  he,  in  a  let- 
ter to  the  Rev.  James  Herv^ey,  "  we  are  immortal  till  our  work 
is  done.  Christ's  laborers  must  live  by  miracle — if  not,  I  must 
not  live  at  all ;  for  God  only  knows  what  I  daily  endure  ;  my 
continual  vomitings  almost  kill  me  ;  and  yet  the  pulpit  is  my 
cure — so  that  my  friends  begin  to  pity  me  less,  and  to  leave  off 
that  ungrateful  caution,  '  spare  thyself  I  speak  this  to  encou- 
rage you." 

In  ^larch,  1749,  he  returned  to  London,  having  traveled  about 
SIX  HUNDRED  MILES  iu  the  wcst,  and  to  his  satisfaction  found 
that  his  former  labors  had  been  abundantly  blessed. 

In  May,  he  went  to  Portsmouth  and  Portsea,*  where  he 

A  short  time  before  he  died,  Mrs.  Kinsman  asked  hira  how  he  did.  He 
replied  with  a  sweet  serenity,  "  Still  in  the  body." 

"  But  in  his  dying  countenance  was  seen 
A  smile,  the  index  of  a  soul  serene." 

Continuing  sensible,  being  almost  gone,  and  scarcely  able  to  articulate,  he 
said  in  a  broken  manner, 

"  Jesus,  lover  qf  my  soul — ." 


Then  smiled  again,  and  without  a  sigh,  fell  asleep  in  the  arms  of  that  com- 
passionate Jesus,  whom  he  had  ardently  loved  and  faithfully  preached,  for 
more  than  fifty  years.  He  died  February  28,  1793,  in  the  sixty-ninth  yea^r  of 
his  age. 

On  the  following  Sabbath,  two  funeral  sermons  were  preached  for  him ; 
one  at  Plymouth,  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Macall,  from  John  v.  35.  "  He  was  a  burn- 
ing and  shining  light."  And  the  other  at  Dock,  by  the  Rev.  Matthew  Wilks, 
of  London,  from  Daniel  xii.  3.  "  They  that  be  wise  shall  shine  as  the  bright- 
ness of  the  firmament ;  and  they  that  turn  many  to  righteousness,  as  the  stars 
for  ever  and  ever." 

*  This  town  commenced  with  the  last  century  :  for  in  the  year  1700  there 
were  not  more  than  a  dozen  houses  on  the  spot :  and  the  parish  of  Portsea,  as 
it  is  now  called,  exclusive  of  the  neighboring  town  of  Portsmouth,  did  not 
contain  2000  inhabitants ;  but  it  is  now  a  thickly  populated  town.  At  that 
time  there  was  no  other  place  of  worship  but  the  parish  church ;  there  are 
now  twelve  places  devoted  to  the  service  of  God. 

About  the  year  1746,  the  Rev.  John  Cennick  came  to  Portsea,  and  preached 
in  the  open  air.  He  was  followed  by  the  Rev.  Messrs.  Adams,  Meredith,, 
and  others,  in  connection  with  Mr.  Whitefield,  who  himself,  in  1749,  visited 
rtie  place,  and  preached  in  the  fields  to  very  numerous  congregations.  About 
this  time  several  serious  persons,  some  of  whom  were  members  of  the  Rev. 
Mr.  William's  church  at  Gosport,  and  others  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Norman's  al 


128  MEMOIRS  OF   WHITEFIELD. 

preached  to  numerous  and  attentive  auditories.  Many  were 
savingly  wrought  upon — prejudices  every  where  removed — and 

Portsmouth,  formed  themselves  into  a  society,  and  by  a  small  weekly  sub- 
scription, defrayed  the  expenses  of  the  preachers  who  visited  them.  Their 
number  was  considerably  increased,  by  the  divine  blessing,  on  three  visits 
paid  them  by  Mr.  Whitelield,  and  by  the  labors  of  other  ministers.  At  length, 
in  1754,  they  erected  a  place  of  worship,  fifty-three  feet  by  thirty,  which  they 
called,  "  The  Tabernacle."  For  about  fifteen  years  the  congregation  was 
supplied  by  the  Rev.  Messrs.  Adams,  Croon,  Vines,  Hogg,  Winter,  and  others ; 
but  this  mode  of  supply  proving  inconvenient  and  expensive,  they  deter- 
mined on  having  a  regular  minister ;  and  being  formed  into  a  church,  Avere 
providentially  led  to  make  choice  of  the  Rev.  Thomas  Tuppen,  to  settle 
among  them  -as  their  pastor.  Mr.  Tuppen  commenced  his  stated  labors  at 
Portsea,  in  March,  1769,  and  was  well  attended.  In  a  letter  to  Whitefield, 
written  the  30th  of  June,  1769,  he  says,  "  I  have  never  preached  on  a  Lord's 
day,  but  on  some  parts  of  it,  I  have  had  five  hundred  hearers;  many  times 
double  that  number  ;  and  on  the  week  days,  never  less  than  two  or  three  hun- 
dred, which  I  think  some  encouragement ;  and  there  is  reason  to  believe  that 
the  Lord  owns  and  blesses  his  word ;  and  that  he  has  many  people  in  this 
place." 

Mr.  Tuppen  was  born  in  the  year  1742,  at  Brighthelmstone,  in  Sussex, 
where  he  was  trained  up  by  a  sober,  moral  mother,  in  a  strict  attachment  to 
the  established  church,  the  public  ordinances  of  which  he  constantly  attended 
on  the  Lord's  day,  performing  also  some  religious  exercises  at  home ;  but, 
satisfied  with  the  mere  perfonnance  of  religious  duties,  he  remained  totally 
ignorant  of  spiritual  things,  and  destitute  of  any  real  concern  for  the  salva- 
tion of  his  soul.  When  he  arrived  at  the  age  of  sixteen,  the  seeds  of  corrup- 
tion sprang  up  with  vigor,  and  produced  those  fruits  of  transgression,  which 
are  too  common  at  that  dangerous  period  of  life,  unless  prevented  by  the  re- 
straints of  divine  Providence,  or  the  influence  of  divine  grace.  Becoming 
at  this  time  his  own  master,  more  fully  than  before,  by  the  removal  of  some 
of  his  friends  to  London,  and  associating  with  some  very  wicked  companions, 
he  was  hurried  on  to  the  gratification  of  carnal  appetites,  with  increasing 
eagerness,  for  about  the  space  of  two  years. 

But  the  Lord,  \vho  had  chosen  him  to  be  a  vessel  of  honor,  to  bear  his 
name  to  Gentile  sinners,  was  pleased  to  send  his  favored  servant,  Whitefield, 
to  Brighton  at  this  period.  Induced  by  curiosity  to  hear  a  preacher  of  such 
peculiar  fame,  he  attended  a  sermon  out  of  doors,  on  a  Friday  evening,  under 
a  tree,  at  the  back  of  the  White  Lion  Inn.  But  so  far  was  he  from  previously 
wishing  to  derive  any  spiritual  benefit  from  the  sermon,  that,  as  he  confessed 
afterwards,  he  could  gladly  have  joined  the  rabble  in  stoning  him,  or  at  least, 
like  Saul  of  Tarsus,  have  held  the  clothes  of  those  who  would.  Mr.  White- 
field's  text  was,  Ezek.  xxxiii.  11. — "  Turn  ye,  turn  ye."  Under  that  sermon 
his  malice  was  changed  into  admiration ;  he  was  convinced,  that  though  yoimg 
in  years,  he  was  a  great  sinner ;  that  he  had  revolted  from  God,  and  must 
turn  again  to  him,  or  perish.  This  sermon,  and  others  delivered  on  the  same 
visit,  became  the  happy  means  of  leading  him  to  serious  and  earnest  inquiries 
about  salvation.  His  friends,  who  remained  near  him,  were  alarmed,  and 
united  to  oppose  his  religious  progress  ;  while  conscience,  now  awakened,  so 
strongly  charged  him  with  sin,  that  he  endured  considerable  distress.  He  was 
now  fully  satisfied  that  he  could  never  help  himself;  and  that,  if  ever  he 
were  saved,  he  must  be  an  eternal  debtor  to  free  and  sovereign  grace.  He 
continued  in  a  state  of  mental  bondage  for  nearly  ten  months ;  and  though 
he  joined  himself  to  a  little  society  of  christian  friends,  and  constantly  united 
with  them  in  spiritual  exercises,  he  found  but  transient  relief  from  his  bur- 
dens, till  at  one  period,  being  about  ten  miles  distant  from  home,  his  mind 
was  set  at  liberty,  and  enjoyed  the  peace  of  the  gospel. 

In  September,  1761,  many  of  his  relations  having  settled  in  London,  he  was 
induced  to  follow  them  ;  and  for  a  season,  communicated  with  the  society  at 
the  Tabernacle.    At  that  time  he  resided  in  East  Cheap,  and  being  near  the 


MEMOIRS  OF    WHITEFIELD.  129 

those  who  before  cahimniated  and  reviled  him,  wished  him  to 
continue  with,  and  preach  the  gospel  to  them. 

June  24,  he  wrote  thus  from  Bristol : — "  Yesterday  God 
brought  me  here,  after  having  carried  me  a  circuit  of  about 
EIGHT  HUNDRED  MILES,  and  enabled  me  to  preach,  I  suppose, 
to  upwards  of  one  hundred  thousand  souls.  I  have  been 
in  eight  Welch  counties  ;  and,  [  think,  we  have  not  had  one 
dry  meeting.     The  work  in  Wales  is  much  upon  the  advance, 

meeting  house,  then  occupied  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Elliot,  ^rho  at  that  period  fre- 
quently preached  for  Whitefield,  attended  his  ministry  for  several  years,  and 
frequently  heard  the  Rev.  Mr.  Hart  there.  In  December,  1767,  on  the  death  of 
a  preacher,  who  assisted  Mr.  Elliot,  he  was  requested,  both  by  the  minister  and 
the  church,  to  preach  among  them  occasionally,  which  he  did  for  a  year  or  two. 

He  Avas  then  invited  to  olRciate  among  a  few  serious  people  in  a  remote 
corner  of  Sussex ;  where  he  had  not  been  long,  before  he  received  an  invita- 
tion from  the  society  at  Portsea,  to  settle  among  them.  However,  previous 
to  his  settlement,  he  was  solemnly  set  apart  to  the  pastoral  othce;  when  the 
Rev.  ]Mr.  Elliot,  of  London  ;  Rev.  Dr.  Samuel,  of  Ramsey ;  Rev.  Mr.  Ash- 
burner,  of  Poole;  Rev.  Mr.  Lacey,  Baptist  minister  of  Portsea;  Rev.  Benja- 
min Francis,  of  Horsley ;  Rev.  "Mr.  Meadows,  of  London,  and  Rev.  Mr. 
Brown,  of  Mitchel-Dean,  engaged  in  the  various  services  of  the  day. 

By  the  blessing  of  the  Lord  on  Mr.  Tuppen's  labors  at  Portsea,  the  congre- 
gation gradually  increased ;  so  that  in  the  year  1773,  the  Tabernacle  was  in- 
suihcient  for  their  accommodation  :  it  was  therefore  taken  down,  and  a  new 
house,  sixty-feet  by  forty,  with  three  galleries,  erected  in  its  stead ;  which 
also  was  .soon  filled. 

Some  years  after  this,  Mr.  Tuppen's  health  declined,  and  he  found  himself 
unable  to  sustain  any  longer  the  fatigue  of  preaching  thrice  on  the  Lord's 
day.  It  was  therefore  determined  by  the  church,  that  they  should  have  but 
two  sermons,  namely,  in  the  morning  and  in  the  evening,  during  the  summer 
season.  But  in  November,  1784,  Mr.  Tuppen  informed  the  church,  that  he 
saw  it  was  for  their  interest  to  have  three  sermons  on  the  Sabbath  ;  but  as  he 
■was  not  equal  to  that  service,  he  thought  it  his  duty  to  recommend  to  them 
to  look  out  for  another  pastor.  Early  in  the  succeeding  year,  Mr.  Tuppen 
preached  his  last  sermon  to  them.  He  left  the  place  with  regret :  and  far  the 
greater  part  of  the  people  were  affected  in  the  same  manner,  though  some 
indulged  a  hope  of  his  resuming  his  labors  among  them  again.  Few  minis- 
ters enjoyed  a  larger  share  of  the  affections  of  their  people  :  but  the  Lord,  it 
seems,  intended  Inm  to  become  the  instrument  of  laying  the  foundation  of  a 
greater  work  at  Bath. 

It  was  in  the  year  1780,  that  some  serious  persons  in  that  city,  formed  them- 
selves into  a  body  for  public  worship,  according  to  the  dissenting  mode  :  but, 
in  consequence  of  the  smallness  of  their  number,  and  the  opposition  they 
encountered,  they  with  difhculty  maintained  the  cause  for  four  years,  Avhen 
Thomas  Welch,  Esq.,  of  London,  and  some  other  Inde;  endents,  exerted 
themselves- in  their  favor,  and  engaged  to  look  out  for  a  suitable  pastor  for 
them.  Mr.  Tuppen  was  the  person  to  whom  they  applied  ;  and  in  the  year 
17S.'),  he  arrived  in  Bath,  when  the  congregation  rapidly  increased.  From 
about  twenty-five  persons,  who  at  first  attended  him,  the  number  increased  in 
a  few  years,  to  seven  or  eight  hundred.  The  place  in  which  they  worshipped 
being  too  small  for  the  congregation,  a  new  one  called  Argyle  Chapel  was 
begun  in  1789  ;  and  opoied  October  4,  1790.  But  his  health  was  then  so  much 
reduced,  that  he  was  never  able  to  preach  a  single  sermon  there ;  he  could 
only  attend  the  services  of  the  day,  which  were  performed  by  the  Rev.  Wil- 
liam Jay,  who  has  been  the  minister  of  the  place  ever  since. 

Mr.  Tuppen,  after  a  lingering  illness,  which  he  supported  with  great  resig- 
nation and  patience,  entered  into  his  rest  on  the  22d  of  February,  1791,  at  the 
age  of  forty-eight. 


130  MEMOIRS  OF   WHITEFIELD. 

and  likely  to  increase  daily.  Had  my  dear  Mr.  Henry  been 
there,  to  have  seen  the  simplicity  of  so  many  dear  souls,  I  am 
persuaded  he  would  have  said,  sit  anima  mea  cum  methodistisP 
After  an  excursion  in  July  and  August,  on  his  return  to  Lon- 
don, he  was  visited  by  two  German  ministers,  who  had  been 
preaching  among  the  Jews ;  and  were  instrumental  to  the  con- 
version of  m'any^of  them. 

In  the  month  of  September,  he  went  into  Northamptonshire 
and  Yorkshire  ;  and  preached  at  Oundle,  Abberford,  Leeds, 
and  Ha  worth,  where  the  pious  Mr.  Grimshaw,*  that  indefatiga- 

*  The  Rev.  William  Grimshaw,  A.  B.,  was  born  September  3,  1708,  at 
Brindle  in  Lancashire;  and  was  educated  at  the  schools  of  Blackburn  and 
Heskin,  in  thai  county.  In  the  eighteenth  year  of  his  age,  he  was  admitted 
a  member  of  Christ's  college,  in  Cambridge  ;  and  here,  as  is  but  too  usually 
the  case,  bad  example  deplorably  prevailed  to  seduce  him  from  that  decent 
manner  of  life,  and  those  serious  reflections,  which  had  been  inculcated  upon 
him  by  his  pious  parents ;  for  at  this  time,  having  no  real  change  Avrought 
upon  him,  and  consequently  having  no  root  in  kimself,  the  prevalent  impiety 
of  the  college  carried  him  away  so  far,  that,  for  the  space  of  more  than  two 
years,  he  seemed  utterly  to  have  lost  all  sense  of  religion  and  seriousness  : 
nor  was  there  any  revival  of  his  former  impressions,  till  on  the  day  when  he 
was  ordained  deacon,  in  the  year  1731.  On  this  occasion,  he  was  much 
affected  with  a  sense  of  the  importance  of  the  ministerial  ofiice,  which  he  was 
taking  upon  him,  and  the  diligence  which  ought  to  be  used  in  the  discharge 
of  it.  Yet  these  convictions  were  but  slight,  and  soon  carried  away,  like  the 
wind  of  temptation  ;  though,  for  a  little  time,  they  were  prompted  by  an  ac- 
quaintance with  some  religious  people  at  Rochdale,  who  used  to  meet  together 
once  a  week,  for  religious  exercises.  But,  upon  his  removal  thence,  very  soon 
after,  to  Todmo;  den,  though  not  far  distant  from  Rochdale,  instead  of  acting 
up  to  the  good  motions  he  had  felt  in  his  soul,  and  which  had  been  encoura- 
ged b}?-  his  pious  acquaintance,  he  pursued  a  different  course,  and  went  no 
more  among  them.  He  conformed  to  the  vain  and  thoughtless  world;  he  fol- 
lowed all  its  stupid  and  trifling  diversions  :  and  endeavored  to  satisfy  his  con- 
science with  "  doing  his  ministerial  duly,"  according  to  the  common  phrase, 
on  a  Sunday,  without  attending  any  farther,  either  to  the  improvement  of  his 
own  mind  by  study,  or  to  the  improvement  of  his  people,  as  an  eflect  of  his  own. 
He  was,  in  a  word,  what  too  many  of  the  modern  clerical  profession  are,  an 
easy  companion  for  easy  men,  who  give  themselves  no  trouble  about  their 
own  souls,  or  about  God,  or  any  thing  else  but  what  the  Leviathan  is  repre- 
sented to  be  doing  in  the  world,  taling  their  pastime  therein.  Give  them  the 
pleasures  of  the  earth,  if  not  of  direct  sin  too,  for  a  season  :  and  the  honor 
of  Christ,  and  the  salvation  of  sinners  are  those  subordinate  aflairs,  which 
may  be  taken  care  of,  at  any  time,  or  no  time,  by  any  man,  or  by  no  man,  just 
as  they  please.  They  comprehend  no  more  of  spiritual  good,  than  the  luxu- 
rious epicure,  who  said,  "  that  he  did  not  understand  what  great  happiness 
there  could  be  in  heaven,  where  folks  were  to  sit  upon  a  large  cloud  through 
eternity,  singing  hallelujahs,  and  having  nothing  to  eat  or  to  drink."  There 
are  thousands  vvho  would  be  ashamed  perhaps  to  aclmowledge  the  letters  of 
the  words,  but  who  are  living  in  the  spirit  of  the  worldliness  they  imply,  from 
day  to  day.  Mr.  Grimshaw,  to  his  compunction  afterwards,  was  numbered 
too  long  amongst  this  ungodly  fraternity.  It  was  several  years  before  he  was 
enabled  to  emerge  from  the  lov,'  debaucher}^  of  the  times.  However,  it  is  said, 
he  refrained  as  much  as  possible  from  gross  swearing,  unless  in  suitable  com- 
pany, and  when  he  got  drunk,  would  take  care  to  sleep  it  oft'  before  he  came 
home.  Oh  what  a  scandal  to  religion  are  swearing,  drinking,  hunting,  horse- 
racing,  gambling,  and  ungodly  priests,  and  what  a  jest,  and  stmnbling  block, 
to  the  world! 


MEMOIRS  OF    WIIITEFIELD.  131 

ble  servant  of  Christ,  was  minister :  in  his  cliurch,  they  had 
above  one  thousand  conmiunicants,  and  above  six  thou- 

About  the  year  1734,  and  in  the  twenty-sixth  of  Mr.  Grimshaw's  life,  God 
•was  pleased  to  bring  upon  him  an  earnest  concern  for  his  own  salvation,  and 
consequently  for  that  of  his  Hock  at  Todmorden.  This  immediately  became 
visible  by  his  reformation.  He  quickly  left  all  his  diversions  ;  his  hunting, 
card-play  in  ir,  lishing,  and  the  like,  and  now  began  to  catechize  tlie  young  peo- 
ple, to  preach  up  the  absolute  necessity  of  a  strict  and  devout  life;  to  visit  his 
people,  not  in  order  to  drink  and  be  merry  with  them  as  before,  but  to  exhort 
and  press  them  to  seek  the  salvation  of  their  souls,  and  to  enforce  what  he  had 
delivered  to  them  from  the  pulpit. 

The  Lord  brought  him  to  ver}'  strong  and  painful  convictions  of  his  own 
guilt,  helplessness,  and  misery ;  by  discovering  to  him  what  he  did  not  sus- 
})ect  before,  that  his  heart  was  de'ceitful  and  desperatel,-  wicked  ;  and,  what 
was  more  adlicting  still,  that  all  his  duties,  labors,  and  goodness,  could  not 
procure  for  him  pardon,  or  gain  him  a  title  to  eternal  life.  Very  painful  ap- 
prehensions therefore  now  seized  his  mind,  of  what  must  become  of  him.  But 
this  was  the  work  of  the  law  upon  his  conscience,  and  the  preparation  of  his 
soul  for  the  gospel  of  peace.  In  this  state  of  trouble  he  continued  for  some 
time,  not  daring  to  acquaint  any  with  the  distress  he  sutfered,  lest  they  should 
report  that  he  was  either  mad  oj-  melancholy.  But  by  these  lasting  and  deep 
convictions,  being  brought  to  a  deep  acqunintance  with  the  corruptions  of  his 
own  heart,  and  the  knowledge  of  its  sin  by  the  law  of  God,  enforced  upon  him 
by  the  Spirit  of  God,  and  being  therefore  made  willing  to  receive  salvation 
freely,  and  to  consider  himself  humbly  as  ^  brand  p!iickcd  out  of  the  burn'uig ; 
the  clay  of  his  consolation  and  knowledge  of  Christ,  infinitely  ]irecioiis  to  his 
soul,  graciously  drew  near.  The  Bible  began  now  to  ap])ear  quite  a  new  book. 
He  fouad  the  rich  import  of  those  Scriptures,  which  declare  the  sacrifice  and 
righteousness  of  Christ  to  be  the  ichole  atonement  aiid  justification  of  a  sinner 
before  God  ;  and  which  testify  the  remission  of  sins  to  believers  on  his  name, 
and  sanctification  as  the  blessed  effect  of  this  believing  in  growing  evidence  of 
that  remission.  "  I  was  now,"  says  he,  "  willing  to  renounce  myself,  with 
every  degree  of  fancied  merit  and  ability,  and  to  embrace  Christ  only  for  my 
all  in  all.  Oh  what  light  and  comfort  did  I  now  enjoy  in  my  own  soul,  and 
what  a  taste  of  the  pardoning  love  of  God !" 

As  he  was  then  taught  of  God  in  his  own  experience,  so  his  preaching  in 
the  year  1742,  began  to  be  clear  and  profitable.  He  dwelt  much  in  represent- 
ing the  nature  and  excellencies  of  christian  faith,  and  salvation  by  Christ 
alone.  All  this  time  he  was  an  entire  stranger  to  serious  persons,  or  to  those 
faithful  men  Avho  were  the  occasion  under  God  of  the  revival  of  religion  among 
us.  He  was  also  an  entire  stranger  to  their  writings,  except  a  single  sermon 
upon  Gal.  iii.  2^1,  and  a  letter  to  the  people  of  England,  published  by  the  Rev. 
Mr.  Seagrave,  in  which  he  was  surprised  to  find  the  nature,  life,  spirituality, 
and  power  of  truth  and  doctrine,  in  a  material  point,  to  be  the  very  same  with 
Avhat  he  now^  saw  clearly  in  the  word  of  God,  and  lYom  which  his  peace  had 
entirely  flowed.  Dr.  Owen's  book  on  justification  was  also  of  great  use  to  him 
about  this  time. 

In  the  month  of  May,  1742,  instructed  in  this  manner,  Mr.  Grimshawcame 
to  the  people  and  church  at  Haworth,  near  Bradford,  in  Yorkshire,  and  very 
soon  the  good  effects  of  his  preaching  became  visible  among  a  people  ignorant 
and  brutish,  as  the  face  of  their  country  is  wild  and  rugged.  Many  of  his 
careless  flock:  were  brought  into  deep  concern  for  the  salvation  of  their  souls, 
and  were  filled  with  peace  and  joy  through  believing.  And  as  in  ancient 
times,  before  preaching  was  debased  by  modern  refinement,  and  alas  !  to  such 
a  cold  and  languid  exercise,  that  generally  one  can  scarce  observe  a  decent 
attention  to  the  minister  in  the  pulpit ;  his  people  felt  in  their  hearts  a  deep 
conviction  of  sin  ;  and  the  whole  congregation  have  been  often  seen  in  tears, 
on  account  of  their  numerous  provocations  against  God,  and  under  a  sense  of 
his  goodness  in  yet  sparing  them  and  waiting  to  be  gracious  unto  them.  This 
lively,  powerful  manner  of  representing  the  truths  of  God,  could  not  fail  of 


132  MEMOIRS  OF    WTIITEFIELD. 

SAND  hearers  in  the  church-yard.  At  Leeds,  the  con^reo^ation 
consisted  of  above  ten  thousand  souls.     Thither   he  was 

being  much  talked  of,  and  bringing,  out  of  curiosity,  many  hundreds  to  Ha- 
worth  cliurch ;  and  there  they  received  so  much  benefit  by  what  they  heard, 
that  when  the  novelty  was  long  over,  the  church  continued  to  be  full  of  peo- 
ple, many  of  whom  came  trom  afar,  and  this  for  twenty  years  together.  In- 
deed, nothing  but  this  will  draw  souls  heartily  together,  or,  according  to  the 
propliet's  language,  as  doves  to  their  icindou'S.  Mere  morality,  derived  from 
man's  ability,  neither  comes  warm  from  the  heart,  nor  goes  warmly  to  it. 
With  the  trash  of  human  attainments  and  human  endeavors,  all  fallen,  cor- 
rupt, feeble,  and  depraved,  no  soul  living  can  be  satisfied.  Wiien  men  preach 
these,  to  use  the  words  of  Milton, 

"  The  sheep  look  up,  but  are  not  fed." 

It  was  the  pure  truth  of  the  gospel,  Avhich  brought  men  to  reform  from  po- 
pery, and  which  only  can  produce  true  reformation  at  any  lime.  It  was  this 
which  haih  drawn  thousands  from  the  church  to  various  dissenters,  where  it 
hath  been  preached  by  them  ;  and  it  is  the  preaching  of  this  alone,  as  we  have 
abundant  proof,  that  can  fill  our  churches  again. 

Mr.  Grimshaw  was  now  too  happy  himself  in  the  knowledge  of  Christ,  to 
rest  satisfied,  without  taking  every  method  he  thought  likely  to  spread  the 
knowledge  of  his  God  and  Savior.  And  as  some  indigent  people  constantly 
make  their  want  of  better  clothes  to  appear  in,  an  excuse  for  not  coming  to 
church  in  the  day  time,  when  their  want  would  be  visible  to  the  whole  congre- 
gation ;  he  contrived,  for  their  sakes,  a  lecture  on  Sunday  evenings,  though  he 
preached  twice  in  the  former  part  of  the  day.  In  which  lecture,  a  chapter  or 
a  psalm,  after  the  primitive  custom  of  the  christian  church,  was  expounded. 
God  was  pleased  to  give  great  success  to  these  attempts,  which  animated  him 
still  more  to  spend  and  be  spent  for  Christ's  cause;  so  that  the  next  year  he 
began  a  method,  which  was  continued  by  him  ever  after,  of  preaching  in  each 
of  the  four  hamlets  under  his  care,  three  times  every  month.  By  which 
means  the  old  and  infirm,  who  could  not  attend  the  church,  had  the  truth  of 
God  brought  to  their  houses;  and  many,  who  were  so  profane  as  to  make  the 
distance  from  the  house  of  God  a  reason  for  almost  never  coming  to  it,  were 
induced  to  hear,  and  at  length  received  with  joy  the  word  of  life. 

By  this  time,  the  great  attention  and  labor  with  which  he  instructed  his 
own  people,  the  circumspection  and  holiness  of  his  conversation,  and  the 
lasting  benefit  which  very  many  from  the  neighboring  parishes  had  obtahied, 
by  attending  his  ministry  ;  all  concurred  to  bring  upon  him  many  earnest  en- 
treaties to  come  to  the  houses  of  others  who  lived  in  the  neighboring  parishes, 
and  to  expound  the  word  of  God  to  souls  as  ignorant  as  they  were  themselves, 
before  they  had  heard  instruction  from  his  lips.  As  the  purest  benevolence 
was  the  only  motive  to  this  request;  so  all,  who  knew  Mr.  Grimshaw,  are 
assured,  (and  what  others  think  or  say  matters  not,)  that  nothing  but  love  to 
the  souls  of  men,  and  a  desire  of  proving  a  blessing  to  them,  engaged  him  to 
preach,  as  occasion  offered,  in  other  parishes.  So  that  while  he  was  one  of 
the  most  diligent  in  overseeing,  and  providing  abundantly  for  all  in  his  own 
flock,  he  annually  found  opportunity  of  instructing  nearly  three  himdred 
times,  large  companies,  and  sometimes  large  congregations  besides.  After 
he  had  preached  for  the  first  time  in  any  place,  he  commonly  thanked  the 
person  into  whose  house  or  barn  he  was  received,  and  added  :  "  I  hope  you 
will  give  me  leave  to  come  again." 

Mr.  Grimshaw  thits  went  on  preaching _^/'/cf?7,  tircnty,  and  often  thirty  times 
in  the  week,  and  that  for  fifteen  years,  or  upwards,  besides  visiting  the  sick, 
and  other  occasional  duties  of  his  function.  To  one  of  his  friends  in  a  neigh- 
boring parish,  whose  wife  had  been  sick,  he  thus  apologized:  "  I  am  sorry 
that  I  have  not  been  able  to  visit  your  wife ;  I  have  not  wanted  inclination, 
but  lime ;  for  I  have  had  thirty  times  to  preach  this  urek."  It  is  not  easy 
to  ascribe  such  unwearied  diligence,  and  all  amongst  the  poor,  or  at  least  very 


MEMOIRS  OF    WHITEFIELD.  133 

invited  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Wesley's  ministers,  and  also  by  the 
societies.  And  the  Rev.  Charles  Wesley  announced  him  from 
the  pulpit ;  and  by  him  he  was  introduced  to  the  pulpit  in 
Newcastle,  where  he  preached  four  times,  and  twice  in  the 
fields.     The  season  being  too  far  advanced,  he  did  not  proceed 

obscure  people,  to  any  motive  but  the  real  one.  He  thought  his  tongue  shoula 
never  be  still  in  guilty  silence,  while  he  could  speak  to  the  honor  of  that  God, 
who  had  done  so  much  for  his  soul.  And  while  he  saw  sinners  perishing  for 
lack  of  knowledge,  and  no  one  breaking  to  them  the  bread  of  life,  he  was 
transported  by  love  to  pity  them;  and,  this  notwithstanding  the  selfish  reluct- 
ance he  felt  within,  to  give  up  his  name  to  still  greater  reproach,  as  well  as 
his  time  and  strength  to  the  work  of  the  ministry.  What  a  reflection  should 
this  afford  to  that  laziness  of  heart,  to  call  it  by  no  worse  a  name,  which  thinks 
the  service  of  God,  after  naming  it  in  prayers  before  him  a  "  perfect  freedom," 
to  be  a  hard  burden,  and  which  courts  easy  duty  and  large  fees,  only  for  an 
indulgence  to  the  flesh,  and  to  hold  up  a  sort  of  foolish  and  unmeaning  respect 
in  the  world. 

During  all  this  intense  and  persevering  application  to  what  was  the  whole 
delight  of  his  heart,  God  was  exceedingly  favorable  to  him ;  for,  through  the 
space  of  sixteen  years,  he  was  only  once  suspended  from  his  labors  by  sickness, 
though  he  ventured  in  all  weathers  upon  the  bleak  mountains,  and  used  his 
body  with  less  consideration,  than  a  merciful  man  would  use  his  beast.  In 
this  manner  Mr.  Grimshaw  employed  all  his  talents  even  to  his  last  illness ; 
and  his  labors  were  not  in  vain  in  the  Lord.  He  saw  an  effectual  change 
take  place  in  many  of  his  flock;  a  deep  sense  of  evil  and  good,  and  a  striking 
restraint  from  the  commission  of  sin,  brought  upon  the  parish  in  general.  He 
saw  the  name  of  Jesus  exalted,  and  many  souls  happy  in  the  knowledge  of 
him,  and  walking  as  becomes  the  gospel  of  Christ. 

Mr.  Grimshaw's  behavior  throughout  his  last  illness,  was  all  of  a  piece 
with  the  last  twenty  years  of  his  life.  From  the  very  first  attack  of  his  fever, 
he  welcomed  the  approach  of  death.  His  intimate  experimental  knowledge 
of  Christ,  abolished  all  the  reluctance  which  nature  usually  feels  to  a  dissolu- 
tion ;  and,  triumphing  in  him,  who  is  the  resurrection  and  the  life,  he  fell 
asleep  in  Jesus,  April  7,  1763,  in  the  fifty-fifth  year  of  his  age,  and  in  the 
twenty-first  of  eminent  usefulness  in  the  church  of  Christ.  His  body  was  in- 
terred with  what  is  more  ennobling  than  all  the  pomp  of  solemn  dirges,  or  of 
a  royal  funeral ;  for  he  was  followed  to  the  grave  by  a  great  multitude,  with 
the  most  affectionate  sighs,  and  with  many  tears;  and  who  cannot  still  hear 
his  much  loved  name  without  weeping  for*  the  guide  of  their  souls,  to  whom 
each  of  them  was  dear  as  children  to  their  father. 

A  funeral  sermon  was  preached  at  St.  Dunstan's  in  the  West,  London,  on 
the  17th  of  April,  1763,  ten  days  after  his  decease,  by  the  Rev.  William  Ro- 
maine,  rector  of  St.  Ann's,  Blackfriars,  from  Phil.  i.  21.  "  For  him  to  live 
was  Christ,  and  to  die  was  gain." 

A  funeral  sermon  was  also  preached  at  Haworth  church,  by  that  excellent 
and  faithful  minister  of  Christ,  the  Rev.  H.  Venn. 

A  full  account  of  Mr.  Grimshaw  can  be  seen  in  the  "  Sketch,"  drawn  of  him 
by  Mr.  Venn ;  which  mentions  several  particulars,  which  are  too  extraor- 
dinary and  too  valuable  to  be  buried  in  silence. 

The  following  anecdote  was  related  in  a  sermon  preached  at  Surry  chapel, 
London,  Sept.  29,  1793,  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Bull,  of  Newport  Pagnell. 

When  Mr.  Whitefield  was  once  preaching  in  Mr.  Grimshaw's  church  in 
Yorkshire,  he  took  occasion  to  say  in  his  discourse,  that  "  He  was  willing  to 
hope  in  the  judgment  of  charity,  that  most  of  his  hearers  were  good  people — 
converted  people — and  truly  possessed  of  the  grace  of  God."  Upon  which 
Mr.  Grimshaw,  who  was  present  rose  up,  and  with  an  elevated  voice,  said, 
"No,  no,  sir,  they  are  not  half  of  them  converted  by  the  grace  of  God. 
Speak  to  them  faithfully." — "  So  let  me  be  faithful  to  you,^^  said  Mr.  Bull, 
"  not  mince  the  matter,  and  say,  peace,  peace,  where  there  is  no  peace." 

12 


134  MEMOIRS    OF    WHITEFIEI.D. 

to  Scotland,  but  lie  returned  to  London,  having  preached  thirty 
times  in  Yorkshire  ;  in  Cheshire  and  Lancashire  ten.  He  was 
also  at  Sheffield  and  Nottingham.  The  congregations  were 
mostly  peaceable  and  attentive,  only  in  one  or  two  places  was  he 
rudely  treated ;  but  this  he  regarded  not,  could  he  only  win 
souls  to  Christ. 

He  came  to  London  in  November,  and  continued  till  Febru- 
ary ;  during  which  period,  besides  laboring  in  his  usual  wa}^ 
he  occasionally  assisted  at  West-street  Chapel,  preaching  and 
administering  the  sacrament. 

February  8th,  1750.  From  Gloucester  he  writes  thus  : 
"  Though  I  left  London  in  a  very  weak  condition,  and  the 
weather  was  bad,  I  came  here  on  Friday  evening,  was  strength- 
ened to  preach  on  Saturday,  and  likewise  on  Sunday  evening, 
and  twice  the  same  day  in  the  country,  at  the  new  house  at 
Hampton." 

And  again,  from  Bristol,  February  12.  "  Since  I  wrote  last, 
we  have  been  favored  both  in  Gloucester  city,  and  in  the  coun- 
try, with  very  pleasant  and  delightful  seasons.-  I  have  preach- 
ed above  twenty  times  within  these  nine  days ;  and  though 
frequently  exposed  to  rain  and  hail,  am  much  better  than  when 
I  left  London."  From  Bristol  he  went  to  Exeter  and  Plymouth. 
On  the  way  he  met  with  the  Rev.  Mr.  Pearsal,  an  eminent 
dissenting  minister  at  Taunton,  and  the  Rev.  Mr  Darracott,* 

*  The  Rev.  Risdon  Darracott  was  the  son  of  a  dissenting  minister  in  the  Isle 
of  Purbeck  in  Dorsetshire,  where  he  was  born,  February  1,  1717.  He  receiv- 
ed his  academical  education  at  Northampton,  under  the  care  of  the  pious  Dr. 
Doddridge,  and  began  his  ministerial  course  in  1738,  at  Penzance,  in  Corn- 
wall. Here  he  continued  little  more  than  two  years,  being  obliged,  by  the 
loss  of  large  quantities  of  blood  from  his  stomach,  to  leave  an  affectionate 
people.  Under  this  alarming  affliction,  he  spent  about  half  a  year  among  his 
friends  in  Devonshire,  Avhere  his  own  father  had  lately  been  a  ierv^ent  and  use- 
ful preacher,  and  where  he  died  at  about  the  age  of  forty.  Upon  the  death  of 
the  Rev.  Mr.  Berry,  an  aged  and  excellent  minister  of  Christ  at  Wellington,  in 
1741,  Mr.  Darracott  had  a  unanimous  invitation  to  succeed  him.  He  found 
the  congregation  small,  and  the  number  of  communicants  but  twenty-eight. 
His  ministrations  drew  a  large  concourse  of  hearers  from  the  neighborhood, 
many  of  whom  had  never  before  made  any  profession  of  religion,  and  were  at 
first  brought  to  Wellington  out  of  more  curiosity.  His  meeting  house  was 
soon  insufficient  to  contain  the  hearers,  and  was  therefore  enlarged;  but  after 
that,  it  was  usual  for  many  to  be  obliged  to  stand  without  the  doors.  In  pro- 
portion to  the  number  of  his  stated  hearers,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Fawcett,  who  preach- 
ed his  funeral  sermon,  says,  "He  never  knew  any  congregation  which  ap- 
peared to  have  so  many  instances  of  abiding  religious  impressions  ;"  and  he 
adds,  "  I  have  good  reason  to  believe,  that  his  ministry  was  owned  to  the  ef- 
fectual conversion  of  viany  hundreds  of  souls."  In  consequence  of  lliis  re- 
markable success,  he  left  behind  him  more  than  two  hundred  communicants. 
He  fell  asleep  in  Jesus,  March  14,  1759,  aged  forty-two. 

The  night  before  he  died,  he  said,  "  Oh  what  a  good  God  have  J,  in  and 
through  Jesus  Christ !  I  would  praise  him,  but  my  lips  cannot.  Eternity  will 
be  too  short  to  speak  his  praises."  The  physician  coming  in,  he  said  to  him, 
"  Oh  what  a  mercy  is  it,  to  be  interested  m  the  atoning  blood  of  Jesus !  I  come 
to  the  Lord  as  a  vile  sinner,  trusting  in  the  merits  and  precious  blood  of  my 


MEMOIRS  OF  WIITTEFIELD.  135 

at  Wellington ;  both  of  whom  he  mentions  with  great  respect. 
He  preached  at  Plymouth  twelve  times  in  six  days,  and  each 
time  his  hearers  increased,  as  did  tlie  zeal  of  his  friends ;  while 
the  fury  of  his  adversaries  began  to  abate.  He  proceeded 
thence  to  the  Land's  End,  preaching  at  a  great  many  places 
by  the  way. 

We  find  him,  by  March  21,  again  at  Exeter.  "  Invitations," 
says  he,  ''  are  sent  from  several  places,  I  want  more  tongues, 
more  bodies,  more  souls,  for  the  Lord  Jesus.  Had  I  ten  thou- 
sand, he  should  have  them  all." 

In  April,  he  was  in  London,  and  at  Portsmouth :  and  in 
May  went  to  Ashby,  He  had  a  delightful  interview  with  the 
Rev,  Dr.  Doddridge,  Rev.  James  Hervey,*  and  others.  But  at 
Ashby,  where  it  might  have  been  least  expected,  there  was  a 
riot  made  before  Lady  liuntingdon's  house,  during  the  preach- 
ing there  :  and  in  the  evening,  some  people  returning  home, 
very  narrowly  escaped  being  murdered.  The  justice,  upon 
information,  ordered  the  offenders  to  be  brought  before  him, 
^'So  that  I  hope,"  says  Mr.  Whitefield,  "it  will  be  overruled 
for  great  good ;  and  that  the  gospel,  for  the  future,  will  have 
free  course." 

Leaving  Ashby,  he  preached  at  Radcliff  church,  Nottingham, 
and  Sutton,  with  great  success,  "At  Nottingham,"  says  he, 
"  several  came  to  me,  inquiring.  What  they  should  do  to  he 

saved  7  I  preached  there  four  times.    One  evening.  Lord  S • 

a.nd  several  gentleman  were  present,  and  behaved  with  great 

dear  Redeemer.  Oh  grace !  grace !  free  grace !"  His  last  words  were,  "  I  am 
going  from  weeping  friends  to  congratulating  angels,  and  rejoicing  saints  in 
glory!  He  is  coming!  Oh  speed  thy  chariot  wheels  why  are  they  so  long 
in  coming !  I  long  to  be  gone." 

*  Mr.  Hervey  thus  wrote  of  his  interview  to  a  friend :  "  I  havB  seen  lately 
that  most  excellent  minister  of  the  ever  blessed  Jesus,  Mr.  Whitefield.  I  din- 
ed, supped,  and  spent  the  evening  with  him  at  Northampton,  in  company  with 
Dr.  Doddridge  and  two  pious,  ingenious  clergymen  of  the  Church  of  Eng- 
land, both  of  them  known  to  the  learned  world  by  their  valuable  writings. 
And  surely  I  never  spent  a  more  delightful  evening,  or  saw  one  that  seemed 
to  make  nearer  approaches  to  the  felicity  of  heaven.  A  gentleman  of  great 
worth  and  rank  in  the  town  invited  us  to  his  house,  and  gave  us  an  elegant 
treat ;  but  how  mean  were  his  provisions,  how  coarse  his  delicacies,  compared 
with  the  fruit  of  my  friend's  lips ;  they  dropped  as  the  honey  comb,  and  were 
a  well  of  life.  Surely  people  do  not  know  that  amiable  and  exemplary  man, 
or  else,  I  cannot  but  think,  instead  of  depreciating  they  would  applaud  and 
love  him.  For  my  part,  I  never  beheld  so  fair  a  copy  of  our  Lord,  such  a 
living  image  of  the  Savior,  such  exalted  delight  in  God,  such  enlarged  benevo- 
lence to  man,  such  a  steady  faith  in  the  divine  promises,  and  such  a  fervent 
zeal  for  the  divine  glory;  and  all  this,  without  the  least  moroseness  of  humor, 
or  extravagance  of  behavior  :  sweetened  with  the  most  engaging  cheerfulness 
of  temper,  and  regulated  by  all  the  sobriety  of  reason,  and  wisdom  of  scripture; 
insomuch  that  T  cannot  forbear  applying  the  wise  man's  encomium  of  an 
illustrious  woman  to  this  eminent  mm'ister  of  the  everlasting  gospel :  *  Many 
sons  have  done  virtuously,  but  thou  excellest  them  all,'  " 


136  MEMOIRS  OF   WHITEFIELD. 

flecency.     Many  thousands  attended.     Yesterday  morning^  I 

breakfasted  with  three  dissenting  ministers,  at  Mr.  P s,  who 

told  me  that  Lady  P desired  he  would  press  me  to  preach 

at  the  church.  Yesterday  in  the  afternoon  I  preached  at  Sut- 
ton, and  this  morning  at  Mansfield."  He  then  went  to  Rother- 
ham  and  Sheffield;  and  at  the  end  of  May  was  at  Leeds.  He 
says,  "  methinks  I  am  now  got  into  another  chmate,  where 
there  are  many  of  God's  people."  He  next  went  to  Manches- 
ter, and  so  on  to  Edinburgh,  where  he  arrived  July  16,  having 
preached  nearly  one  hundred  times  since  he  left  London ; 
and  it  is  supposed  to  above  one  hundred  thousand  souls. 
^^  It  is  amazing,"  he  writes,  "  to  see  how  people  are  prepared  in 
places  where  I  never  was  before.  "VYhat  shall  I  render  to  the 
Lord?" 

At  Edinburgh  and  Glasgow,  in  which  places  he  spent  the 
month  of  July,  1750,  he  was  as  usual,  received  with  the  most 
unfeigned  tenderness  and  joy,  preaching  to  great  multitudes 
of  serious  and  attentive  people,  which  made  him  exert  himself 
beyond  his  bodily  strength.  "  By  preaching  always  twice,"  he 
says,  "  once  thrice,  and  once  four  times  in  a  day,  I  am  quite 
weakened,  but  I  hope  to  recruit  again.  I  am  burning  with  a 
fever,  and  have  a  violent  cold ;  but  Christ's  presence  makes  me 
smile  at  pain ;  and  the  fire  of  his  love  burns  up  all  fevers 
whatsoever." 

He  left  Edinburgh,  April  3,  and  was  soon  much  recovered 
by  riding.  At  Berwick,  one  of  the  ministers  sent  him  an  offer 
of  his  pulpit,  which  many  others  around  the  town  were  also 
willing  to  do. 

When  returned  to  London,  he  preached  often  at  West-stre;|et 
chapel.  Mr.  Hervey,  at  his  request,  came  to  town,  and  lodged 
in  his  house,  in  whose  company  he  enjoyed  much  pleasure. 

In  the  month  of  October,  he  again  ranged  about,  as  he 
expressed  it,  "to  see  who  would  believe  the  gospel  report," 
preaching  at  Phmiouth,  Chatham,  Gloucester,  Birmingham, 
Evesham,  Wednesbury,  and  Nottingham.  And  was  more  than 
ordinarily  successful  at  Chatham  and  Canterbury. 

In  London,  he  passed  the  winter  with  incessant  labor,  and 
with  great  success.  He  was  a  fortnight  confined  in  his  room, 
by  a  fever  and  inflammation  of  the  lungs ;  but  in  December 
was  able  to  preach  again. 

At  the  latter  end  of  January,  1751,  he  rode  post  to  Ashby, 
much  alarmed  at  the  news  of  Lady  Huntingdon's  dangerous 
illness,  and  the  afflictions  with  which  her  family  was  visited 
at  that  time.  On  the  29th  he  writes  thus  : — "  Blessed  be  God, 
Tiady  Huntingdon  is  somewhat  better.  Entreat  all  our  friends 
to  pray  for  her.     Her  sister-in-law,  Lady  Frances  Hastings,  lies 


MEMOIRS  OF    WHITEFIELD.  137 

dead  in  the  house.  She  was  a  retired  christian,  Uved  silently, 
and  died  suddenly,  without  a  groan.  May  my  exit  be  like 
hers.     Almost  all  the  family  have  been  sick  in  their  turns." 

March  5,  he  went  again  into  Gloucestershire,  and  to  Bristol, 
preaching  in  his  way  to  Plymouth. 

April  11,  at  Exeter,  he  wrote  thus  to  Mr.  Her\^ey: — "Some 
good  I  trust,  is  to  be  done  this  spring  to  many  souls.  This 
western  circuit,  I  believe,  has  been  blessed  already.  I  have 
preaclied  about  forty  times  since  I  left  London,  and  have  been 
enabled  several  times  to  ride  forty  miles  a  day.  I  find  this 
sensibly  refreshes  me.  I  wish  you  could  say  so  too.  At  Ply- 
mouth, we  had  sweet  seasons  ;  and  on  Tuesday  last,  I  met 
with  a  young  clero^yman  who  was  awakened  by  my  preaching 
seren  years  ago.  He  has  been  at  Cambridge,  and  was  ordained 
by  the  bishop  of  Exeter.  He  is  followed  much,  and  I  suppose, 
will  soon  be  reproached  for  his  Master's  sako.  I  hope  you  find 
strength  to  proceed  in  your  book." 

From  Exeter  he  journeyed  through  Wales,  and  rode  nearly 
five  hundred  miles,  preaching  twice  a  day ;  and  then  made  his 
visit  to  Ireland,  which  he  had  intended  for  some  time. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

From  his  first  visit  to  Ireland^  to  his  O'pening  a  new  Tabernacle  at 
Ijondon  in  the  year  1753. 

After  a  passage  of  five  days,  he  arrived  at  Dublin,  May 
24,  1751.  There  he  was  received  gladly,  and  lodged  at  the 
house  of  Mr.  L ,  preaching  also  every  morning  and  even- 
ing. "  Surely,"  says  he,  "  here  are  many  converted  souls  ; 
among  them  are  two  or  three  students,  and  several  soldiers. 
At  first  the  greatness  and  hurry  of  the  place  surprised  me  ;  but 
thanks  be  to  the  Lord  of  the  harvest,  here  as  well  as  elsewhere, 
the  fields  are  white,  ready  unto  harvest.  Congregations  are 
large,  and  hear  as  for  eternity." 

And  again — "  Athlone,  June  10.  For  this  week  past  I  have 
been  preaching  twice  almost  every  day  in  some  country  towns. 
I  found  through  the  many  offenses  that  have  lately  been  given, 
matters  were  brought  to  a  low  ebb.  But  the  cry  now  is, 
'  Methodism  is  revived  again.'  "* 

♦  In  the  MS.  he  says,  "  I  took  a  journey  from  near  Haverford  west  to  Ire- 
land, where  a  yet  greater  work  had  been  begun,  and  carried  on  to  a  high  de- 
gree, amidst  prodigious  opposition ;  numbers  converted,  not  only  from  popery, 
but  to  Jesus  Christ,  at  Athlone,  Dublin,  Limerick,  Cork,  and  various  other 
places . " 
^  12* 


138  MEMOIRS    OF    WHITEFIELD. 

At  Limerick  and  Cork  he  preached  to  great  multitudes,  un- 
disturbed, although  the  Methodists  had  m^et  with  violent  perse- 
cution there. 

At  Bandon  and  Kinsale,  the  like  blessings  attended  him :  and 
at  Cork,  the  numbers  of  affectionate  hearers  greatly  increased. 
Being  detained  at  Belfast,  by  the  urgent  importunity  of  the  peo- 
ple, he  preached  in  many  towns  and  villages,  and  so  great  was 
the  prospect  of  success,  that  lie  wished  he  liad  visited  the  north 
of  Ireland  sooner.  But  he  hastened  to  Scotland,  intending  to 
return  before  winter  to  his  beloved  charge  in  America. 

In  July,  1751,  he  therefore  went  from  Belfast  to  Irvine,  where 
the  magistrates  requested  him  to  preach  ;  and  from  thence  to 
Glasgow. 

July  12,  he  writes  thus  :— "  Though  I  preached  nearly 
eighty  times  in  Ireland,  and  God  was  pleased  to  bless  his  word, 
yet  Scotland  seems  to  be  a  new  world  to  me.  To  see  the 
people  bring  so  many  Bibles,  turn  to  every  passage  when  I  am 
expounding,  and  hanging,  as  it  were,  upori  me  to  hear  every 
word,  is  very  encouraging.  I  feel  an  uncommon  freedom  here ; 
and  talking  with  the  winter,  as  well  as.  with  the  summer  saints, 
feeds  and  delights  my  heart."*     He  was  much  pleased  at  this 


*  Here  it  may  be  proper,  once  for  all,  to  take  notice  of  some  particulars  re- 
lating to  Mr.Whitefield's  visits  to  Scotland,  which  he  continued  till  within  a 
few  years  of  his  death. 

Though  after  the  years  1741  and  1742  there  were  no  such  extensive  new 
awakenings,  Mr.Whitefield's  coming  was  always  refreshing  to  seriou.>  per- 
sons,  and  seemed  to  put  new  life  inio  them,  and  also  to  be  the  means  of  in- 
creasing their  number.  His  preaching  was  still  eminently  useful  in  various 
respects.  In  the  first  place,  it  had  an  excellent  tendency  to  destroy  the  hurt- 
ful spirit  of  bigotry,  and  excessive  zeal  for  smaller  matters,  and  to  turn  men's 
attention  to  the  great  and  substantial  things  of  religion.  Another  effect  was, 
that  it  drew  several  persons  to  hear  the  gospel,  who  seldom  went  to  hear  it 
from  other  ministers.  Again,  young  people  in  general,  were  much  benefited 
by  his  ministry,  and  particularly  young  students,  who  became  afterwards  se- 
rious evangelical  preachers.  Lastly,  his  morning  discourses,  which  were 
mostly  intended  for  sincere  but  disconsolate  souls,  were  peculiarly  fitted  to 
direct  and  encourage  all  such  in  the  christian  life.  And  his  addresses  in  the 
evening  to  the  promiscuous  multitudes  who  then  attended  him,  were  of  a  very 
alarming  kind.  There  was  something  exceedingly  striking  in  the  solemnity 
of  his  evening  congregation  in  the  Orphan-house  park  at  Edinburgh,  and 
High  churchyard  of  Glasgow,  especially  towards  the  conclusion  of  his  ser- 
mons (which  were  commonly  very  long,  though  they  seemed  short  to  the 
hearers)  when  the  whole  multitude  stood  fixed,  and,  like  one  man,  hung  upon 
his  lips  with  silent  attention,  and  many  under  deep  impressions  of  the  great 
objects  of  religion,  and  the  concerns  of  eternity.  These  things  will  not  soon 
be  forgotten  ;  and  it  is  hoped  the  many  good  effects  which,  by  the  divine  bless- 
ing attended  them,  never  will. 

His  conversation  was  no  less  reviving  than  his  sermons.  Many  in  Edin- 
burgh and  Glasgow  are  witnesses  of  this,  especially  at  Glasgow,  when  in  com- 
pany with  his  good  friends,  Mr.  M'Laurin,  and  Mr.  Robert  Scott.  One  might 
challenge  the  sons  of  pleasure,  with  all  their  wit,  good  humor,  and  gaiety,  to 
furnish  entertainment  so  agreeable.  At  the  same  time,  no  part  of  it  was  more 
agreeable  than  it  was  useful  and  edifying. 


MEMOIRS  OF    WHITEFIELD.  139 

time  to  hear,  that  Mr.  Dinwiddle,  brother-in-law  to  the  Rev.  Mr. 
M'Culloch  of  Cambuslang  was  appointed  governor  of  Virginia. 
There  had  been  a  remarkable  awakening  in  that  province  for 
several  years,  in  particular  in  Hanover  county,  and  parts  ad- 

His  friends  in  Scotland,  among  whom  were  many  of  all  ranks,  from  the 
highest  to  the  lowest,  were  very  constant  and  steady  in  their  great  regard 
for  him.  And  his  opposers  grew  more  and  more  mild.  Some  anonymous 
pamphlets  were  written  agamst  him  at  his  first  coming,  but  these  soon  died 
and  were  forgotten.  Afterwards  a  number  of  stories  were  handed  about  to 
his  disadvantage  ;  but,  upon  inquiry,  it  was  found  either  that  matters  were 
misrepresented  or  exaggerated,  or  that  there  was  no  foundation  for  such  re- 
ports at  all :  in  short,  when  they  were  traced  to  their  origin,  they  rather  turn- 
ed out  to  his  honor.  He  used  to  smile  at  good  Mr.  M'Laurin's  honest  zeal, 
who  on  such  occasions  spared  no  pains  to  come  at  the  truth,  and,  when  he 
had  discovered  it,  was  no  less  eager  to  communicate  the  discovery  to  others, 
for  the  vindication  of  Mr.  Whitefield's  character,  in  which  he  thought  the 
credit  of  religion  was'  concerned.  The  following  instance  is  well  remem- 
bered:—One  Lieutenant  Wright  alleged,  that  Mr.  Whitefield  had  kept  back 
money  sent  by  a  gentlewoman  to  her  son  in  America.  This  coming  to  Mr, 
M'Laurin's  ears,  he  was  restless  till  he  procured  a  meeting  between  White- 
field  and  his  accuser.  They  met ;  Mr.  Wright  did  not  retract  what  he  had 
said.  Upon  which  a  letter  was  instantly  written  to  the  mother  at  London; 
and  her  answer  being  received,  a  confutation  of  the  calumny  was  published 
in  the  Glasgow  Courant,  in  the  following  terms:  "  October  31,  1748.  A  story 
having  been  spread  in  this  town  of  Mr.  Whitefield's  having  received  twenty 
pounds  sterling  from  a  gentlewoman  in  London,  to  give  to  her  son  in  Georgia, 
(whereas  he  had  received  only  three  guineas,  wliich  he  had  returned  to  the 
gentlewoman  when  he  came  back  from  Georgia,  her  son  having  been  gone 
from  thence  before  his  arrival)  a  letter  was  written  to  London  to  clear  up  this 
affair,  to  which  the  gentlewoman  has  sent  this  answer:  'Sir,  this  is  to  assure 
you  that  I  received  of  Mr.  John  Stevens  the  three  guineas,  which  was  the  full 
sum  that  I  gave  you  for  my  son.  I  hope  it  is  only  a  false  aspersion  on  him  ; 
for  I  never  heard  that  he  would  say  any  such  thing,  being  three  months  in 
Elngland.  I  am,  &c.  September  13,  1748.'  There  is  likewise  a  receipt 
handed  down,  dated  September  3,  to  Mr.  Stevens.  Both  the  letter  and  the 
receipt  are  to  be  seen  in  the  hands  of  the  publisher." 

But,  indeed,  Mr.  Whitefield's  whole  behavior  was  so  open  to  the  eyes  of 
the  world,  and  his  character,  after  it  had  stood  many  attacks  from  all  quar- 
ters, came  at  last  to  be  so  thoroughly  established,  that  several  of  his  opposers 
in  Scotland  seemed  rather  to  acquire  a  certain  degree  of  esteem  for  him  •  at 
least,  they  all  thought  proper  to  give  over  speaking  against  him. 

When  he  was  at  Glasgow,  he  always  lodged  with  Mr.  James  Neven,  mer- 
chant, above  the  Cross  ;  till,  towards  the  end  of  his  life,  his  asthmatic  disorder 
made  the  town  air  disagree  with  him.  And  then  he  went  out  in  the  evenings, 
and  stayed  with  his  good  friend  Mr.  M'Culloch,  at  Cambuslang. 

A  person  of  eminence,  whom  a  sincere  esteem  of  Mr.  Whitefield  made 
attentive  to  his  reception  and  ministrations  in  Scotland,  from  first  to  last, 
writes  thus  to  the  compiler: 

"  Edinburgh,  January,  1772.  I  think  more  might  be  said,  with  great  justice, 
concerning  the  effects  of  his  ministry  in  Scotland,  after  the  first  two  years; 
as  there  was  always  a  remarkable  revival  following  each  of  his  visits;  "which 
many  of  the  ministers  testified  to  from  their  particular  knowledge,  especially 
by  the  number  of  new  communicants.  Mention  might  be  made  of  the  great 
number  of  ministers  in  Scotland  that  employed  him,  and  of  the  many  affec- 
tionate letters  he  received  from  them,  of  which  there  were  a  good  many 
printed,  both  in  London  and  Glasgow  Weekly  Histories,  from  some  of  the 
most  eminent  men  in  the  church,  who  had  employed  him  to  preach  in  their 
pulpits,  and  continued  so  to  do,  when  opportunity  offered;  except  in  the  Pres- 
Dvtery  of  Edinburgh  ;  and  even  there  the  magistrates  always  allowed  him  a 
church  to  preach  in,  every  lime  he  came." 


140  MEMOIRS  OF    WHITEFIELD. 

jacent.  Being  unsupported  by  the  established  clergy,  and 
having  put  themselves  under  the  care  of  the  Synod  of  New 
York,  the  Methodists  were  greatly  discouraged  by  men  in 
power.  However  Providence  interposed  in  their  behalf,  for  the 
Rev.  Samuel  Davies,  afterwards  president  of  the  college  at  New 
Jersey,  was  licensed,  and  placed  over  a  congregation ;  after 
which  the  power  of  religion  increased,  and  one  congregation 
in  a  short  time,  was  increased  to  seven. 

Thus  had  these  good  people  the  pleasing  prospect  of  enjoy- 
ing equal  privileges  with  Protestant  dissenters  at  home.  Au- 
gust 6,  he  set  out  from  Edinburgh  for  London,  in  order  to  em- 
bark for,  America.  He  had  thrown  up  much  blood  in  Edin- 
burgh ;  but  traveling  recovered  him.  He  was  much  reireshed 
with  hearing  of  the  happy  effects  of  his  labors  at  Kendal,  the 
year  before.  Having  taken  an  affectionate  farewell  of  his  friends 
at  home,  he  set  sail  in  the  Antelope,  Captain  M'Lellan,  bound 
for  Georgia,  with  Germans,  taking  several  children  with  him. 

October  27,  he  arrived  at  Savannah,  and  had  the  consola- 
tion to  find  the  Orphan-house  in  a  flourishing  state.  •'  Thanks 
be  to  God,"  says  he,  "  all  is  well  at  Bethesda.  A  most  excel- 
lent tract  of  land  is  granted  to  me,  very  near  the  house,  which 
in  a  few  years,  I  hope,  will  make  a  sufficient  provision  for  it." 

November,  1751,  to  the  beginning^  of  April,  1752,  he  was  part- 
ly at  Bethesda  and  partly  in  South  Carolina,  always  alert  in 
the  path  of  duty.  "I  intended,"  says  he,  "  by  God  s  assistance, 
now  to  begin  ;  for  as  yet,  alas  !  I  have  done  nothing.  O  that  I 
may  be  in  earnest ;  it  is  a  new  year  ;  God  quicken  my  tardy  pace, 
and  help  me  to  do  much  work  in  a  little  time  !  This  is  my  high- 
est ambition." 

Having  suffered  from  the  climate  formerly,  he  did  not  choose 
to  spend  the  summer  in  America.  But  again  embarked  in 
April  for  London.  He  arrived  in  a  very  seasonable  time,  as  it 
was  the  intention  of  government  to  put  the  infant  colony  on 
the  Game  footing  with  the  others,  whereby  it  was  hoped  it 
would  soon  become  a  flourishing  province.  This  revived  his 
spirits  much.  He  now  thought  that  Providence  was  appear- 
inof  for  Georgia  and  Bethesda  ;  and  determined,  therefore,  to 
dispose  of  his  plantation,  and  to  carry  all  his  strength  to  the 
Orphan- house. 

In  June  he  planned  a  new  excursion.  "  Next  week,"  says  he, 
"  God  willing,  I  will  go  to  Portsmouth,  and  through  Bath  to 
Wales,  and  may  be  to  Scotland  and  Ireland."  And  we  find 
his  letters  about  this  time,  dated  at  Portsmouth,  Bristol,  Cardiff, 
and  Haverfordwest.  In  returning  to  Bristol,  he  met  an  associ- 
ation, at  Avhich  were  present,  about  nine  clergymen,  and  nearly 
forty  lay  preachers;    "who,"  says  he,  "llrust  are  all  born 


MEMOIRS  OF  WHITEFIELD.  141 

of  God,  and  desirous  to  promote  his  glory,  and  his  people's 
good.     All  was  harmony  and  love." 

August  17.    His  letter  of  this  date,  from  London,  to  his  friend 

Dr.  T ,  the  celebrated  electrical  philosopher,  deserves  a 

particular  notice  here.  "  I  find  you  grow  more  and  more  fa- 
mous in  the  learned  world.  As  you  have  made  a  pretty  con- 
siderable procuress  in  the  mysteries  of  electricity,  I  would  now 
humbly  recommend  to  your  diligent  and  unprejudiced  pursuit 
and  study,  the  mystery  of  the  new  birth.  It  is  a  most  im- 
portant, interesting  study ;  and  when  mastered,  will  richly 
answer  and  repay  you  for  all  your  pains.  One  at  whose  bar  we 
are  shortly  to  appear,  hath  solemnly  declared,  that  without  it 
we  cannot  enter  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  You  will  excuse  this 
freedom.     I  must  have  aliquid  Christi  in  all  my  letters." 

From  London  he  next  proceeded  to  Edinburgh,  where  he  ar- 
rived in  the  beginning  of  September,  1752.  He  preached  twice, 
in  his  way ;  at  Lutterworth,  the  parish  of  the  fomous  John 
Wickliffe,  and  at  Leicester  ;  and  at  each  place,  miicli  good  was 
done.  At  Newcastle  he  was  entreated  to  stay,  and  preached  four 
times  to  very  large  congregations. 

At  Edinburgh  aiid  Glasgow,  he  labored  as  usual.  From 
the  latter  he  writes  : — "  At  Edinburgh,  great  multitudes,  among 
whom  were  an  abundance  of  the  better  sort,  attended  twice  a 
day.  Many  young  ministers  and  students  have  given  clos-c  at- 
tention, and  I  hear  of  several  persons  that  have  been  brought 
under  deep  convictions.  I  intended  to  send  you  a  copy  of  two 
letters  from  a  highland  school  master,  who  is  honored  of  God 
to  do  much  good  among  the  poor  highland  children.  I  have 
brave  news  from  Leicester  and  Newcastle,  and  have  strong  in- 
vitations to  Yorkshire  and  Lancashire.  What  a  pity  it  is  that 
the  year  goes  round  so  soon."* 

On  his  return  to  London,  he  preached  at  Berwick,  and  all 
the  ^principal  towns.  November  1,  from  Sheffield  he  writes  : 
"  Since  I  left  Newcastle,  I  have  scarce  known  sometimes, 
whether  I  was  in  heaven,  or  on  earth.  At  Leeds,  Barstall,  Ha- 
worth,  and  Halifax,  thousands  and  thousands  have  flocked  twice 
a  day  to  hear  the  word  of  life.  I  am  now  come  from  Bolton, 
Manchester,  Stockport,  and  Chinly.     Yesterday  I  preached  in 

*  In  1752,  the  General  Assembly  of  the  Church  of  Scotland,  upon  a  division 
of  the  house,  by  a  few  votes,  deposed  Mr.  Gillespie;  which  afterwards  gave 
occasion  to  the  society  called  the  Presbytery  of  Relief.  Whitefield,  being  in- 
formed of  the  circumstances  of  that  affair,  writes  thus — "  I  wish  Mr.  Gillespie 
joy.  The  Pope,  I  find,  has  turned  Presbyterian.  The  Lord  reigns,  that  is 
enough  for  us."  And  again — "  Now  will  Mr.  Gillespie  do  more  good  in  a 
week,  than  before  in  a  year.  How  blind  is  Satan !  what  does,he  ^q\.  by  cast- 
ing out  Christ's  servants]  I  expect  that  some  great  goodwill  come  out  of 
these  confusions." 


142  MEMOIRS  OP    WHITEFIELD. 

a  church.  Four  ordained  ministers,  friends  to  the  work  of 
God,  have  been  with  me.  The  word  has  run  so  swiftly  at 
Leeds,  tliat  friends  are  come  to  fetch  me  back  ;  and  I  am  now 
going  to  Rotherdam,  Wakefield,  Leeds,  York,  and  Epworth. 
God  favors  us  with  weather  ;  and  I  would  fain  make  hay  whilst 
the  sun  shines.  O  that  I  had  as  many  tongues,  as  there  are 
hairs  upon  my  head  !  The  ever  loving,  ever  lovely  Jesus  should 
have  them  all.     Fain  would  I  die  preaching  ." 

November  10,  he  arrived  at  the  Tabernacle,  in  London.  De- 
cember 15,  he  says,  "  my  hands  are  full  of  work  ;  and  I  trust 
I  can  say,  the  Lord  causes  his  work  to  prosper  in  my  unworthy 
hands.  More  blessed  seasons  were  never  enjoyed.  Our 
sacramental  occasions  have  been  exceedingly  awful  and  re- 
freshing." 

He  now  thought  of  erecting  a  new  Tabernacle,  a  capacious 
building,  eighty  feet  square  ;  which  was  finished  the  summer 
following.  Mr.  Hervey  and  he,  about  this  time,  were  employed 
in .  revising  each  other's  works.  Of  Mr.  Hervey's  he  says — 
''for  me  to  play  the  critic  on  them,  would  be  like  holding  up  a 
candle  to  the  sun.  However,  I  will  just  mark  a  few  places,  as 
you  desire.  I  foretell  their  fate  ;  nothing  but  your  scenery  can 
screen  you.  Self  will  never  bear  to  die,  though  slain  in  so  gen- 
teel a  manner,  without  showing  some  resentment  against  its  art- 
ful murderer." 

Again,  "  I  thank  you  a  thousand  times  for  the  trouble  you 
have  been  at  revising  my  poor  compositions,  which  I  am  afraid 
you  have  not  treated  with  a  becoming  severity.  How  many 
pardons  shall  I  ask  for  mangling,  and  I  fear  murdering  your 
THERON  and  ASPAsio.  If  you  think  my  two  sermons  will  do 
for  the  public,  pray  return  them  immediately.  I  have  nothinof 
to  comfort  me  but  this,  that  the  Lord  chooses  the  weak  things 
of  this  world,  to  confound  the  strong,  and  things  that  are  not, 
to  bring  to  nouo-ht  things  that  are.  I  write  for  the  poor — you 
for  the  polite  and  noble.  God  will  assuredly  own  and  bless 
what  you  write." 

About  this  time  he  was  very  much  afllicted,  on  account  of 
the  death  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Steward,  a  valuable  minister,  who 
began  to  be  popular  in  the  church,  but  was  soon  called  to  his 
everlasting  rest.  "  AVhen  I  met  the  workmen  to  contract  about 
the  building,  I  could  scarce  bear  to  think  of  building  a  Taber- 
nacle. Strar]ge !  that  so  many  should  be  so  soon  discharged, 
and  we  continued.  Mr.  Steward  spoke  for  his  Lord,  as  long  as 
he  could  speak  at  all.  He  had  no  clouds  nor  darkness.  I  was 
with  him  till  a  few  minutes  before  he  slept  in  Jesus." 

March  1,  1753,  he  laid  the  foundation  of  the  hew  Taberna- 
cle, and  preached  from  Exodus  xx.  24.  While  the  building  was 


MEMOIRS  OP    WHITEFIELD.  143 

erecting  he  preached  abroad,  in  Moorfields,  and  Spitalfields, 
and  made  excursions  to  Chatham,  Sheerness,  and  Braintree. 

In  April,  he  went,  for  a  few  days,  to  Norwich,*  preaching 
twice  a  day  ;  the  people  flocked  with  the  greatest  earnestness, 
to  hear.  In  the  evening  some  riotous  persons  endeavored  to 
disturb  him,  but  in  vain.  It  was  about  this  time  that  he  pub- 
Hshed  his  expostulatory  letter  to  Count  Zinzendorf,  the  bishop 
of  the  Moravians,  in  London. 

In  May,  Ke  took  another  circuit  westward ;  and  every  where 
a  2;racious  melting  season  appeared  to  be  among  the  people. 
In  about  a  fortnight,  he  rode  three  hundred  and  fifty 
miles,  and  preached  above  taventy  times. 

His  new  Tabernacle  was  opened  on  Sunday,  June  10, 1753, 
with  a  sermon  in  the  morning,  from  1  Chronicles  xxix.  9. 

*  A  youn^  man  of  the  city  of  Norwich,  of  about  eighteen  years  of  age,  was 
walking  one  morning,  with  a  party  of  other  young  men,  who  had  all  agreed 
to  make  that  day  a  holiday.  The  first  object  that  attracted  their  attention 
was  an  old  woman,  who  pretended  to  tell  fortunes.  They  immediately  em- 
ployed her  to  tell  theirs,  and  that  they  might  fully  qualify  her  for  their  under- 
taking, first  made  her  thoroughly  intoxicated  with  spirituous  liquor.  The 
young  man  of  whom  mention  was  first  made,  was  informed,  among  other 
things,  that  he  would  live  to  a  very  old  age,  and  see  his  children,  grand  chil- 
dren, and  great  grand  children,  growing  up  around  him.  Though  he  had 
assisted  in  qualifying  the  old  woman  for  the  fraud,  by  intoxicating  her,  yet  he 
had  credulity  enough  to  be  struck  with  these  parts  of  her  predictions  which 
related  to  himself.  "And  so,"  quoth  he,  when  alone,  "I  am  to  see  children, 
grand  children,  and  great  grand  children  !  At  that  age  I  must  be  a  burden  to 
the  young  people.  What  shall  I  do  1  There  is  no  way  for  an  old  man  to  ren- 
der himself  more  agreeable  to  youth,  than  by  sitting  and  telling  them  pleas- 
ant and  profitable  stories.  I  will  then,  thought  he,  during  my  youth,  endea- 
vor lo  store  my  mind  with  all  kinds  of  knowledge.  I  will  see  and  hear,  and 
note  down  ever}''  thing  that  is  rare  and  wonderful,  that  I  may  sit,  when  inca- 
pable of  other  employment,  and  entertain  my  descendants.  Thus  shall  my 
company  be  rendered  pleasant,  and  I  shall  be  respected  rather  than  neglected 
in  old  age.  Let  me  see  what  I  can  acquire  first  1  Oh !  here  is  the  famous 
Methodist  preacher,  Whitefield  ;  he  is  to  preach,  they  say,  to-night.  I  will  go 
and  hear  him." 

From  these  strange  motives  the  young  man  declared  he  went  to  hear  White- 
field.  He  preached  that  evening  "from  Matthew  iii.  7.  "  But  when  he  saw 
many  of  the  Pharisees  and  Sadducees  come  to  his  baptism,  he  said  unto  them, 
O  generation  of  vipers,  who  hath  warned  you  to  flee  from  the  wrath  to  come  1" 
'■  Mr.  Whitefield,  said  the  voutig  man,  "described  the  sadducean  character; 
this  did  not  touch  me.  I  thought  myself  as  good  a  christian  as  any  man  in 
England.  From  this  he  went  to  that' of  the  pharisees.  He  described  their 
exterior  decency,  but  observed  that  the  poison  of  the  viper  rankled  in  their 
hearts.  This  rather  .shook  me.  At  length,  in  the  course  of  his  sermon,  he 
abruptly  broke  off;  paused  for  a  few  moments ;  then  burst  into  a  flood  of  tears ; 
Jifleci  up  his  hands  and  eyes,  and  exclaimed,  '  O  my  hearers  !  The  wrath's  to 
coviel  the  wrath'' s  to  cornel'  These  word's  sunk  into  my  heart,  like  lead  in 
the  waters.  I  wep^,  and  when  the  sermon  was  ended,  retired  alone.  For 
days  and  weeks  I  could  think  of  little  else.  Those  awful  words  would  fol- 
low me,  wherever  I  went,  '  The  vjrath's  to  cornel  the  vrratKs  to  come!'"  The 
issue  was,  that  the  yoimg  man,  soon  after  made  a  public  profession  of  religion, 
and  in  a  little  time  became  a  considerable  preacher.  He  himself  related  the 
foregoing  circumstances  a  few  years  since,  to  the  Rev,  Andrew  Fuller,  of 
Kettering. 


144  MEMOIRS  OF    WHITEFIELD. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

From  his  opening  the  new  Tabernacle  in  Moorjields,  to  his  preaching 
at  the  chapel  in  Tottenham  court  road,  1756. 

Whitefield,  having  preached  at  his  Tabernacle  a  few  days 
with  his  accustomed  earnestness  and  success,  to  crowded  audi- 
tories, in  the  end  of  June,  set  out  for  Scotland. 

In  his  progress,  he  enjoyed  very  pleasant  opportunities  at 
Oulney.  He  preached  likewise  at  Leicester,  Nottingham,  and 
Sheffield.  IMultitudes  every  where  were  flocking  like  doves  to 
to  their  windows,  to  receive  the  word  of  eternal  hfe. 

In   his  way  to   Leeds,  he   preached  at  Rotherham*  and 

*  Rotherham,  and  its  environs,  had,  for  a  considerable  time,  been  ranked  by 
serious  people,  among  those  parts  of  Yorkshire,  which  were  least  inclined  to 
favor  the  spread  of  evangelical  religion  ;  and  when  Whitefield  attempted  to 
disseminate  divine  knowledge  in  that  neighborhood,  his  person  and  message 
was  treated  with  contempt.  The  propagation  of  malicious  falsehoods  was 
encouraged,  with  a  design  to  counteract  the  good  effects  of  his  ministry,  Mr. 
Thrope,  afterwards  pastor  of  the  Independent  church  at  Masborough.  near 
Rotherham,  ranged  under  the  standard  of  his  most  virulent  opposers ;  and 
not  content  with  personal  insult,  added  private  ridicule  to  public  interruption. 
Public  houses  became  theatres,  where  the  fate  of  religious  opinions  was  to  be 
determined. 

It  Avas  at  one  of  these  convivial  resorts,  that  Mr.  Thrope  and  three  of  his 
associates,  to  enliven  the  company,  undertook  to  mimic  the  preacher.  The 
proposition  was  highly  gratifying  to  all  parties  present,  and  a  wager  agreed 
upon,  to  inspire  each  individual  with  a  desire  of  excelling  in  this  impious  at- 
tempt. That  their  jovial  auditors  might  adjudge  the  prize  to  the  most  adroit 
performer,  it  was  concluded  that  each  should  open  the  Bible,  and  hold  forth 
trom  the  first  text  that  should  present  itself  to  his  e)'e.  Accordingly  three  in 
their  turn  mounted  the  table,  and  entertained  their  wicked  companions,  at  the 
expense  of  every  thing  sacred.  When  they  had  exhausted  their  little  stock 
of  buffoonery,  it  devolved  on  Mr.  Tlirope  to  close  this  very  irreverent  scene. 
Much  elated,  and  confident  of  success,  he  exclaimed  as  he  ascended  the  table, 
"  I  shall  beat  you  all !"  But  O !  the  stupendous  depths  of  divine  mercy !  who 
would  have  conceived  that  a  gracious  Providence  should  have  presided  over 
5uch  an  assembly,  and  that  this  should  be  the  time  of  heavenly  love  to  one  of 
the  most  outrageous  mockers ! 

Mr.  Thrope,  when  the  Bible  was  handed  to  him,  had  not  the  slightest  pre- 
conception, what  part  of  the  scripture  he  should  make  the  subject  of  his  ban- 
ter. However,  by  the  guidance  of  an  unerring  Providence,  it  opened  at  that 
remarkable  passage,  Luke  xiii.  3.  "  Except  ye  repent  ye  shall  all  likewise 
perish.^^  No  sooner  had  he  uiiered  the  words,  than  his  mind  was  atfected  in 
a  very  extraordinary  manner.  The  sharpest  pangs  of  conviction  now  seized 
him,  and  conscience  denounced  tremendous  vengeance  upon  his  soul.  ]n  a 
moment  he  was  favored  with  a  clear  view^  of  his  subject,  and  divided  his  dis- 
course more  like  a  divine,  who  had  been  accustomed  to  speak  on  portions  of 
scripture,  than  like  one  who  never  so  much  as  thought  on  religious  topics, 
except  for  the  purpose  of  ridicule  !  He  found  no  deficiency  of  mattei-,  no 
want  of  utterance,  and  he  has  frequently  declared,  "  If  ever  I  preached  in  my 
life  by  the  assistance  of  the  Spirit  of  God,  it  was  at  that  time."  The  impres- 
sion that  the  subject  made  upon  his  mind  had  such  an  effect  upon  his  manner, 
that  the  most  ignorant  and  profane  could  not  but  perceive  that  what  he  had 
spoken  was  with  the  greatest  sincerity. 

The  unexpected  solemnity  and  pertinency  of  his  address,  instead  of  enter- 


1 


MEMOIRS  OF    WHITEFIELD.  145 

Wakefield  ;  at  the  former  place,  he  had  met  with  such  disturb- 
ance from  the  mob.  that  he  almost  resolved  to  preach  there  no 
more.  But  he  was  now  convinced  of  the  rashness  of  such  a 
step ;  for  some  who  had  been  bitter  persecutors,  now  gladly 
received  him  within  their  doors  :  acknowledging  that  God  had 
made  him  instrumental  in  their  conversion. 

At  Leeds  he  had  great  success  ;  at  York  he  was  twice  dis- 
turbed, and  twice  he  preached  in  peace,  and  with  much  power. 
At  Newcastle  and  Sunderland,  great  multitudes  were  deeply- 
impressed.  At  five  in  the  morning  the  great  room  was  filled, 
and  on  the  Lord's  day  the  congregation  without  was  immense. 
In  short,  so  promising  was  the  appearance,  that  he  was  inclined 
to  wish  he  had  not  engaged  to  go  to  Scotland,  and  resolved  to 
return  as  soon  as  possible. 

Having  spent  a  few  days  at  Edinburgh  and  Glasgow,  in  his 
accustomed  manner,  with  much  acceptance,  he  returned  to 
England,  the  7th  day  of  August.*     He  found  his  continual  ex- 

taining  the  company,  first  spread  a  visible  depression,  and  afterwards  a  sullen 
gloom,  upon  every  countenance.  This  sudden  change  in  the  complexion  of 
his  associates  did  not  a  little  conduce  to  increase  the  convictions  of  his  own 
bosom.  No  individual  appeared  disposed  to  interrupt  him ;  but,  on  the  con- 
trary, their  attention  was  deeply  engaged  with  the  poinledness  of  his  remarks  ; 
yea,  many  of  his  sentences,  as'  he  has  often  related,  made,  to  his  apprehen- 
sion, his  own  hair  stand  erect ! 

When  he  had  left  the  table  not  a  syllable  was  uttered  concerning  the  wa- 
ger ;  but  a  profound  silence  pervaded  the  company.  Mr.  Thrope  immediate- 
ly withdrew,  without  taking  the  least  notice  of  any  person  present ;  andre- 
turned  home,  with  very  painful  reflections,  and  the  deepest  distress  imaginable. 
Happily  for  him,  this  was  his  last  bacchanalian  revel !  His  impressions  were 
manifestly  genuine,  and  from  that  period,  the  connection  between  him  and  his 
former  companions  was  entirely  dissolved.  Then  by  a  sovereign,  and  almost 
unexampled  act  of  divine  grace,  in  a  place  where,  and  at  a  time  when,  it 
was  least  expected,  "  the  prey  was  taken  from  the  mighty,  and  the  lawful 
captive  delivered." 

Hell  mourns  sincere,  as  for  an  only  son  ! 

A  captive  lost — and  heaven  the  prize  has  won  ! 

The  people  whom  he  had  before  so  frequently  reviled,  became  now  the  ob- 
jects of  nis  delight.  He  sought  their  company  with  avidity:  and  soon  after,  was 
joined  to  the  Methodist  society.  His  habitual  seriousness,  and  uniform  mo- 
rality, soon  endeared  him  to  his  new  connections,  and  the  specimens  he  gave 
of  his  talents,  in  his  occasional  exercises  in  private,  flattered  their  hopes,  that 
he  would  soon  be  called  forth  to  public  notice.  In  these  expectations  they 
were  not  disappointed  ;  for  he  was  quickly  sent  out  by  Mr.  Wesley  to  "  preacU 
the  faith  which  he  once  labored  to  destroy." 

Abolit  two  years  after  he  was  stationed  for  a  season  at  Rotherham.  Here 
his  ideas  became  more  enlarged  in  the  doctrines  of  grace  ;  which  procured  his 
dismission  from  the  society.  He  was  chosen  pastor  of  the  church  at  Masbo- 
rough,  where  he  exercised  the  ministerial  function,  thirteen  years.  On  No- 
vember 8,  1776,  about  the  forty-sixth  year  of  his  age,  he  gently  resigned  his 
breath,  without  a  struggle ;  and  doubtless  went  triumphantly  to  the  perfect 
worship  and  happiness  of  heaven  ! 

*  After  he  had  been  in  Glasgow,  the  following  paragraph  appeared  in  the 
Newcastle  Journal,  August  11,  1753.  "By  a  letter  from  Edinburgh,  we  are 
informed,  that  on  the  2d  instant,  Mr.  Whitefield,  the  itinerant,  being  at  Glas- 

13 


146  MEMOIRS   OF   AVIIITEFIELD. 

crtions  exceeding  his  strength.  Yet  he  went  forward,  preachings 
twice  or  thrice  a  day,  and  once  five  times,  often  wishing  to  be 
with  liis  divine  Master  in  glory. 

On  his  return  to  England,  he  went  from  Newcastle  to  Stock- 
ton, Osmotherly,  York,"  and  Leeds.  He  had  a  very  refresliing 
season  while  assisting  to  administer  the  sacrament  at  Haworth, 
to  a  great  number  of  communicants  ;  and  rode  as  far  as  Bos- 
ton, Manchester,  and  Stockport.  The  eagerness  of  the  people 
was  wonderful :  he  preached  in  every  town  through  which  he 
passed,  and  came  to  London  the  latter  end  of  September,  hav- 
ing traveled  about  twelve  hundred  miles,  and  preached  one 
HUNDRED  and  eighty  times. 

His  stay  in  London  was  but  short,  for  in  the  month  of 
October  he  made  a  journey  to  Staffordshire.  A  scene  of  ex- 
tensive usefulness  seemed  to  open  to  him  during  his  stay  at 
Oulney ;  at  which  place,  and  many  adjacent  parts,  he  preached 
in  one  week.  Also  at  Birmingham,  and  all  around,  the  mul- 
titudes of  hearers  were  very  attentive.  At  a  place  not  far  from 
Dudley,  called  Guarnell,  he  was  told  of  a  whole  company  that 
were  awakened  by  reading  his  sermons.  He  had  the  pleasure 
of  meeting  with  others  who  had  been  awakened  years  aoo  ; 
and  heard  of  a  notorious  persecutor  and  drunkard,  who  had 

gow,  and  preaching  to  an  audience,  near  the  play-house  lately  built,  inflamed 
the  mob  so  much  against  it,  that  they  ran  directly  from  before  him,  and  pulled 
it  down  to  ground.  Several  of  the  rioters  have  been  since  taken  up  and  com- 
mitted to  gaol." 

It  would  not  have  been  worth  while  to  transcribe  this,  were  it  not  another 
specimen  of  the  unaccountable  liberties  taken  by  some  of  the  opposers  of 
Whitefield,  in  telling  their  stories  concerning  him.  The  fact  was  this.  White- 
field  being  informed  that  the  players  had  lately  come  to  Glasgow,  and  had  met 
with  some  encouragement,  took  occasion  in  his  sermon  to  preach  against 
play-houses,  and  to  represent  their  pernicious  influence  on  religion  and  mo- 
rality, especially  in  a  populous,  commercial  city,  and  the  seat  of  a  university. 
But  there  was  no  riot.  It  was  the  proprietor  of  the  play-house,  at  that  lime 
a  slight  temporary  booth,  supported  by  the  old  walls  of  the  bishop's  castle, 
who  ordered  his  workmen  to  take  it  down. 

Mr.  Whitefield,  in  a  letter  to  the  Countess  of  Htmtingdon,  dated  August 
13,  1753,  says,  "  At  Glasgow,  the  man  who  owned  the  play-house  was  made 
so  uneasy  by  the  word  preached,  that  he  took  down  the  roof  himself.  For  this 
Satan  owesme  a  grudge,  and  therefore  it  is  put  in  the  paper,  that  a  mob  was 
raised.  But  there  was  not  the  least  appearance  of  any  such  thing.  Our 
weapons  are  not  carnal,  but  mighty  through  God  to  the  pulling  down  of  Sa- 
tan's strong  holds." 

In  another  letter,  dated  August  23,  1753,  to  the  right  honorable  Lady  Fran- 
ces Shirley,  he  says,  "  I  have  been  of  late,  generally  enabled  to  preach  thrice 
a  day,  and  in  all  appearance  the  word  never  was  attended  with  more  success. 
Satan  rages  and  belies  me,  about  th.e  taking  down  the  Glasgow  play-houses  ; 
but  I  hope  my  letter,  lately  published  in  the  Newcastle  Journal,  will  set  all 
things  right.  Thanks  be  to  God,  without  the  assistance  of  mobs  and  riots, 
which  my  soul  abhors,  the  christian's  weapons,  through  Divine  assistance, 
are  mighty  to  the  pulling  down  of  Satan's  strong  holds.  Blessed  be  his  holy 
name  for  any  begun  conquests  there  ;  surely  his  name  is  wonderful  that  hath 
done  it," 


MEMOIRS  OF    WHITEFIELD.  147 

been  powerfully  convinced.  It  was,  as  he  expresses  it,  his  de- 
hght  to  break  up  new  ground  ;  and  he  sometimes  found,  to 
his  comfort,  that  his  way  was  prepared  by  the  divine  blessing 
on  his  writings,  particularly  at  Alpenham,  in  Cheshire,  and  at 
Liverpool ;  where  a  person  who  had  received  benefit  by  read- 
ing his  sermons,  met  him  at  the  landing,  and  took  him  to  his 
house.  Here  all  was  quiet,  as  well  as  at  Chester,  where  he 
preached  four  times,  having  several  of  the  established  clergy 
in  his  congregations.  But  at  Wrexham  and  Nantwich,  where 
a  meeting  house  had  lately  been  pulled  down,  he  was  assaulted 
by  the  mob,  and  compelled  to  remove  with  his  congregation  to 
a  place  a  little  out  of  town. 

Thus  he  continued  travehng  about,  now  and  then  returning 
to  spend  a  few  days  in  London.  November  16,  he  thus  writes 
from  Gloucester  :  "After  Lord's-day,  I  am  bound  from  Bristol 
and  Plymouth,  and  hope  to  get  into  my  winter  quarters,  some 
time  before  Christmas.  Glad  should  I  be  to  travel  for  Jesus 
all  the  year  round  ;  it  is  more  to  me  than  my  necessary  food." 

On  Sunday,  November  25,  he  opened  the  new  Tabernacle 
at  Bristol,  which  he  says,  "  was  very  large,  but  not  half  large 
enough ;  for  if  the  place  could  contain  them,  nearly  as  many 
would  attend  as  in  London."  He  also  preached  twice  in  his 
brother's  great  house,  to  the  people  of  quality. 

Though  it  was  now  so  late  in  the  year,  he  went  to  Somer- 
setshire, and  preached  several  times,  in  the  open  air.  In  the 
evening,  '•  my  hands  and  body,"  says  he,  "  were  pierced  with 
cold  ;  but  what  are  outward  things,  when  the  soul  is  warmed 
by  the  love  of  God  !  The  stars  shone  exceeding  bright ;  and, 
by  an  eye  of  faith,  I  saw  Him  who  calleth  them  all  by  their 
names.  My  soul  was  filled  with  holy  ambition,  and  I  longed 
to  be  one  of  those,  who  shall  shine  as  the  stars  for  ever  and 
every 

John  Wesley,  yet  his  personal  friend,  had  at  this  time,  by 
his  diligence  and  zeal,  brought  his  life  into  great  danger.  Not- 
withstanding their  theological  differences,  Whitefield  still  re- 
tained the  warm  personal  affection  for  him,  which  is  implied  in 
the  following  extract  from  one  of  his  letters.  He  thus  writes  : 
"  Bristol,  December  3,  1753.  I  am  now  hastening  to  London, 
to  pay  my  last  respects  to  my  dying  friend.  The  physician 
thinks  his  disease  is  galloping  consumption.  I  pity  the  church 
— I  pity  myself — but  not  him.  Poor  Mr.  Cliarles  will  now 
have  double  work  :  bnt  we  can  do  all  things  through  Christ 
strengthening  usJ^  His  letters  to  both  the  brothers  on  this 
occasion,  are  very  affectionate  and  sympathizing.  In  his  let- 
ter to  Charles  Wesley,  December  3,  1753,  he  says,  '- 1  can- 
not help  sending  after  you  a  few  sympatliizhig  lines.     The 


148  MEMOIRa  OP   WHITEFIELD. 

Lord  help  and  support  you  !  May  a  double  spirit  of  the  as- 
cending Elijah,  descend  and  rest  on  the  surviving  Elisha  ! 
Ts^ow  is  the  time  to  prove  the  strength  of  Jesus  yours.  A  wife, 
a  friend,  and  brother  ill  together.  Well  !  this  is  our  comfort, 
all  things  shall  work  together  for  good  to  those  that  love  God. 
Glad  should  I  be  to  reach  heaven  first :  but  faith  and  patience 
hold  out  a  little  longer.  Yet  a  little  while,  and  we  shall  be  all 
together  with  our  common  Lord.  I  commend  you  to  his  ever- 
lasting love,  and  am,  my  dear  friend,  with  much  sympathy, 
yours,  &c."  To  John  Wesley  he  writes  thus : — "  If  seeing  you 
so  weak  when  leaving:  liOndon,  distressed  me,  the  news  and 
prospect  of  your  approaching  dissolution  hath  quite  weig^hed  me 
down.  I  pity  myself,  and  the  church,  but  not  you.  A  radiant 
throne  awaits  you,  and  ere  long  you  will  enter  into  your  Mas- 
ter's joy.  Yonder  he  stands  with  a  massy  crown,  ready  to  put 
it  on  your  head,  amidst  an  admiring  throng  of  saints  and  an- 
o^els.  But  I,  poor  I,  that  have  been  waiting  for  my  dissolution 
these  nineteen  years,  must  be  left  behind  to  grovel  here  below. 
Well,  this  is  my  comfort,  it  cannot  be  long  ere  the  chariots  will 
be  sent  even  for  worthless  me.  If  prayers  can  detain  them, 
even  you,  reverend  and  very  dear  sir,  shall  not  leave  us  yet : 
but  if  the  decree  is  gone  forth,  that  you  must  now  fall  asleep 
in  Jesus,  may  he  kiss  your  soul  away,  and  give  you  to  die  in 
the  embraces  of  triumphant  love.  If  in  the  land  of  the  living, 
1  hope  to  pay  my  last  respects  to  you  next  week.  If  not,  reve- 
rend and  dear  sir,  farewell.  My  heart  is  too  big,  tears  trickle 
down  too  fast,  and  I  fear  you  are  to  weak  for  me  to  enlars^e. 
May  underneath  you  be  Christ's  everlasting  arms  !  I  commend 
you  to  his  never  failing  mercy,  and  am,  very  dear  sir,  your 
most  affectionate,  sympathizing,  and  afflicted  younger  brother 
in  the  gospel  of  our  common  Lord."  Shortly  after  this  he 
went  to  London,  and  soon  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  Wesley 
recover. 

December  26,  he  received  a  visit  from  Messrs.  Tennent  and 
Da  vies,  from  America,  who  came  to  England  to  raise  contribu- 
tions for  the  college  of  New  Jersey.  And  beingf  commissioned 
to  apply  for  a  general  collection  in  Scotland,  Whitefield  gave 
them  recommendatory  letters,  arwi  heartily  endeavored  to  fur- 
ther their  design.  He  spent  the  winter  of  1753  in  London, 
longing  for  a  sprins:  campaign,  as  he  expressed  it,  that  he  might 
begin  to  do  somethino-  for  his  divine  Master. 

March  7.  1754,  having  got  about  twenty  poor  children  un- 
der his  care,  he  embarked  for  America,  but  put  in  at  Lisbon, 
where  he  stayed  from  the  20tli  of  March,  to  the  13th  of  April. 

From  Lisbon  he  writes  : — "  This  leaves  me  an  old  inhabi- 
tant of  Lisbon.     AYe  have  now  been  here  almost  a  week,  and 


MEMOIRS    OP  WHITEFIELD.  149 

I  suppose  shall  stay  a  fortnight  longer.  A  reputable  merchant 
has  received  me  into  his  house,  and  every  day  shows  me  the 
ecclesiastical  curiosities  of  the  country.  O  my  dear  friend, 
bless  the  Lord  of  all  lords  for  causing  your  lot  to  be  cast  into 
such  a  fair  ground  as  England,  and  giving  you  such  a  goodly 
heritage.  It  is  impossible  to  be  sufficiently  thankful  for  civil 
and  religious  liberty,  for  simplicity  of  worship,  and  powerful 
preaching  of  the  word  of  God.  O  for  simplicity  of  manners, 
and  a  correspondent  behavior !  The  air  agrees  with  my  poor 
constitution  extremely  well.  Through  divuie  assistance,  I  hope 
what  I  see  will  also  much  improve  my  better  part,  and  help  to 
qualify  me  better  for  preaching  the  everlasting  gospel."  Again. 
"  Never  did  civil  and  religious  liberty  appear  to  me  in  so  amia- 
ble a  light  as  now.  What  a  spirit  must  Martin  Luther,  and 
the  first  reformers  have  been  endued  with,  that  dared  to  appear 
as  they  did  for  God !  Lord  hasten  that  blessed  time,  when 
others,  excited  by  the  same  spirit,  shall  perform  like  wonders. 
Oh  happy  England  !  Oh  happy  Methodists,  who  are  Methodists 
indeed  !  And  all  1  account  such,  who  being  dead  to  sects  and 
parties,  aim  at  nothing  else  but  as  holy  a  method  of  living  too, 
and  dying  in  the  blessed  Jesus."  Again.  '•  This  leaves  me 
pretty  well  satisfied,  not  to  say  surfeited,  with  the  ecclesiastical 
curiosities  of  Lisbon.  This  day  fortnight  we  arrived  ;  and  the 
country  being  in  want  of  rain,  and  it  being  Lent  season,  we 
have  been  favored  with  frequent  processions,  and  several  ex- 
traordinary pieces  of  scenery.  Alas  !  to  what  lengths  will 
superstition  run  !  And  how  expensive  is  the  pageantry  of  a 
false  religion  !  What  eno^aged  my  attention  most,  was  the 
number  of  crncifixes,  and  little  images  of  the  virgin  Mary,  and 
of  other  real  or  reputed  saints,  which  were  placed  almost  in 
every  street,  or  fixed  against  the  walls  of  the  houses,  almost  at 
every  turning,  with  lamps  hanging  before  them.  To  these, 
I  observed  the  people  bow  as  they  passed  along ;  and  neai* 
some  of  them  stood  several  little  companies,  singing  with  great 
earnestness.  This  seemed  to  me  very  odd,  and  gave  me  an 
idea  of  what  further  ecclesiastical  curiosities  would  probably 
fall  in  my  way,  if  I  should  be  detained  here  any  time.  These 
expectations  were  quickly  raised ;  for,  not  long  after  my  arri- 
val at  my  lodgings,  where  I  was  received  and  entertained 
with  great  gentility,  hospitality,  and  friendliness,  upon  looking 
out  of  the  window,  I  saw  a  company  of  priests  and  friars  bear- 
ing lighted  wax  tapers,  and  attended  by  various  sorts  of  people, 
some  of  whom  had  bags  and  baskets  of  victuals  in  their  hands, 
and  others  carried  provisions  upon  their  shoulders  on  sticks 
between  two.  After  these,  followed  a  mixed  multitude,  singing 
with  a  very  audible  voice,  and  addressing  the  virgin  Mary  in 

13* 


150  MEMOIRS  OF    "WHITEFIELD. 

their  usual  strain.  •  Ora  pro  nobis:  In  this  manner  they  pro- 
ceeded to  the  prison,  where  all  was  deposited  for  tlie  use  of  the 
poor  persons  connned  tlierein.  But  a  far  more  pompous  pro- 
cession of  the  like  nature,  as  a  by-stander  informed  me.  passed 
by  a  few  days  before.  In  this  tliere  were  nearly  three  hundred 
Franciscan  friars,  many  of  whom,  besides  porters  hired  for  the 
purpose,  were  loaded  witli  a  variety  of  food  :  and  those  who 
bore  no  buVdens,  carried  either  ladles  or  spoons  in  their  liands. 
Sights  of  this  nature  being-  quite  a  novelty  to  me.  I  was  fond 
of  attendinir  as  many  oi  them  as  I  could.  Two  things  con- 
curred to  make  them  more  frequent  at  this  juncture — the  season 
of  Lent,  and  excessive  drought,  which  threatened  the  total 
destruction  of  the  fruits  of  the  earth.  For  the  averting  so  great 
a  judorment.  and  for  the  imploring  the  much  longed  for  blessing^ 
of  rain,  daily  processions  had  been  made  from  one  convent  or 
another,  for  a  considerable  time.  'One  of  these  I  saw  :  it  was 
looked  upon  as  a  pretty  grand  one,  being  made  up  of  the  Car- 
melite friars,  the  parish  priests,  and  a  great  number  of  what 
they  call  tlie  brotiiers  of  the  order,  who  walked  two  by  two  in 
divers  habits,  holding  a  long  and  very  large  lighted  wax  taper 
in  their  hands.  .Amidst  tliese  was  carried,  upon  eight  or  ten 
men's  shoulders,  a  tall  image  of  the  virgin  ^Iar\-.  in  a  kind  of 
man's  attire  :  for  I  think  she  iiad  a  very  hne  white  wior  on  her 
head,  a  di'ess  she  ot'ten  appears  in,  and  was  much  adorned  with 
jewels  and  glittering  stones.  At  some  distance  from  the  lady, 
mider  a  large  canopy  of  state,  and  supported  likewise  by  six  or 
eiofht  persons,  came  a  pjriest;  holding  in  his  hand  some  noted 
relic.  After  him,  foUov^-ed  several  thousands  of  people  joiniji£^ 
with  the  friars  in  singing,  'Eanden  cantileuan,  Ora  pro  ?iobisj' 
all  the  way.  Still  rain  was  denied,  and  still  processions  were 
continued.  At  len£-tli  the  clouds  Ijegan  to  gather,  and  the 
merciirv  in  the  barometer  fell  very  much.  Tliere  was  brought 
out  a  wooden  image,  which  they  say  never  failed.  It  was  the 
ligure  of  our  blessed  Lord,  clothed  with  purple  robes,  and 
crowned  with  thoras.  I  tliink  they  called  him  the  lord  of 
THE  PASSION.  L'pon  his  shoulders  he  bore  a  large  cross,  under 
the  weio;ht  of  which  he  was  represented  as  stooping-,  till  his 
body  bent  almost  double.  He  was  brought  from  Le  Grass 
Convent  in  ver\'  great  pomp,  and  placed  in  a  large  cathedral 
church.  Being  on  board  at  that  time.  I  lost  this  sight ;  but  the 
subsequent  evening  I  beheld  the  seigneur  fixed  on  an  emi- 
nence in  a  large  cathedj-al  church,  near  the  aUar,  surrounded 
with  wax  tapers  of  a  prodigious  size.  He  was  attended,  by 
many  noblemen,  and  tliousunds  of  spectators  of  all  ranks  and 
stit.tions,  who  crowded  from  every  quarter,  and  in  their  turns, 
were  admitted  by  die  guards  to  come  vridhn  the  rails,  and  per- 


MEMOIRS  OP    WHITEFIELD.  151 

form  their  devotions.  This  they  expressed  by  kneehng",  and 
kissing  the  seigneur's  heel,  by  putting  their  left  and  right  eye 
to  it,  and  then  touching  it  with  their  beads,  which  a  gentleman 
in  waiting  received  from  them,  and  then  returned  again.  This 
scene  was  repeated  for  three  days  successively  ;  and  during  all 
this  time,  the  church  and  space  before  it,  was  so  thronged  with 
carriages  and  people,  that  there  was  scarcely  any  passing.  The 
music  on  this  occasion  was  extremely  soft,  and  the  church  was 
illuminated  in  a  very  striking  manner.  The  third  day  in  the 
forenoon  it  rained,  and  soon  after  the  seigneur  was  conducted 
home  in  a  great  splendor,  and  with  much  greater  rejoicing, 
than  when  he  was  brought  forth.  As  my  situation  was  very 
commodious,  I  saw  the  whole  ;  and  afterwards  went  and  heard 
part  of  the  sermon,  which  was  delivered  before  the  seigneur, 
in  the  church  to  which  he  belonged.  The  preacher  was  full 
of  action  ;  and  in  some  part  of  his  discourse,  as  one  who 
understood  Portuguese  informed  me,  pointing  to  the  image, 
he  said,  '  Now  he  is  at  rest.  He  went  out  in  justice,  but  is  re- 
turned in  mercy.'  And  toward  the  conclusion  he  called  upon 
the  people  to  join  with  him  in  an  extempore  prayer.  This 
they  did  with  great  ferv^ency,  which  was  expressed  not  only 
by  repeating  it  aloud,  but  by  beating  their  breasts,  and  clapping 
their  clieeks,  and  weepinir  heartily.  To  complete  the  solemnity, 
immediately  after  the  delivery  of  the  blessing,  all  on  a  sudden, 
from  the  place  near  which  the  image  stood,  there  was  heard  a 
most  soft  and  soothing  symphony  of  music,  which  being  ended, 
the  assembly  broke  up,  and  I  returned  to  my  lodgings  ;  not  a 
little  affected,  to  see  so  many  thousands  led  away  from  the  sim- 
plicity of  the  gospel,  by  such  a  mixture  of  human  artifice  and 
blind  superstition,  of  which  indeed  I  could  have  formed  no 
idea,  had  I  not  been  an  eye-witness.  This  concern  was  still 
increased,  by  what  I  heard  from  some  of  my  fellow  passengers, 
who  informed  me  that  about  eleven,  one  niofht,  after  1  came  on 
board,  they  not  only  heard  a  friar  preaching  most  ferv^ently  be- 
fore the  seigneur,  but  also  saw  several  companies  of  penitents 
brought  in,  lashing  and  whippins:  themselves  severely.  How 
little  is  this  unlike  to  those  who  cut  themselves  with  knives  and 
lancets,  and  cried  out  from  morning  to  night  '  O  Baal,  hear  us.' 
Methinks  I  hear  you  say,  'And  had  I  been  present,  I  should  have 

wished  for  the  spirit  of  an  Elijah  to' Hush,  my  friend,  I 

am  content  to  guess  at  the  rest  till  we  meet.  In  the  meanwhile, 
let  us  comfort  ourselves  with  this  thouirht,  that  there  is  a  season 
approaching,  when  the  Lord"  God  of  Elijah  will  himself  come, 
and  destroy  this  and  every  other  species  of  antichrist,  by  the 
breath  of  his  mouth,  and  the  brightness  of  his  appearing,  even  by 
the  all  conquering  manifestations  of  his  eternal  spirit.   Whether 


152  MEMOIRS  OF   WHITEFIELD. 

as  men,  christians,  or  Protestants,  we  have  not  more  and  more 
reason  to  pray  night  and  day,  for  the  hastening  on  of  that  glo- 
rious and  long  wished  for  period,  you  will  be  better  able  to 
judge,  when  I  send  you,  as  I  purpose  to  do,  if  I  have  time,  a 
further  account  of  a  Lent  procession  or  two,  of  which  I  was 
also  a  spectator. 

The  following  account  of  the  procession  of  St.  Francis, 
Mr.  Whitefield  gives,  in  a  letter,  dated  April  3,  1754,  to  the 
same  friend. 

"  My  dear  friend, 
"  Though  some  other  business  demands  my  attention,  yet  I 
must  not  forget  the  promise  made  you  of  a  further  account  of 
the  processions  I  saw  at  Lisbon.  Some  of  those  already  men- 
tioned, were  extraordinary,  by  reason  of  the  great  drought ; 
but  that  which  is  to  be  the  subject  of  my  present  letter,  was  an 
annual  one  ;  it  being  the  custom  at  Lisbon  to  exhibit  some  pro- 
cession or  another  every  Friday  in  Lent.  An  intelligent  Pro- 
testant, who  stood  near  me,  was  so  good  as  to  be  my  interpreter 
of  the  dumb  show  as  it  passed  along.  I  say  dumb  slioio  :  for 
for  you  must  know  it  was  chiefly  made  up  of  waxen  or  wooden 
images,  carried  on  men's  shoulders  through  the  streets,  intend- 
ing to  represent  the  life  and  death  of  St.  Francis,  the  foimder 
of  one  of  their  religious  orders.  They  were  brought  out  from 
the  Franciscan  convent,  and  were  preceded  by  three  persons 
in  scarlet  habits,  with  baskets  in  their  hands,  in  which  they  re- 
ceived the  alms  of  the  spectators,  for  the  benefit  of  the  poor 
prisoners.  After  these,  came  two  little  boys  in  parti- colored 
clothes,  with  wings  fixed  on  their  shoulders,  in  imitation  of 
little  angels.  Then  appeared  the  figure  of  St.  Francis,  very  gay 
and  beau  like,  as  he  used  to  be  before  his  conversion.  In  the  next, 
he  was  introduced  under  conviction,  and  consequently  stripped 
of  his  finery.  Soon  after  this,  was  exhibited  an  image  of  our 
blessed  Lord  himself,  in  a  purple  gown,  with  long  black  hair, 
with  St.  Francis  lying  before  him,  to  receive  his  immediate  or- 
ders. Then  came  the  virgin  mother,  [horresco  referens)  with 
Christ  her  son  at  her  left  hand,  and  St.  Francis  making  obei- 
sance to  both.  Here,  if  I  remember  aright,  he  made  his  first 
appearance  in  his  frair's  habit,  with  his  hair  cut  short,  but  not 
as  yet  shaved  on  the  crown  of  his  head.  After  a  little  space, 
followed  a  mitred  cardinal,  gaudily  attired,  and  before  him  lay 
St.  Francis,  almost  prostrate,  in  order  to  be  confirmed  in  his 
office.  Soon  after  this,  he  appears  quite  metamorphosed  into  a 
monk,  his  crown  shorn,  his  habit  black,  and  his  loins  girt  with 
a  knotted  cord.  Here  he  prays  to  our  Savior,  hanging  on  a 
cross,  that  the  marks  of  the  wounds  in  his  hands,  feet  and  side. 


MEMOIRS  OF    WHITEFTELD.  153 

might  be  impressed  on  the  same  parts  of  his  body.  The  prayer 
is  granted ;  blood  comes  from  the  ^ands,  feet,  and  sides;  and  the 
saint,  with  great  dtevotion,  receives  the  impressions.  This  was 
represented  by  red  waxen  strings,  reaching  from  those  parts  of 
the  image,  to  the  corresponding  parts  of  St.  Francis'  body. 
Upon  this  he  begins  to  do  wonders  ;  and  therefore,  in  a  httle 
while,  he  is  carried  along,  as  holding  up  a  house,  which  was 
just  falling.  This  miracle,  they  say,  was  performed,  if  my  in- 
formation be  true,  at  Madrid,  but  the  particulars  of  its  history 
I  have  forgotten.  At  length,  the  father  died,  and  is  brought 
forth  lying  in  his  grave.  But  lo  !  the  briers  and  nettles  under 
which  he  lay,  are  turned  into  fine  fragrant  flowers.  After  this, 
he  is  borne  along  upon  a  bier,  covered  with  a  silver  pall,  and 
four  friars  lamenting  over  him.  He  then  appears  for  the  last 
time,  but  with  an  increase  of  power ;  for  he  was  represented  as 
drawing  tormented  people  out  of  purgatory  with  his  knotted 
cord,  which,  as  you  may  well  imasfine,  the  poor  souls  caught 
at,  and  took  hold  of  very  eagerly.  At  length,  came  a  gorgeous 
friar,  under  a  splendid  canopy,  bearing  in  his  hand  a  piece  of 
the  holy  cross.  After  him  followed  two  more  little  winged 
boys,  and  then  a  long  train  of  fat  and  well  favored  Franciscans, 
with  their  Calceis  Fenestratis,  as  Erasmus  calls  them ;  and  so 
the  procession  ended.  Methinks  I  hear  you  say,  'It  is  full 
time ;'  and  so  say  I ;  for  as  the  sight  itself  disgusted  me,  so  1 
am  persuaded  the  bare  narration  of  it,  though  ever  so  short, 
cannot  be  very  pleasant  to  one  who  I  know  abhors  every  thing 
that  savors  of  superstition  and  idolatry.  We  will,  therefore, 
take  our  leave  of  St.  Francis,  whose  procession  was  in  the  day 
time  :  but  I  must  tell  you,  it  is  only  to  inform  you  of  another 
of  a  much  more  awful  and  shocking  nature,  which  I  saw  after- 
wards in  the  night.  About  ten  o'clock,  being  deeply  engaged 
in  conversation  with  my  kind  host,  in  came  an  Englishman, 
and  told  me  in  all  haste,  that  he  had  seen  a  train  of  nearly  two 
hundred  penitents  passing  aloni^,  and  that  in  all  probability  I 
might  be  gratified  with  the  sanie  sight,  if  I  hastened  to  a  place 
whither  he  would  conduct  me.  I  very  readily  obeyed  the  sum- 
mons, and,  as  curiosity  quickened  my  pace,  we  soon  came  up 
with  some  of  these  poor  creatures,  who  were  then  making  a  halt, 
and  kneeling  in  the  street,  while  a  friar  from  a  high  cross,  with 
an  image  of  our  Lord  crucified  in  his  hand,  was  preaching  to 
them  and  the  populace  with  great  vehemence.  Sermon  being 
ended,  the  penitents  went  forward,  and  several  companies  fol- 
lowed after,  with  their  respective  preaching  friars  at  their  head, 
bearing  crucifixes.  These  they  pointed  to  and  brandished  fre- 
quently, and  the  hearers  as  frequently  beat  their  breasts,  and 
clapped  their  cheeks.  At  proper  pauses  they  stopped  and  prayed, 


154  MEMOIRS  OF   WHITEFIELD. 

and  one  of  them,  more  zealous  than  the  rest,  before  the  king's  pa- 
lace, sounded  the  word  penitetitia  through  a  speaking  trumpet. 
The  penitents,  themselves,  were  clothed  and  covered  all  over 
with  white  linen  vestments,  only  holes  were  made  for  their  eyes, 
to  peep  out  at.  All  were  bare-footed,  and  all  had  long  heavy 
chains  fastened  to  their  ankles,  which,  when  dragged  along  the 
street,  made  a  dismal  rattling  :  but  though  alike  in  dress,  yet  in 
other  respects  there  was  great  variety  amongst  them.  For  some 
carried  great  stones  on  their  backs,  and  others  dead  men's  bones 
and  skulls  in  their  hands.  Some  bore  large  and  seemingly  very 
heavy  crosses  upon  their  shoulders,  while  others  had  their  arms 
extended  quite  wide,  or  carried  a  bow  full  of  swords,  with  the 
points  downwards.  Most  of  them  whipped  and  lashed  them- 
selves, some  with  cords,  and  others  with  tiat  bits  of  iron.  It 
being  a  moonlight  night,  I  could  see  them  quite  well ;  and  in- 
deed, some  of  them  struck  so  hard,  that  I  perceived  their  backs, 
left  bare  on  purpose  to  be  lashed,  were  quite  red,  and  swollen 
very  much  by  the  violence  and  repetition  of  the  blows.  Had 
my  dear  friend  been  there,  he  would  have  joined  with  me  in 
saying,  that  the  whole  scene  was  horrible  ;  so  horrible,  that, 
being  informed  it  was  to  be  continued  till  morning,  I  was  glad 
to  return  from  whence  I  came  about  midnight.  Had  you  been 
with  me,  I  know  you  would  have  joined  with  me  in  praising 
and  gratefully  adoring  the  Lord  of  all  lords,  for  the  great  won- 
der of  the  reformation,  and  also  for  that  glorious  deliverance 
wrought  out  for  us  a  few  years  past,  in  defeating  the  unnatural 
rebellion.  O  what  a  mighty  spirit  and  power  from  on  high 
must  Luther,  Calvin,  Melancthon,  Zuinglius,  and  those  glori- 
ous reformers,  have  been  necessarily  endued  with,  who  dared 
first  openly  to  oppose  and  stem  such  a  torrent  of  superstition 
and  spiritual  tyranny  !  and  what  gratitude  owe  we  to  those, 
who,  under  God,  were  instrumental  in  saving  us  from  the  re- 
turn of  such  spiritual  slavery,  and  such  blind  obedience  to  a 
papal  power  !  To  have  had  a  papist  for  our  king  ;  a  papist, 
if  not  born,  yet  from  his  infancy  nursed  up  at  Rome  ;  a  papist, 
one  of  whose  sons  is  advanced  to  the  ecclesiastical  dignity  of  a 
cardinal,  and  both  under  the  strongest  obligations  to  support 
the  interest  of  that  church,  whose  superstitions,  as  well  as  po- 
litical state  principles,  they  have  sucked  in  and  imbibed  even 
from  their  infancy.  But,  blessed  be  God,  the  snare  is  broken, 
and  we  are  delivered.  O  for  Protestant  practises  to  be  added  to 
Protestant  principles  !  O  for  an  obediential  acknowledgment  to 
the  ever  blessed  God,  for  our  repeated  deliverances !  But  alas ! 
Pardon  me,  my  dear  friend,  I  stop  to  weep.  Adieu.  I  cannot  en- 
large, but  leaving  you  to  guess  from  what  source  my  tears  flow, 
I  must  hasten  to  subscribe  myself,  my  dear  friend,  yours,  &c," 


I 


MEMOIRS  OF    WHITEFIELD.  155 

In  another  letter,  dated  April  9,  1754,  he  observes,  "  The 
preachers  here  have  also  taught  me  something ;  their  action 
is  graceful.  Vividi  ocidi, — vividce  Tnanus, — omnia  vivida. 
Surely  our  EngUsh  preachers  would  do  well,  to  be  a  little 
more  fervent  in  their  address.  They  have  truth  on  their  side, 
why  should  superstition  and  falsehood  run  away  with  all  that 
is  pathetic  and  affecting?"  In  another  letter  he  says,  "Yast 
are  the  outward  preparations  made  here.  Altars  upon  altars 
are  erecting.  Penitents  upon  penitents  are  walking  and  lash- 
ing themselves  :  but  what  I  want  to  have  erected  and  adorned, 
is  an  altar  in  my  heart,  and  the  blows  and  lashes  I  desire  to 
feel,  are  the  crucifixion  and  mortification  of  the  old  man  and 
its  deeds.  Without  this,  all  is  mere  parade."  Again  he  says, 
April  10, 1754,  '•  To-morrow  is  what  they  call  Hol^  Thursday/. 
May  I  be  as  solicitous  to  have  my  heart  illuminated  by  the 
spirit  of  God,  as  the  people  here  are  to  illuminate  their  church- 
es and  altars.  The  pageantry  is,  indeed,  incredible.  Though 
I  have  been  detained  longer  than  expectation,  yet  I  trust  what 
I  have  seen  and  heard,  will  do  me  service  in  the  future  part 
of  my  life.  O  that  I  may  be  like  a  busy  bee,  and  suck  some 
honey  even  from  superstitious  flowers  !  I  do  not  wonder  now, 
whence  the  illuminations,  dressings  of  altars,  and  those  other 
things  which  I  have  lately  mentioned  in  a  public  manner  on 
another  occasion,  took  their  birth.  It  is  all  an  imitation  of 
what  is  daily  practised  abroad.  May  the  Lord  Jesus  crush 
the  cockatrice  in  its  egg,  and  prevent  its  growing  any  bigger!" 

The  following  letter  contains  a  long  and  lively  description 
of  the  superstitious  and  impious  farces  which  he  saw  perform- 
ed on  Holt/  Thursday/,  as  they  call  it ;  and  concludes  with 
suitable  reflections,  and  sympathetic  expressions  towards  the 
poor  deluded  people,  the  unhappy  dupes  of  their  crafty  and 
designing  priests,  who  cruelly  prevent  them  from  examining 
the  word  of  God. 

"  Lisbon,  April  12,  1754. 

"  My  dear  friend, 
"Providence  still  detains  us  at  Lisbon,  and  therefore  I  know 
you  will  be  inquiring  what  more  news  from  thence  ?  Truly, 
as  extraordinary  as  ever :  for  I  have  now  seen  the  solemnities 
of  a  Holy  Thursday,  which  is  a  very  high  day  in  this  me- 
tropolis, and  particularly  remarkable  for  the  grand  illumina- 
tions of  the  churches,  and  the  king's  washing  twelve  poor  men's 
feet.  Through  the  interest  of  a  friend,  I  got  admittance  into 
the  gallery  were  the  ceremony  was  performed.  It  was  large, 
and  hung  with  tapestry ;  one  piece  of  which  represented  the 
humble  Jesus  washing  the  feet  of  his  disciples.     Before  this, 


156  MEMOIRS  OF   WHITEFIELD. 

upon  a  small  eminence,  sat  twelve  men  in  black.  At  the  upper 
end,  and  in  several  other  parts  of  the  gallery,  were  side  boards 
of  large  gold  and  silver  basins  and  ewers,  most  curiously 
wrought ;  and  near  these  a  large  table  covered  with  a  variety 
of  dishes,  all  cold,  set  off  and  garnished  after  the  Portuguese 
fashion.  Public  high  mass  being  over,  his  majesty  came  in, 
attended  with  his  nobles,  who  seemed  to  me  to  look  like  so 
many  Roman  senators.  The  act  of  washing  the  feet,  I  did 
not  get  in  time  enough  to  see ;  but  that  being  ended,  several 
of  the  young  noblemen  served  up  the  dishes  to  the  king's 
brother  and  uncles ;  these  again  handed  them  to  his  majesty, 
who  gave,  I  think,  twelve  of  them  in  all,  to  each  poor  man. 
Every  thing  was  carried  on  with  a  great  deal  of  decency  and 
good  humor.  The  young  noblemen  served  veiy  cheerfully, 
tlieir  seniors  looked  quite  pleased,  and  the  king  and  his  royul 
relations  behaved  in  a  very  polite,  easy  manner.  Upon  ihe 
whole,  though,  as  you  may  easily  guess,  it  was  not  an  exact 
copy  of  the  tapestry,  yet  as  the  poor  men's  clothes  and  food, 
when  sold,  came  to  about  ten  moidores ;  and  as  there  was  a 
litde  mixture  of  superstition  in  it,  I  cannot  say  but  I  was  as 
well  pleased  with  my  morning's  entertainment  as  any  thing  I 
had  seen  since  my  arrival.  I  believe  the  whole  took  up  nearly 
two  hours.  After  dinner  we  went  to  see  the  churches  ;  but  the 
magnificence  and  sumptuousness  of  the  furniture,  cannot  well 
be  expressed.  Many  of  them  were  hung  on  the  occasion  with 
purple  damask  trimmed  with  gold.  In  one  of  them  there  was 
a  solid  silver  altar  of  several  yards  circumference,  and  nearly 
twelve  steps  high :  and  in  another  a  gold  one,  still  more  mag- 
nificent, of  about  the  same  dimensions.  Its  basis  was  studded 
with  many  precious  stones,  and  near  the  top  were  placed  silver 
images,  in  representation  of  angels.  Each  step  was  filled  with 
large  silver  candlesticks,  with  wax  tapers  in  them,  which  going 
up  by  a  regular  ascent,  until  they  formed  themselves  into  a 
pyramid,  made  a  most  glittering  and  splendid  blaze.  The  great 
altars  also  of  the  other  churches  were  illuminated  most  pro- 
fusely, and  silver  pots  of  artificial  flowers,  \vith  large  wax 
tapers  between  each,  were  fixed  all  around  several  of  them. 
Between  these,  were  large  paintings  in  black  and  white,  repre- 
senting the  different  parts  of  our  Savior's  passion.  And,  in 
short,  all  was  so  magnificently,  so  superstitiously  grand,  that  I 
am  persuaded  several  thousands  of  pounds  would  not  defray 
the  expenses  of  this  one  day.  Go  which  way  you  would, 
nothing  was  to  be  seen  but  illuminations  within,  and  hurry 
without.  For  all  persons,  princes  and  crowned  heads  them- 
selves not  excepted,  are  obliged  on  this  day  to  visit  seven  church- 
es or  altars,  in  imitation;  as  is  supposed,  of  our  Lord's  being 


MEMOIRS    OF    WHITEFIELD.  *  157 

hurried  from  one  tribunal  to  another,  before  he  was  condemned 
to  be  hung  upon  the  cross.  I  saw  the  queen  pass  in  great  state 
to  visit  three  of  them.  Velvet  cushions  were  carried  before 
her  majesty,  and  boards  laid  along  the  streets  for  herself  and 
retinue  to  walk  upon.  Guards  attended  before  and  behind, 
and  thousands  of  spectators  stood  on  each  side  to  gaze  at  them 
as  they  passed  along.  Being  desirous  of  seeing  the  manner  of 
their  entrance,  we  got  into  the  last  church  before  they  came. 
It  was  that  of  St.  Domingo,  Avhere  was  the  gold  altar  before 
mentioned,  and  at  which  her  majesty  and  train  knelt  about  a 
quarter  of  an  hour.  All  the  while,  the  Dominican  friars  sung 
most  surprizingly  sweet.  But  as  I  stood  near  the  altar,  over 
against  the  great  door,  I  must  confess  my  very  inmost  soul  was 
struck  with  a  secret  horror,  when,  upon  looking  up  I  saw,  over 
the  front  of  the  great  window  of  the  church,  the  heads  of  many 
hundred  Jews,  painted  on  canvas,  ^vho  had  been  condemned 
by  what  they  call  the  Holy  Inquisition^  and  carried  out  from 
that  church  to  be  burned.  Strange  way  this,  of  compelling 
people  to  come  in !  Such  was  not  thy  method,  O  meek  and  com- 
passionate Lamb  of  God !  thou  camest  not  to  destroy  men's 
lives,  but  to  save  them.  But  bigotry  is  as  cruel  as  the  grave. 
It  knows  no  remorse.  From  all  its  bitter  and  dire  effects,  good 
Lord  deliver  us  !  But  to  return  to  the  queen.  Having  perform- 
ed her  devotions,'  she  departed  and  went  in  a  coach  of  state,  I 
believe,  directly  from  the  churcli  to  her  palace,  and  without 
doubt  sufficiently  fatigued ;  for,  besides  walking  through  the 
streets  to  the  several  churches,  her  majesty  also,  and  the  prin- 
cesses, had  been  engaged  in  waiting  upon,  and  washing  the 
feet  of  twelve  poor  women,  in  as  public  a  manner  as  the  king- 
In  our  walk  home,  we  met  his  majesty  with  his  brother  and 
two  uncles,  attended  only  by  a  {ew  noblemen  in  black  velvet, 
and  a  few  guards  without  halberts.  I  suppose  he  was  return- 
ing from  his  last  church,  and  as  one  may  well  imagine,  equally 
fatigued  with  his  royal  consort  and  daughters.  When  church 
and  state  thus  combine  to  be  nursing  fathers  and  nursing  moth- 
ers to  superstition,  is  it  any  wonder  that  its  credit  and  influence 
is  so  diftusive  among  the  populace  ?  O  Britain !  Britain !  hadst 
thou  a  zeal  proportionable  to  thy  knowledge,  an  inward  purity 
adequate  to  the  simplicity  of  thy  external  worship,  in  what  a 
happy  and  godlike  situation  wouldst  thou  be  !  Here  I  could 
weep  again.  Again  I  leave  you  to  guess  the  cause  ;  and  if  I 
can  send  you  one  more  letter  of  a  like  nature,  before  we  leave 
this  place,  it  is  all  you  must  expect  from,  my  dear  friend,  yours 
most  assuredly  in  our  glorious  Head,  &c." 

The  following  account  of  the  representation  of  the  crucifix- 
ion of  the  blessed  Jesus,  in  one  of  the  large  churches,  is  curiouti. 

14 


158  *  MEMOIRS    OF    WHITEFIELD. 

"  Lisbon,  April  12, 1754. 
"  My  dear  friend, 
•'  After  the  TxCws  already  sent  you,  I  thought  our  Lisbon  cor- 
respondence would  entirely  have  been  put  a  stop  to  ;  for  upon 
returning  to  my  lodgings,  as  weary  I  beheve,  as  others  that  had 
been  running  from  church  to  church  all  day,  word  was  sent  to 
me,  that  our  ship  would  certainly  sail  the  next  morning.     This 
newsj  I  own,  was  not  altogether  agreeable  to  me,  because  1 
wanted  to  see  the  conclusion  of  the  Lent  solemnities.  However, 
I  made  ready  ;  and  having  despatched  my  private  affairs  over 
night,  was  conducted  very  early  in  the  morning,  by  my  kind 
host,  down  to  Bellum,  where  the  ship  lay.     We  parted.    The 
wind  promised  to  be  fair  ;  but  dying  away,  I  very  eagerly  went 
ashore  once  more.     But  how  was  the  scene  changed  !   Before, 
all  used  to  be  noise  and  hurry ;  now,  all  was  hushed  and  shut 
up  in  the  most  awful  and  profound  silence.     No  clock  or  bell 
had  been  heard  since  yesterday  noon,  and  scarcely  a  person 
Avas  to  be  seen  in  the  street  all  the  way  to  Lisbon.     About  two^ 
in  the  afternoon  we  got  to  the  place,  where,  I  heard  some  days 
ago,  an  extraordinary  scene  Avas  to  be  exhibited.     Can  you 
guess  what  it  was?     Perhaps  not.     Why  then  I  will  tell  you. 
It  was  the  crucifixion  of  the  Son  of  God,  represented  partly 
by  dumb  images,  and  partly  by  living  persons,  in  a  large  church 
belonging  to  the  convent  of  St.  De  Beato.     Several  thousands 
crowded  into  it ;  some  of  whom,  as  I  was  told,  had  been  wait- 
ing there  from  six  in  the  morning.     Through  the  kind  inter- 
position and  assistance  of  a  protestant  or  two,  I  was  not  only 
admitted  into  the  church,  but  was  very  commodiously  situated 
to  view  the  whole  performance.     We  had  not  waited  long  be- 
fore the  curtain  was  drawn  up.     Immediately,  upon  a  high 
scaffold  hung  in  the  front  with  black  baize,  and  behind  with  silk 
purple  damask,  laced  with  gold,  was  exhibited  to  our  view  an 
image  of  the  Lord  Jesus  at  full  length,  crowned  with  thorns, 
and  nailed  on  a  cross  between  twofigures  of  like  dimensions, 
representing  the  two  thieves.     At  a  little  distance  on  the  right 
hand,  was  placed  an  image  of  the  virgin  Mary,  in  plain  long 
ruffles,  and  a  kind  of  widow  weeds.   Her  veil  was  purple  silk, 
and  she  had  a  wire  glory  round  her  head.     At  the  foot  of  the 
cross  lay,  in  a  mournful  posture,  a  living  man,  dressed  in  wo- 
man's clothes,  who  personated  Mary  Magdalen ;  and  not  far 
off  stood  a  young  man,  in  imitation  of  the  beloved  disciple. 
He  was  dressed  in  a  loose  green  silk  vesture,  and  bob  wig. 
His  eyes  were  fixed  on  the  cross,  and  his  hands  a  little  extend- 
ed. On  each  side,  near  the  front  of  the  stage,  stood  two  senti- 
nels in  buff,  with  formidable  caps  and  long  beards ;  and  directly 
in  the  front  stood  another  yet  more  formidable,  with  a  large 


MEMOIRS  OF    WHITEFIELD.  159 

target  in  his  hand.  We  may  suppose  him  to  be  the  Roman  cen- 
turion. To  complete  the  scene,  from  behind  the  purple  hangings 
came  out  about  twenty  little  purple  vested  winged  boys,  two  by 
two,  each  bearing  a  lighted  wax  taper  in  his  hand,  and  a  crim- 
son and  gold  cap  on  his  head.  At  their  entrance  upon  the  stage, 
they  gently  bowed  their  heads  to  the  spectators,  then  kneeled 
and  made  obeisance,  first  to  the  image  on  the  cross,  and  then 
to  that  of  the  virgin  Mary.  When  risen,  they  bowed  to  each 
other,  and  then  took  their  respective  places  over  against  one 
another,  on  steps  assigned  for  them  at  tVe  front  of  the  stage. 
Opposite  to  this,  at  a  few  yards  distance,  stood  a  black  friar  in 
a  pulpit  hung  in  mourning.  For  a  while  he  paused,  and  then, 
breaking  silence,  gradually  lifted  up  his  voice  until  it  was  ex- 
tended to  a  pretty  high  pitch,  though  I  think  scarcely  high 
enough  for  so  large  an  auditory.  After  he  had  proceeded  in 
his  discourse  about  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  a  confused  noise  was 
heard  near  the  front  great  door ;  upon  turning  my  head,  I  saw 
four  long  bearded  men,  two  of  whom  carried  a  ladder  on  their 
shoulders,  and  after  them  followed  two  more  with  large  gilt 
dishes  in  their  hands,  full  of  linen,  spices,  &c.  These,  as  I 
imagined,  were  the  representatives  of  Nicodemus  and  Joseph 
of  Arimathea.  On  a  signal  given  from  the  pulpit,  they  ad- 
vanced towards  the  steps  of  the  scaffold.  But  upon  their  first 
attempting  to  mount  it,  at  the  watchful  centurion's  nod,  the 
observant  soldiers  made  a  pass  at  them,  and  presented  the 
points  of  their  javelins  directly  to  their  breasts.  They  are  re- 
pulsed. Upon  this  a  letter  from  Pilate  is  produced.  The  cen- 
turion reads  it,  shakes  his  head,  and  with  looks  that  bespoke  a 
forced  compliance,  beckons  to  the  sentinels  to  withdraw  their 
arms.  Leave  being  thus  obtained,  they  ascend  ;  and  having 
paid  their  homage,  by  kneelinof  first  to  the  image  on  the  cross, 
and  then  to  the  virgin  Mary,  they  retired  to  the  back  of  the 
stage.  Still  the  preacher  continued  declaiming,  or  rather,  as 
was  said,  explaining  the  mournful  scene.  Magdalen  persists 
in  wringing  her  hands,  and  variously  expressing  lier  personated 
sorrow  ;  while  John,  seemingly  regardless  of  all  besides,  stood 
gazing  on  the  crucified  figure.  By  this  time  it  was  near  three 
o'clock,  and  therefore  proper  for  the  scene  to  begin  to  close. 
The  ladders  are  ascended,  the  superscription  and  crown  of 
thorns  taken  off,  long  white  rollers  put  around  the  arms  of  the 
image,  and  then  the  nails  knocked  out  which  fastened  the 
hands  and  feet.  Here  Mary  Magdalen  looks  most  languishing, 
and  John,  if  possible,  stands  more  thunder-struck  than  before. 
The  orator  lifts  up  his  voice,  and  almost  all  the  hearers  express- 
ed concern  by  weeping,  beating  their  breasts,  and  smiting  their 
cheelis.     At  length  the  body  is  gently  let  down.     Magdalen 


160  MEMOIRS    OF    WHITEFIELD. 

eyes  it,  and,  gradually  rising,  receives  the  feet  into  her  wide 
spread  handkerchief;  while  John,  who  hitherto  stood  motion- 
less like  a  statue,  as  the  body  came  nearer  the  ground,  with  an 
eagerness  that  bespoke  the  intense  affection  of  a  sympathizing 
friend,  runs  toward  the  cross,  seizes  the  upper  part  of  it  into 
his  clasping  arms,  and,  with  his  disguised  fellow-mourner,  helps 
to  bear  it  away.  And  here  the  play  should  end,  were  I  not 
afraid  you  would  be  angry  with  me,  if  I  did  not  give  you  an 
account  of  the  last  act,  by  telling  you  what  became  of  the 
corpse  after  it  was  taken  down.  Great  preparations  were  made 
for  its  interment.  It  was  wrapped  in  linen  and  spices,  &c., 
and  being  laid  upon  a  bier  richly  hung,  was  afterwards  carried 
roimd  the  church  yard  in  grand  procession.  The  image  of 
the  virgin  Mary  was  chief  mourner,  and  John  and  Magdalen, 
with  a  whole  troop  of  friars,  with  wax  tapers  in  their  hands, 
followed  after.  Determined  to  see  the  Vv^hole,  I  waited  its  re- 
turn, and  in  about  a  quarter  of  an  hour  the  corpse  was  brought 
in,  and  deposited  in  an  open  sepulchre  prepared  for  the  pur- 
pose ;  but  not  before  a  priest,  accompanied  by  several  of  the 
same  order  in  splendid  vestments,  had  perfumed  it  with  incense, 
sung  to,  and  kneeled  before  it.  John  and  *Magdalen  attended 
the  obsequies ;  but  the  image  of  the  virgin  Mary  was  carried 
away  and  placed  upon  the  front  of  the  stage,  in  order  to  be 
Idssed,  adored,  and  worshipped  by  the  people.  This  I  saw  them 
do  with  the  utmost  eagerness  and  reverence.  And  thus  ended 
tfiis  Good  Friday's  tragi-comical,  superstitious,  idolatrous  farce. 
A  farce,  which,  while  I  saw,  as  well  as  now  while  I  am  describ- 
ing it.  excited  in  me  a  high  indignation.  Surely,  thought  I, 
while  attending  on  such  a  scene  of  mock  devotion,  if  ever,  now 
is  the  Lord  Jesus  crucified  afresh  ;  and  I  could  then,  and  even 
now,  think  of  no  other  plea  for  the  poor  beguiled  devotees,  than 
that  which  suffering  innocence  put  up  himself  for  his  enemies, 
when  actually  hang-ing  upon  the  cross  :  '  Father,  forgive  them, 
for  they  know  not  what  they  do.'  There  was  but  one  thing 
wanting  to  raise  one's  resentment  to  the  highest  pitch,  and  that 
was,  for  one  of  the  soldiers  to  have  pierced  the  side  of  the  image 
upon  the  cross.  This  in  all  probability  you  have  heard  has 
actually  been  done  in  other  places,  and  with  a  little  more  art, 
might,  I  think,  have  been  performed  here.  Doubtless  it  would 
have  afforded  the  preacher  as  good,  if  not  a  better  opportunity 
of  working  upon  the  passions  of  his  auditory,  than  the  taking 
down  the  superscription  and  crown  of  thorns,  and  wiping  the 
head  with  a  blooded  cloth,  and  afterwards  exposing  it  to  the 
vieAV  of  the  people  ;  all  which  I  saw  done  before  the  body  was 
let  down.  But  alas  !  my  dear  friend,  how  mean  is  that  elo- 
quence, and  how  entirely  destitute  of  the  demonstration  of  the 


PULPIT  SCENE. 


'*  At  the  Tabernacle,  a  man  came  up  to  him  in  the  pulpit."  p.  IG^ 


MEMOIRS   OF    WHITEFIELD.  161 

spirit,  and  of  a  divine  power,  must  oratory  necessarily  be,  that 
stands  in  need  of  such  a  train  of  superstitious  pageantry  to 
render  it  impressive  !  Think  you,  my  dear  friend,  that  the 
apostle  Paul  used  or  needed  any  such  artifices  to  excite  the 
passions  of  the  people  of  Galatia,  amongst  whom,  as  he  himself 
informs  us,  'Jesus  Christ  was  crucified,  and  evidently  set 
forth  ?'  But  thus  it  is,  and  thus  it  will  be,  when  simplicity  and 
spirituality  are  banished  from  our  religious  ofiices,  and  artifice 
and  idolatry  seated  in  their  room.  I  am  well  aware  that  the 
Romanists  deny  the  charge  of  idolatry ;  but  after  having  seen 
what  I  have  seen  this  day,  as  well  as  at  sundry  other  times 
since  my  arrival  here,  I  cannot  help  thinking  that  a  person 
must  be  capable  of  making  more  than  metaphysical  distinctions, 
and  deal  in  very  abstract  ideas  indeed,  fairly  to  evade  the  charge. 
If  weighed  in  the  balance  of  the  sanctuary,  I  am  positive  the 
scale  must  turn  on  the  Protestant  side.  But  such  a  balance 
these  poor  people  are  not  permitted  to  make  use  of !  Doth  not 
your  heart  bleed  for  them  ?  Mine  doth  I  am  sure,  and  I  believe 
would  do  so  more  and  more,  were  I  to  stay  longer,  and  see 
what  they  call  their  hallelujah,  and  grand  devotions  on  Easter 
day.  But  that  scene  is  denied  me.  The  wand  is  fair,  and  1 
must  away.  Follow  me  with  your  prayers,  and  believe  me  to 
be,  my  dear  friend,  yours,  &c." 

Leaving  Lisbon,  after  a  passage  of  six  weeks,  he  arrived,  May 
27,  at  Beaufort,  in  South  Carolina,  with  his  orphans,  all  in 
health.  Having  settled  them  in  his  family  in  Georgia,  which 
now  consisted  of  upwards  of  one  hundred,  and  spent  some  time 
in  Carolina,  he  made  an  excursion  to  the  northward. 

"  At  Charleston,"  says  he,  "  and  other  parts  of  Carolina,  my 
poor  labors  have  met  with  the  usual  acceptance  ;  and  I  have 
reason  to  hope  a  clergyman  has  been  brought  under  very  se- 
rious impressions.  My  health  is  wonderfully  preserved.  My 
wonted  vomitings  have  left  me  ;  and  though  I  ride  whole 
nights,  and  have  been  frequently  exposed  to  great  thunders, 
violent  lightnings,  and  heavy  rains,  yet  I  am  rather  better  than 
usual,  and  as  far  as  I  can  judsfe,  am  not  yet  to  die.  O  that  I 
may  at  length  learn  to  begin  to  live  !  I  am  ashamed  of  my  sloth 
and  lukewarmness,  and  long  to  be  on  the  stretch  for  God  !" 

He  arrived  at  New  York,  by  water,  July  27,  and  preached 
backwards  and  forwards,  from  New  York  to  Philadelphia,  and 
Whitely  Creek,  till  the  middle  of  September.  "  Every  where," 
he  observes,  ^'  a  divine  power  accompanied  the  word,  prejudices 
were  removed,  and  a  more  effectual  door  opened  than  ever  for 
preaching  the  gospel." 

In  the  latter  end  of  September,  he  enjoyed  the  pleasure  of 
meeting  his  venerable  old  friend.  Governor  Belcher,  at  Eliza- 


162  MEMOIRS  OF    WHITEFIELD. 

bethtown,  New  Jersey.*  And  it  being  the  New  Jersey  com- 
mencement, the  president  and  trustees  presented  Mr.  Whitefield 
with  the  degree  of  A.  M.  The  meeting  of  the  Synod  succeeded, 
before  whom  he  preached  several  times.  He  had  much  satis- 
faction in  their  company.  '•  To-morrow,"  says  he,  "  October 
1,  God  wilhng,  I  shall  set  out  with  the  worthy  president,  Mr. 
Burr,  for  New  England,  and  expect  to  return  back  to  the  Or- 
phan-house, through  Virginia.  This  will  be  about  a  two 
THOUSAND  miles  circuit;  but  tlie  Redeemer's  strength  will  be 
more  than  sufficient."  He  likewise  wished,  had  it  been  prac- 
ticable, to  stop  some  time  at  the  West  Indies,  before  he  return- 
ed to  England. 

October  9.  he  arrived  at  Boston,  accompanied  by  President 
Burr,  where  he  remained  a  week,  preaching  ^\dth  great  suc- 
cess. "In  Rhode  Island  and  Boston,"  he  says,  '^ souls  fly  to  the 
gospel,  like  doves  to  their  windoius.  Opposition  seems  to  fall 
daily."  To  his  g^reat  J03",  while  at  Boston,  he  heard  the  wel- 
come news,  that  a  governor  was  at  last  ap]}ointed  for  Georgia,  to 
whom  his  friend.  Mr.  Habersham,  was  made  secretary.     To 

*  When  Whitefield  was  in  this  country,  the  Rev.  William  Tennent  paid 
him  a  visit;  and  dined,  together  with  him  and  other  ministers,  at  a  gentle- 
man's house.  After  dinner,  Mr.  Whitefield  adverted  to  the  difficulties  attend- 
ing the  gospel  ministry  ;  lamented  that  all  their  zeal  availed  but  little  ;  said 
that  he  was  weary  with  the  burdens  of  the  day  ;  declared  his  great  consola- 
tion vras,  that  in  a  short  tmie  his  work  would  be  done,  when  he  should  depart 
and  be  with  Christ ;  he  then  appealed  to  the  ministers,  if  it  was  not  their  great 
comfort  thai  they  should  soon  go  to  rest.  They  generally  assented,  except  Mr. 
Tennent  who  sat  next  to  Whitefield  in  silence;  and  by  his  countenance 
discovered  but  little  pleasure  in  the  conversation.  Whitefield  tapping  him 
on  the  knee,  said,  "  Well !  brother  Tennent,  you  are  the  oldest  man  amongst 
us,  do  you  not  rejoice  to  think  that  yoar  time  is  so  near  at  hand,  when  you 
will  be  called  liome  1"  Mr.  T.  bluntly  answered,  "  I  have  no  wish  about  it." 
Whitefield  pressed  him  again ;  and  Mr.  T.  again  answered,  "  No,  sir,  it  is  no 
pleasure  to  me  at  all ;  and  if  you  knew  your  duty,  it  would  be  none  to  you. 
I  have  nothing  to  do  with  death  ;  my  business  is  to  live  as  long  as  I  can,  as 
well  as  I  can,  and  toservx  my  master  as  faithfully  as  I  can,  until  he  shall 
think  proper  to  call  me  home."  Whitefield  still  urged  for  an  explicit  ansvrer 
to  his  question,  in  case  the  time  of  death  were  left  to  his  own  choice.  Mr.  T. 
replied,  "  I  have  no-choice  about  it :  I  am  God's  servant,  and  have  engaged 
to  do  his  business  as  long  as  he  pleases  to  conlinne  me  therein.  But  now, 
brother,  let  me  aslc  you  a  question.  What  do  you  think  I  would  say,  if  I  was 
to  send  my  man  Tom  into  the  field  to  plough;  and  if  at  noon  I  should  go  to 
the  field,  and  find  him  lounging  under  a  tree,  and  comt  laining,  '  Master,  the 
smi  is  very  hot,  and  the  ploughing  very  hard,  I  am  weary  of  the  work  you 
have  appointed  me,  and  am  overdone  with  the  heat  and  burden  of  the  day: 
do  master,  let  me  return  home,  and  be  discharged  from  this  hard  service  1' 
What  would  I  say  ]  Why,  that  he  was  a  lazy  fellow  ;  that  it  was  his  busi- 
ness to  do  the  v.ork  I  had  appointed  him,  until  I  should  think  fit  to  call  him 
borne."  The  pleasant  manner  in  Avhich  this  reproof  was  administered,  rather 
increased  the  social  harmony  of  the  company ;  who  became  satisfied  that  it 
was  very  possible  to  err,  even  in  desiring  with  undue  earnestness  "  to  depart 
and  be  with  Christ,  which  is  far  better"  than  to  remain  in  this  imperfect 
state  ;  and  that  it  is  the  duty  of  tlie  christian  in  this  respect  to  say,  "all  the 
days  of  my  appointed  time  will  I  wait  till  my  change  come." 


MEMOIRS  OF  WHITEFIELD.  163 

him  he  writes,  "  may  the  King  of  kings  enable  you  to  dis- 
charge your  trust,  as  becomes  a  good  patriot,  subject,  and 
christian  !*' 

He  now  traveled  north  as  far  as  Portsmouth,  New  Hamp- 
shire, always  preaching  two  or  three  times  a  day.  At  Boston 
he  met  with  a  far  more  agreeable  reception  than  formerly  ; 
and  his  ministry,  in  general,  seemed  to  be  attended  with  as 
great  a  blessing  as  ever. 

November  7,  at  four  o'clock  in  the  morning,  he  took  an  af- 
fectionate leave  of  his  friends  in  Boston,  proceeded  to  Rhode 
Island,  and  went  onw^ard  through  Maryland  and  Virginia, 
with  a  prospect  so  pleasing,  that  he  lamented  he  had  not  come 
sooner.  The  whole  country  seemed  eager  to  hear  the  gospel, 
many  coming  forty  or  fifty  miles,  and  a  spirit  of  conviction 
and  consolation  appeared  in  every  congregation.  Prejudices 
seemed  to  have  fled — churches  were  opened  to  him — high  and 
low^,  rich  and  poor,  now  seemed  to  tliinli  favorably  of  his  mi- 
nistrations ;  and  many  acknowledged  what  God  had  done  for 
their  souls,  through  his  preaching,  when  he  was  there  before. 

In  February,  1755,  he  went  back  to  Charleston,  and  then  to 
Sav^annah,  preaching  as  usual ;  till  in  the  latter  end  of  March 
he  embarked  for  England,  and  arrived  safe,  on  tlie  8th  of  May, 
at  New  Haven  in  Sussex. 

The  chief  thing  which  betook  notice  of,  on  his  landing  once 
more  in  liis  native  country,  was  the  wonderful  success  of  the 
gospel.  '•  Glory  be  to  the  great  head  of  the  charch  !  the  word 
liath  still  free  course.  The  poor  despised  Methodists  are  as 
lively  as  ever  ;  and  in  several  churches  the  gospel  is  now 
preaclied  with  power.  Many  in  Oxford  are  awakened  to  the 
knowledsfe  of  the  truth  ;  and  I  have  heard  almost  every  week 
of  some  fresh,  minister,  or  another,  that  seems  determined  to 
know  nothing  hut  Jesus  Christ  and  him  crucijiedy*  This 
consideration  re-animated  him.  He  seemed  to  preach  with 
increasing  energy  and  success  in  London,  Bristol,  Bath,  and 
in  Gloucestershire,  till  the  month  of  August.  He  then  went  to 
open  the  Tabernacle  at  Norwich.  '-At  this  last  place,"  lie 
says,  "notwithstanding  offenses  have  come,  there  has  been  a 
glorious  work  begun,  and  is  now  carrying  on,  (August  30, 
1755.)  The  polite  and  great  seem  to  hear  with  much  atten- 
tion ;  and  I  scarce  ever  preached  a  week  together  wath  greater 
freedom." 

Soon  after  this,  he  set  out  on  his  northern  circuit ;  and  the 
TiOrd  wonderfully  blessed  his  labors  all  the  w^ay,  especially  at 
Northampton,  Liverpool,  Bolton,  Manchester,  Leeds,  Bradford, 

♦  In  ihe  MS.  he  puts  down  the  names  of  Jones,  Romaine,  and  Madan,  of 
whom  it  appears  he  intended  to  have  written  more  particularly. 


164  MEMOIRS   OF    WHITEFIELD. 

York,  (fcc*  He  proposed  to  go  to  Ireland  ;  but  after  spending 
a  few  days  at  Newcastle,  he  found  it  was  too  late  to  go  there, 
or  even  to  Scotland  ;  he  therefore  returned  to  London^  having 
preached  two  or  three  times  a  day  for  two  months,  to  many 
thousands.  "  Next  to  Jesus,"  says  he,  "  my  king  and  country, 
were  upon  my  heart.  1  hope  I  shall  always  think  it  my  bounden 
duty,  next  to  inviting  sinners  to  the  blessed  Jesus,  to  exhort 
my  hearers  to  exert  themselves  against  the  first  approaches  of 
popish  tyranny,  and  arbitrary  power. t  O  that  we  may  be 
enabled  to  watch  and  pray,  against  all  the  opposition  of  anti- 
christ in  our  hearts  !  for  after  all,  there  hes  the  most  dangerous 
ma7i  of  sin.'''' 

In  November  he  caught  cold,  and  preached  in  much  pain, 
having  a  sore  throat :  this  obliged  him  to  be  silent  a  few  days  ; 
as  it  was  feared,  it  would  end  in  an  inflammatory  quinsy.  But 
as  soon  as  the  danger  was  over,  he  could  not  be  restrained  from 
his  master's  work.! 

Application  being  now  made  to  him,  by  many  persons,  to 
preach  twice  a  week  at  Long  Acre  chapel,  near  the  theaters, 
upon  being  assured  that  the  place  was  licensed,  he  preached 
his  first  sermon  there,  December  23,  ]  755  ;  but  not  without 
great  opposition.     He  received  a  prohibition  from  the  bishop 

of  B .   A  number  of  soldiers,  drummers,  and  many  other 

malicious  persons  were  employed  to  make  a  noise  in  an  adjoin- 
ing house,  or  yard,  belonging  to  a  Mr.  C :  these  raised 

a  dreadful  uproar,  and  that  as  often  as  Mr.  Whitefield  preached. 
They  were  hired  by  subscription,  and  supplied  with  drums, 
bells,  (fee,  thus  keeping  up  a  continual  din,  from  the  beginning 
to  the  end  of  his  sermon.  Thus  mobs  were  excited  to  riot  at 
the  doors  of  the  chapel,  insulting  and  abusing  both  preacher 
and  hearers,  as  soon  as  service  was  over.  They  repeatedly 
broke  the  windows  with  large  stones,  by  which  several  of 
the  cono-regation  were  severely  wounded.  In  consequence  of 
these   unwarrantable   proceedings,   Whitefield   wrote  several 

spirited  letters  to  the  bishop  of  B ;  in  one  of  them  he 

thanks  his  lordship  for  his  candor,  favorable  opinion,  and 
good  wishes,  the  bishop  having  answered  his  first  letter ;  but 
yet,  in  a  manly  style,  and  with  a  just  sense  of  British  liberty, 
defended  his  own  conduct,  and  powerfully  remonstrated  against 

♦  "  At  York,  I  hope  a  fine  gentleman  was  touched  ;  and  several,  I  find,  were 
awakened  these,  and  at  Newcastle,  at  my  last  visit." 

•f  This  refers  to  the  encroachments  made  by  the  French  upon  the  British 
colonies  in  America  ;  and  their  threatening  Great  Britain  with  an  invasion; 
which  occasioned  a  declaration  of  war  against  France  next  year. 

t  "  One  physician  prescribed  a  perpetual  blister  ;  but  I  have  fotmd  perpctiud 
preaching  to  be  a  better  remedy.  When  this  great  cathoiicon  fails,  it  is  over 
with  me." 


MEMOIRS  OF  WHITEFIELD.  165 

the  riotous  proceedings  of  his  enemies.  "  Last  Tuesday  night," 
says  he,  "  all  was  hushed,  and  in  order  to  throw  off  all  popular 
odium,  I  gave  it  as  my  opinion,  that  it  was  owing  to  your 

lordship's  kind  interposition.     One  Mr.  C ,  and  one  Mr. 

M ,  I  am  informed  are  greatly  concerned.     I  know  them 

not ;  and  I  pray  the  Lord  of  all  lords,  never  to  lay  this  ill  and 
unmerited  treatment  to  their  charge.  If  no  more  noise  is  made 
on  their  part,  I  assure  your  lordship,  no  further  resentment 
shall  be  made  on  mine.  But,  if  they  persist,  I  have  the  autho- 
rity of  the  apostle,  on  a  like  occasion,  to  appeal  unto  Caesar  ; 
and  thanks  be  to  God,  we  have  a  Caesar  to  appeal  to,  whose 
laws  will  not  suffer  any  of  his  loyal  subjects  to  be  treated  in 
such  an  inhuman  manner.  I  have  only  one  favor  to  beg  of 
your  lordship,  that  you  would  send,  as  they  are  your  lordship's 
parishioners,  to  the  above  gentlemen,  and  desire  them,  hence- 
forward to  desist  from  such  unchristian,  and,  especially  at  this 
critical  juncture,  such  riotous  and  dangerous  proceedings. 
Whether  as  a  chaplain  to  a  most  worthy  peeress,  and  a  pres- 
byter of  the  Church  of  England,  and  a  steady  disinterested 
friend  to  our  present  happy  constitution,  I  have  not  a  right  to 
ask  such  a  favor,  I  leave  to  your  lordship's  mature  delibera- 
tion." In  the  mean  time  his  preaching  was  blessed  by  God, 
particularly  to  one,  who  had  been  a  subscriber  to  hire  rioters 
to  make  a  noise. 

In  the  beginning  of  February,  1756,  he  sent  eighty  pounds 
of  the  collection  which  he  had  made  at  the  Tabernacle,  on  the 
day  of  the  public  fast,  to  the  society  for  relieving  the  poor  per- 
secuted French  Protestants.* 

The  riots  at  Long  Acre  chapel  still  continuing  with  increas- 
ing violence,  his  friends  persuaded  him  to  prosecute  those  no- 
torious offenders  against  all  law  and  decency ;  which  being 
known,  his  life  was  threatened.  At  the  Tabernacle,  a  man 
came  up  to  him  in  the  pulpit :  and  three  anonymous  letters 
were  sent  him,  denouncing  certain  and  sudden  death,  unless  he 
desisted  from  preaching  and  pursuing  the  offenders.  As  the 
matter  concerned  not  only  himself,  but  the  public  also,  and 
struck  at  the  welfare  of  civil  government,  he  sent  a  copy  of 

one  of  the  letters  to  the  Honorable  Hume  C 11,  begging  the 

favor  of  his  advice  ;  who  advised  him,  by  all  means,  to  put  all 
concerned  into  the  court  of  king's  bench.  The  Earl  of  Holder- 
ness,  one  of  the  secretaries  of  state,  to  whom  he  was  introduced 
on  this  occasion,  received  him  very  courteously,  seeming  in- 
clined to  offer  a  reward  for  the  discovery  of  the  letter  writer. 

♦  This  year,  1756,  he  published,  "  A  short  Address  to  Persons  of  all  Deno- 
minations, occasioned  by  the  alarm  of  zin  intended  invasion,"  which  will  be 
found  near  the  end  of  this  volume. 


166  MEMOIRS  OF   WHITEFIELD. 

"  I  find,"  says  Whitefield,  in  a  letter  to  Lady  Huntingdon,  May 
2, 1756,  "  that  all  things  happen  for  the  furtherance  of  the  gos- 
pel. I  suppose  your  ladyship  has  seen  his  majesty's  promise 
of  a  pardon,  to  any  that  will  discover  the  writer  :  and  this 
brings  the  further  news  of  my  having  taken  a  piece  of  ground, 
very  commodious  to  build  on,  not  far  from  the  foundling  hospi- 
tal, I  have  opened  the  subscription,  and  through  God's  bless- 
ing, it  has  already  amounted  to  near  six  hundred  pounds.  I 
hope,  in  a  few  months,  to  have,  what  has  long  been  wanted,  a 
place  for  the  gospel  at  the  other  end  of  the  town.  This  even- 
ing, God  willing,  I  venture  once  more  to  preach  at  Long  Acre." 
The  place  he  here  speaks  of,  is  the  chapel  in  Tottenham  court 
road,  which  he  began  to  build,  May  10,  1756. 

Soon  after  this,  he  again  made  his  favorite  tour,  successfully 
preaching  about  three  weeks  at  the  following  places  ;  at  Bristol, 
and  in  Gloucestershire  ;  at  Bradford,  Fromer,  Warminster, 
and  at  Portsmouth  :  and  returned  to  London  in  the  beginning 
of  June. 

In  a  letter,  dated  July  27,  he  says,  '•'  The  gospel  flourishes 
in  London.  I  am  just  returned  from  preaching  at  Sherness, 
Chatham,  and  in  the  camp."  The  next  day  he  set  off  for 
Scotland.  On  his  journey  he  writes  thus  :  "  Sunderland,  Au- 
gust 14,  1756,  How  swiftly  doth  my  precious  time  fly  away  !  It 
is  now  a  fortnight  since  I  came  to  Leeds  ;  in  and  about  which, 
I  preached  eight  days,  thrice  almost  every  day,  to  thronged  and 
affected  auditories.  On  Sunday  last,  at  Bradford,  in  the  morn- 
ing, the  auditory  consisted  of  about  ten  thousand  ;  at  noon, 
and  in  the  evening,  at  Birstall,  to  near  double  the  number. 
Though  hoarse,  I  was  helped  to  speak  so  that  all  heard.  Next 
morning,  I  took  a  sorrowful  leave  of  Leeds  ;  preached  at  Don- 
caster  at  noon  and  at  York  the  same  night.  On  Wednesday,  at 
Warstall,  about  fifty  miles  off ;  on  Thursday,  twice  at  Yaran  ; 
and  last  nidit  and  this  morninor  here.  Wherever  he  came, 
he  heard  of  the  good  effects  of  his  preaching  in  those  parts 
last  year. 

Upon  receiving  pressing  invitations,  by  letter,  from  friends 
in  Scotland,  he  again  set  out  and  arrived  at  Edinburgh,  on  the 
20th  of  August ;  where,  and  at  Glasgow,  he  continued  to  preach 
with  much  acceptance,  and  peculiar  success.  The  Glasgow 
Courant  has  the  following  accounts  : 

"  Edinburgh,  Sept.  9,  1756. 
"  For  near  these  three  weeks  the  Rev.  Mr.  Whitefield  has 
been  preaching  in  the  Orphan-hospital  park,  to  very  crowded 
auditories,  twice  every  day.     As  he  was  frequently  very  ex- 
plicit in  opening  the  miseries  of  popish  tyranny  and  arbitrary 


MEMOIRS  OF   TTHITEFIELD.  167 

power,  and  very  warm  in  exhorting  his  hearers  to  loyalty  and 
courage  at  home,  and  in  stirring  them  up  to  pray  for  the  suc- 
cess of  his  majesty's  forces,  both  by  sea  and  land  abroad,  we 
have  reason  to  believe,  that  his  visit  at  this  juncture  hath  been 
particularly  useful. 

"Edinburgh,  Sept.  23. 

"  On  Sunday  evening,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Whitefield,  after  sermon, 
made  a  collection  for  the  poor  highlanders,  when  upwards  of 
sixty  pounds  sterling  was  collected." 

September  22,  he  received  a  message  from  the  new  governor 
of  Georgia  in  London,  desiring  to  see  and  conv^erse  with  him, 
concerning  the  affairs  of  the  colony,  before  he  embarked. 

In  his  way  to  London,  he  stopped  at  Leeds,  and  went  some 

days  into  good  Mr.  G and  J 's  round,  preaching  to 

great  multitudes  on  the  mountains  ;  but  the  appearance  of  a 
return  of  his  last  year's  disorder,  obliged  him  to  hasten  to  town. 
On  the  7th  of  November,  he  opened  his  new  chapel  in  Totten- 
ham court  road,  preaching  from  1  Cor.  iii.  11.  For  other 
foundation  can  no  man  lay,  than  that  is  laid,  which  is  Jesus 
Christ. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

From  opening  the  chapel  in  Tottenham  court  road,  to  his   arrival 
in  Edinburgh,  in  the  year  1759. 

His  constant  work  was  now  preaching  about  fifteen  times 
a  week,  which,  with  a  weak  appetite,  want  of  rest,  and  much 
care  lying  upon  his  mind,  reduced  him  to  a  state  of  great  bodily 
weakness.  "  But  yet,"  says  he,  "  the  joy  of  the  Lord  is  my 
strength  ;  and  my  greatest  grief  is.  that  I  can  do  no  more  for 
him,  who  has  done  and  suffered  so  much  for  me." 

His  new  chapel  succeeded  accordino^  to  his  wish.  On  Sun- 
day mornings,  hundreds  went  away,  not  being  able  to  get  in. 
Several  people  of  rank  were  desirous  of  obtaining  constant 
seats ;  and  a  very  affecting  letter  was  received  from  one  under 
convictions,  who  acknowledged  that  curiosity  alone  brought 
him  first  to  see  what  sort  of  a  place  it  was.*  It  is  said  that 
Hume  was  a  hearer  of  Mr.  Whitefield,  and  was  much  taken 
with  his  eloquence.  Such  testimonies  as  the  latter,  are  recorded 
merely  for  their  singularity.t 

*  "  A  neighboring  doctor  calls  the  place  Whitefield's  Soul  Trap.  I  pray 
the  friend  of  sinners,  to  make  it  a  soul  trap  indeed,  to  many  wandering  crea 
tures.  Shuter,  the  player,  always  makes  one  of  the  auditory  ;  and,  as  I  hear, 
is  much  impressed,  and  brings  others  with  him." 

•f  An  intimate  friend  of  the  infidel  Hume,  asked  him  what  he  thought  of 
Mr.  Whitefield's  preaching ;  for  he  had  listened  to  the  latter  part  of  one  of 


168  MEMOIRS   OF   WHITEFIKLD. 

In  1757,  he  again  took  his  circuit  northward,  and  came  to 
Edinburgh  some  time  in  the  month  of  May,  and  at  the  time 
of  the  annual  meeting  of  the  general  assembly,  a  circumstance 
which  afforded  him  much  satisfaction.  His  preaching  was 
attended  by  many  ministers  ;  it  is  said,  a  hundred  at  a  time. 
Many  of  them  appeared  to  be  deeply  affected  ;  and  thus  their 
prejudices  were  removed.  About  thirty  of  them,  as  a  proof  of 
their  regard,  invited  him  to  a  public  entertainment.  His  ma- 
jesty's commissioner,  Lord  Cathcart,  also  invited  him  to  his  table. 
And  his  lordship's  predecessor,  the  Earl  of  It ,  showed  par- 
ticular attention  to  Whitefield,  as  indeed  he  had  constantly  done 
from  the  time  of  his  first  coming  to  Scotland.  Multitudes,  and 
a  great  many  of  them  of  the  highest  rank,  daily  flocked  to  hear 
him.     The  congregations  still  increased  more  and  more. 

Leaving  Edinburgh,  he  arrived  at  Glasgow  on  the  8th  of 
June,  having  preached  twice  by  the  way,  and  continued  preach- 
ing as  usual,  till  the  14th,  in  the  High  Church  yard,  to  large 
congregations,  twice  a  day  ;  and  both  forenoon  and  afternoon, 
in  a  church  in  the  city. 

Seeing  the  pitiable  condition  the  poor  of  Glasgow  were  in  at 
this  time,  notwithstanding  the  bounty  of  the  affluent  and  hu- 
mane, he,  with  the  concurrence  of  the  magistrates,  at  his  sermon 
on  Monday  evening,  made  a  collection  for  them,  amounting  to 
near  sixty  pounds.  Next  day  he  preached  at  Paisley :  and 
immediately  set  out  for  Ireland. 

His  reception  in  Dublin  was  as  promising  as  formerly  ;  the 
congreo^ations  were  very  large,  and  a  blessing  appeared  to  at- 
tend his  preaching,  many  being  much  affected.  A  certain 
prelate  told  a  noble  lord,  that  he  was  glad  Whitefield  had  come 
to  rouse  the  people.  Persons  of  all  ranks  attended,  and  all 
seemed,  in  some  measure,  affected  with  the  solemn  truths 
which  he  delivered. 


his  sermons  at  Edinburgh.  "  He  is  sir,"  said  Mr.  Hume,  "  the  most  inge- 
nious preacher  I  ever  heard.  It  is  -worth  while  to  go  twenty  miles  to  hear 
him."  He  then  repeated  the  following  passage  which  he  heard  towards  the 
close  of  that  discourse.  "  After  a  solemn  pause,  Mr.  Whitefield  thus  address- 
ed his  numerous  auditory: — '  The  attendant  angel  is  just  about  to  leave  the 
threshold,  and  ascend  to  heaven.  And  shall  he  ascend  and  not  bear  with 
him  the  news  of  one  smner,  among  all  this  multitude,  reclaimed  from  the  er- 
ror of  his  ways  V  To  give  the  greater  effect  to  this  exclamation,  he  stamped 
with  his  foot,  lifted  up  his  hands  and  eyes  to  heaven,  and  with  gushing  tears, 
cried  aloud,  '  Stop,  Gabriel!  Stop,  Gabriel!  Stop,  ere  you  enter  the  sacred 
portals,  and  yet  carry  with  you  the  news  of  one  sinner  converted  to  God.' 
He  then  in  the  most  simple,  but  energetic  language,  described  what  he  called 
a  Savior's  dying  love  to  sinful  man  ;  so  that  almost  the  whole  assembly  melted 
into  tears.  This  address  was  accompanied  with  such  animated,  yet  natural 
action  that  it  surpassed  anything  I  e\ersaw  or  heard  in  any  other  preacher." 
Happy  had  it  been  for  poor  Hume,  had  he  received  what  he  then  heard, 
"  as  the  word  of  God,  and  not  as  the  word  of  man  !" 


WHITEFIELD  ASSAULTED  BY  A  MOB. 


•*  I  thought  of  Stephen,  and  was  in  hopes,  like  him,  to  go  offin  this 
bloody  triumph,  to  the  immediate  presence  of  ray  Master."         [p,  169. 


MEMOIRS  OF   WHITEFIELD.  169 

On  Sunday  afternoon,  having  preached  in  Oxmantown 
Green,  a  place  much  frequented  by  large  parties  of  the  Ormond 
and  Liberty  Boys,  as  they  were  called,  who  often  fought  there, 
he  very  narrowly  escaped  with  his  life.  It  being  war  time,  he 
had  earnestly  exhorted  his  hearers,  as  was  his  usual  practice, 
not  only  to  fear  God,  but  also  to  honor  the  king  ;  and  prayed 
for  the  success  of  his  Prussian  majesty's  arms.  While  he  was 
preaching,  and  earnest  in  prayer,  some  stones  were  thrown  at 
him,  which  providentially  did  him  no  hurt.  But  when  he  had 
done,  endeavoring  to  return  the  way  that  he  came,  by  the 
barracks,  to  his  great  surprise,  access  was  denied  :  so  that  lie 
was  obliged  to  walk  near  half  a  mile  over  the  green,  through 
some  hundreds  of  rioters  and  buffoons,  who,  perceiving  him 
tx)  be  alone,  four  preachers  and  a  soldier  having  deserted  him 
and  fled,  threw  showers  of  stones  upon  him  from  every  quarter, 
which  made  him  reel  backwards  and  forwards,  till  he  was  al- 
most breathless,  and  covered  with  a  gore  of  blood.*  At  length, 
with  the  greatest  difficulty,  he  staggered  to  the  door  of  a  minis- 
ter's house,  near  the  green,  which  was  humanely  opened  to 
him.  For  a  considerable  time  he  remained  speechless,  and 
gasping  for  breath  ;  but  his  weeping  friends  having  given  him 
some  cordials,  and  washed  his  wounds,  procured  a  coach,  in 
which,  amidst  voUies  of  oaths,  horrid  imprecations,  and  violent 
threatenings  of  the  rabble,  he  came  safe  home  ;  and  joined  in  a 
hymn  of  thanksgiving  with  his  mourning,  yet  rejoicing  friends  ; 
of  whom  he  says,  "  none  but  spectators  could  form  an  idea  of 
the  affection  with  which  I  was  received."! 


*  "  I  received  many  blows  and  wounds ;  one  was  particularly  large  and 
Dear  my  temples.  I  thought  of  Stephen  ;  and  was  in  hopes,  like  him,  to  go 
off  in  this  bloody  triumph,  to  the  immediate  presence  of  my  Master." 

He  used  to  say,  in  speaking  of  this  event,  that  in  England,  Scotland  and 
America,  he  had  been  treated  only  as  a  common  minister  of  the  gospel,  but 
that  in  Ireland  he  had  been  elevated  to  the  r^k  of  an  Apostle,  in  having  had 
the  honor  of  being  stoned. 

t  It  was  under  this  sermon,  that  the  late  Rev.  John  Edwards  was  impressed 
with  the  great  importance  of  religion.  Whitefield,  in  the  sermon  alluded  to, 
addressed  the  consciences  of  the  people  with  such  peculiar  energy  and  suc- 
cess, that  Mr.  E.  thought  every  word  was  personally  directed  to  him,  though 
he  had  concealed  himself  from  the  preacher's  view,  and  to  him  was  entirely 
unknown. 

In  what  period  of  his  life  he  entered  on  the  work  of  the  ministry,  we  can- 
not learn.  Several  years  he  preached  in  connection  with  Mr.  Wesley  ;  but 
some  disagreeable  circumstances  existing  in  the  society  of  Leeds,  he  and  a 
number  of  friends,  attached  to  him  as  the  instrument  of  their  spiritual  know- 
ledge and  happiness,  after  much  deliberation  with  each  other,  and  prayer  to 
God,  withdrew  themselves,  and  built  another  chapel,  where  he  continued  to 
dispense  the  word  of  life  for  more  than  thirty  years. 

Before  he  settled  at  Leeds,  in  the  year  1755,  he  went  about  doing  good,  after 
the  example  of  the  friend  of  sinners.  He  endured  the  cross  and  despised  the 
shame.  In  Ireland  he  traveled  and  labored  much  in  the  early  part  of  the 
ministry  j  and  the  effects  of  his  humble  exertions  to  diffuse  the  knowledea  of 

15 


170  MEMOIRS  OF    WHITEFIELD. 

The  next  morning,  though  extremely  weak,  he  set  out  for 
Port  Arlington,  "  leaving,"  he  says,  "  my  persecutors  to  his  mer- 
cy, who  of  persecutors  has  often  made  preachers.  I  pray  God, 
I  may  thus  be  avenged  of  them !" 

Having  preached  at  Port  Arlington,  Athlone,  liimerick,  and 
Cork  ;  in  the  beginning  of  August,  he  returned  to  England ; 
and  whenever  the  weather  was  favorable,  continued  to  range, 
as  he  termed  it,  every  where  preaching  with  as  great  earnest- 
ness and  apparent  success  as  ever.     "  This  spiritual  hunting," 

Christ,  were  crowned  with  abundant  success.  At  one  time,  while  he  resided 
in  Dublin,  as  he  was  returning  from  preaching  at  a  village,  a  party  of  rude 
fellows,  composed  of  the  Orinond  Boys,  who  used  to  assemble  in  the  evening, 
recognized  him  as  swaddlivg  John*  a  term  of  reproach  applied  to  the  Me- 
thodist preachers  in  Ireland ;  and  seized  him  with  all  the  madness  of  their 
enmity  against  the  truth  he  preached,  declared  they  would  throw  him  over  the 
bridge  into  the  Lifi'ey.  This  was  observed  by  an  opposite  party,  who  had 
assumed  the  appellation  of  Liberty  Boys,  residing  on  the  other  side  of  the 
river ;  they  immediately  encountered  his  assailants,  determined  they  would 
rescue  him  out  of  their  hands.  This  they  accomplished,  and  carried  him 
home  in  triumph ;  saying  he  was  their  swaddling  John,  for  he  lived  on  ihcir 
side  of  the  river,  and  none  should  hurt  him.  Thus  God  preserved  his  life, 
and  made  both  the  wrath  and  ignorance  of  man  to  praise  him. 

At  another  time,  having  preached  out  of  doors,  after  he  had  finished  his 
discourse,  a  furious  mob  of  the  White  Boys  beset  the  house  into  which  he  had 
entered,  and  threatened  to  burn  it  to  the  ground,  if  he  was  permitted  to  con- 
tinue in  it.  This  desperate  menace  greatly  alarmed  the  inhabitants,  who 
were  extremely  unwilling  to  gratify  their  wicked  desire.  There  was,  how- 
ever, but  one  way  for  his  escape,  and  that  was  through  a  window  which 
opened  into  a  garden  belonging  to  a  justice  of  the  peace,  who  was  himself  a 
bitter  persecutor  of  the  Methodists  ;  through  this  window  he  was  let  down  in 
a  basket.  Here  he  stood  some  time  in  great  consternation,  fearing  the  family 
would  observe  him,  and  charge  him  wich  having  broken  into  their  garden  for 
bad  purposes,  and  that  thereby  both  himself  and  religion  might  be  injured. 
At  length  he  ventured  to  knock  at  the  door  ;  asked  for  the  squire  ;  and  being 
introduced,  ingeniously  stated  the  circumstances  of  his  distressed  situation, 
which  had  such  an  etfe"ct  on  the  magistrate's  mind,  that  he  protected  and  en- 
tertained him  at  his  house  two  days  in  a  hospitable  manner. 

He  was  sincere  in  all  his  pastoral  engagements — deeply  impressed  with  the 
vast  importance  of  his  work,  and  greatly  loved  by  his  congregation.  The  sal- 
vation of  souls  excited  his  watchfulness,  his  prayers,  and  his  zeal ;  and  in  his 
whole  life  he  was  an  epistle  of  Christ,  knoion  and  read  of  all  men. 

Governed  by  a  disinterested  concern  for  the  peace  and  prosperity  of' the 
people  committed  to  his  charge,  he  was  i7istant  in  season  and  out  of  season ; 
reproving,  rebuking,  and  exhorting  with  all  long  suffering  and  gentleness. 

"  And,  as  a  bird  each  fond  endearment  tries 
To  tempt  its  new  fledged  offspring  to  the  skies  ; 
He  tried  each  art,  reproved  each  dull  delay, 
Allur'd  to  brighter  worlds,  and  led  the  way." 

On  the  17th  oi  February,  1785,  aged  71,  he  bid  adieu  to  all  his  connections 
in  this  mortal  life,  and  entered  into  his  eternal  rest. 

*  This  term  of  reproach  originated  in  the  following  circumstance.  Soon  after  the  ifltroduction  of 
Methodism  into  Ireland,  the  iale  Rev.  John  Cennick  was  preaching  in  Dublin  on  a  Christmas  day.  His 
text  was  Luke  ii.  12.  Ye  shall  Jijid  the  babe  wrapped  in  swaddlmg  clothes,  and  lying  in  a  manger. 
A  drunken  fellow,  who  was  listening  at  the  door,  to  pick  up  something  by  which  lie  might  ridicule  this 
new  religion,  which  had  not  yet  obtained  a  name:  hearing  the  word  swaddling  often  repeated,  ran 
along  the  street,  exclaiming  with  great  vulgarity,  O .'  these  people  are  swaddlers,  they  are  sieaddlers ! 
The  name  quickly  took,  and  became  the  badge  of  opprobrium  through  Ireland. 


[ 


MEMOIRS    OF  WHITEFIELD.  171 

says  he,  "  is  delightful  sport,  when  the  heart  is  in  the  work  !" 
At  Plymouth,  he  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  officers,  soldiers, 
sailors,  <fec.  attending  divine  worship  with  becoming  reverence 
and  delio^ht.  He  enjoyed,  also,  delightful  seasons  in  Exeter, 
Bristol,  Gloucester,  and  other  towns,  and  about  the  middle  of 
October,  1757,  returned  to  London.  By  his  unremitted  attend- 
ance this  winter  at  the  chapel  and  the  Tabernacle,  together 
with  much  study  and  care,  his  health  became  greatly  impaired. 
Weakened  as  he  was  by  continual  vomitings,  want  of  sleep, 
and  loss  of  appetite,  he,  however,  still  went  on  as  well  as  he 
could.  "  1  am  brought  now,"  says  he,  "  to  the  short  allowance 
of  preaching  but  once  on  week  days,  and  twice  on  a  Sunday." 
When  disengaged  from  his  public  ministrations,  he  was  ever 
projecting  some  plan  or  other  for  the  advancement  of  religion ; 
as  the  erecting  of  alms-houses  for  religious  widows,  on  the 
ground  which  surrounded  the  chapel.  '•  I  have  a  plan,"  says 
he,  "for  twelve.  The  whole  expense  will  be  four  hundred 
pounds.  I  have  a  prospect  of  two.  I  propose  allowing  each 
widow  half  a  crown  a  week.  The  sacrament  money  will 
more  than  do.  If  this  be  affected,  many  godly  widows  will  be 
provided  for,  and  a  standing  monument  left  that  the  Methodists 
were  not  against  good  works."  In  a  short  time  he  put  this  plan 
into  execution.  February  16,  1758,  the  foundation  of  the 
alms-house  was  laid,  and  the  widows  began  to  be  admitted  in 
the  June  following.* 

His  summer  circuit  this  year,  he  began  at  Gloucester :  from 
whence  he  proceeded  to  Bristol,  and  onward  to  Wales.  During 
his  stay  in  that  country,  his  health  was  much  on  the  decline ; 
so  that  he  could  not  sit  up  in  company,  as  he  had  been  used  to 
do  ;  and  could  take  but  little  food.  Yet,  notwithstanding  his 
infirmities,  he  continued  his  journey  through  great  part  of 
South  Wales,  incredible  multitudes  attending  his  preaching 
wherever  he  went. 

In  the  month  of  July,  he  set  off  for  Scotland.  In  his  way, 
he  preached  at  Everton,  St.  Neot's,  Kayso,  Bedford,  Oulney, 
Weston,  Underwood,  Ravenstone,  Northampton,  and  Newcas- 
tle. Four  clergymen  lent  him  their  pulpits.  His  bodily  strength 
so  little  increased  by  this  journey,  that  he  frequently  felt  an 
inclination  to  turn  back.  But  he  did  not  think  it  consistent 
with  his  duty.  "  Through  divine  strength,"  says  he,  "  I  hope 
to  go  forward ;  and  shall  strive,  as  much  as  in  me  lies,  to  die 
in  this  glorious  work."     Yet,  through  the  divine  blessing,  his 

*  To'a  gentleman  who  visited  him  m  London  in  the  year  1768,  he  pointed 
out  those  houses  from  the  room  in  which  they  sat,  and  said,  "  those  are  my 
redoubts.  The  prayers  of  the  poor  women  who  reside  in  them,  protect  me  in 
my  house." . 


172  MEMOIRS    OF    WHITEFIELD. 

health  was  greatly  increased,  soon  after  his  return  from  Scot- 
land. From  Edinburgh,  he  writes,  August  19  and  24  : — "For 
these  four  months  past,  I  have  been  brought  so  exceedingly- 
low  in  my  body,  that  I  was  in  hopes  every  sermon  I  preached 
would  waft  me  to  my  wished  for  home.  Scotland,  I  hoped 
would  finish  my  warfare ;  but  it  has  rather  driven  me  back  to 
sea  again.  On  Tuesday  next,  I  thought  to  have  moved ;  but 
as  it  is  race-week,  and  my  health  is  improving,  friends  advise 
me  to  stay,  to  stir  them  up  to  run  irith  patience  the  race  that 
is  set  before  us^  The  following  account  appeared  in  the 
Glasgow  Courant. 

"  Edinburgh,  September  14, 1758.  Mr.  Whitefield's  presence, 
at  this  time,  has  been  particularly  useful  to  the  Orphan-hos- 
pital, for  which  upwards  of  two  hundred  pounds  has  been 
raised  from  the  collection  at  the  doors,  and  seat  rents.  Before 
lie  left  Glasgow,  he  made  a  collection  for  the  Glasgow  Charita- 
ble Highland  Society,  for  supporting  the  highland  children  :  a 
scheme  particularly  useful  at  this  time,  when  so  many  of  their 
parents  and  friends  are  abroad  in  America,  in  his  majesty's 
service.  During  his  stay  here,  he  has  had  occasion  to  preach 
three  thanksgiving  sermons,  for  the  victory  of  Crevelt,  the 
taking  of  Cape  Breton,  and  the  late  defeat  of  the  Russians.  By 
his  warm  and  repeated  exhortations  to  loyalty,  and  a  steady 
adherence  to  the  Protestant  interest  on  this  and  all  other  oc- 
casions, it  must  be  acknowledged,  even  in  this  view,  his  visit 
here  has  been  useful  to  the  community  in  a  civil,  as  well  as  a 
religious  light." 

Having  left  Edinburgh,  he  preached  with  his  usual  abun- 
dant liberty  and  success  in  most  of  the  principal  towns,  in  the 
north  of  England :  and  about  the  end  of  October,  arrived  in 
London.  His  affairs  in  America  being  in  a  prosperous  state, 
he  now  began  to  think  of  going  over  to  Georgia  again.  "  Bless- 
(^  be  God."  sa^^s  he,  "  that  I  can  send  you  word,  a  never  fail- 
ing Providence  has  put  it  in  my  power  to  pay  off  all  Bethesda's 
arrears.  I  am  talking  every  day  of  coming  over  ;  but  how  to 
do  it  in  war  time,  or  how  to  get  the  chapel  and  Tabernacle 
supplied,  I  cannot,  as  yet,  be  clear  in." 

Not  being  able,  it  seems,  to  get  over  these  difficulties,  he  spent 
the  winter  of  1758,  in  London ;  and  opened  his  spring  cam- 
paign at  Bristol.  The  month  of  June  he  spent  preaching 
through  Gloucestershire  and  Yorkshire ;  people  of  all  ranks 
and  distinctions  every  where  flocked,  as  usual,  twice  a  day,  to 
hear  him,  and  from  thence  revisited  Scotland. 


MEMOIRS    OF    WHITEFIELD.  173 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

From  his  arrival  at  Edinburgh^  1759,  to  his  opening  the  Countess  of 
Himtingdon^s  chapel  at  Bath,  1765. 

About  the  beginning"  of  July,  1759,  he  came  to  Edinburgh. 
The  congregations  were  never  more  numerous  or  attentive 
than  here  and  at  Glasgow.  Yet,  he  complains  in  his  letters, 
"  that  with  respect  to  the  power  of  religion,  it  was  a  dead  time 
in  Scotland,  in  comparison  with  London,  aud  several  other 
parts  of  England."  During  his  stay,  the  sum  he  collected  for 
the  benefit  of  the  Orphan-hospital,  amounted  to  two  hundred 
and  fifteen  pounds.  This  year's  visit  to  Scotland  occasioned 
an  occurrence  which  redounded  much  to  his  credit,  and  fully 
cleared  him  from  the  charges  of  mercenary  and  sordid  motives, 
brought  against  him  veiy  unjustly  by  some  of  his  adversaries. 

A  Miss  Hunter,  a  young  lady  of  considerable  fortune,  made 
him  an  offer  of  her  whole  estate,  both  money  and  lands,  amount- 
ing to  above  seven  thousand  pounds,  which  he  generously  re- 
fused :  and  upon  his  declining  to  accept  it  for  himself,  she 
again  offered  it  for  the  benefit  of  the  institution  in  Georgia, 
which  he  also  absolutely  refused.  These  are  facts  too  well 
known  to  be  denied. 

This  winter  he  continued  in  London  ;  during  which,  he 
wrote  a  preface  to  Dr.  Samuel  Clarke's  bible.  He  also  consid- 
erably enlarged  his  chapel,  which  was  far  too  small  to  contain 
the  congregation. 

On  the  14th  of  March,  1760,  he  collected  at  Tottenham  court 
chapel  and  Tabernacle,  upwards  of  four  hundred  pounds  for 
the  relief  of  the  distressed  Prussians,  who  suffered  so  much 
from  the  savage  cruelty  of  the  Russians,  at  Newmark,  Custrin, 
(fee.  For  this  disinterested  act  of  benevolence,  he  received  the 
thanks  of  his  Prussian  majesty. 

In  the  summer  of  1760,  he  traveled  through  Gloucestershire 
and  Wales,  and  afterwards  to  Bristol.  When  he  preached  at 
the  Tabernacle,  many  more  attended  than  the  place  would  hold ; 
and  in  the  fields  there  were  supposed  to  be  ten  thousand. 

About  this  time,  he  underwent  a  new  sort  of  persecution, 
which  however,  men  of  the  greatest  eminence  have  sometimes 
experienced,  being  burlesqued  and  ridiculed  in  a  manner  the 
most  ludicrous  and  profane,  on  the  stage  of  the  theater  royal, 
Drury  lane.  Many  acts  of  violence  had  been  offered  to  his 
person,  but  his  enemies  being  now  convinced  that  the  law 
would  not  permit  them  longer  to  proceed  in  that  way  with  im- 
punity, determined  to  try  the  effect  of  mockery.  For  this  pur- 
pose, they  procured  for  their  tool,  Mr.  Samuel  Foote,  a  man 

10 


174  MEMOIRS  OF    WHITEFIELD. 

well  qualified  to  act  the  mimic  ;  who  having  imitated  Wliite- 
field's  person  and  action  vvitli  success,  and  spoke  some  ludi- 
crous sentences  in  his  manner,  was  thereby  encourao^ed  to  write 
a  farce,  called  the  Minor,  to  be  performed  at  Drury  lane. 
Whitefield  takes  notice  of  this  in  a  letter,  dated  August  16, 
1760.  It  seems  to  have  taken  its  rise  from  the  malice  of  the 
play  house  people,  after  they  had  failed  in  tlieir  attempt  to  de- 
ter him  from  preaching  at  Long  Acre  chapel ;  and  even  still 
more  exasperated  by  his  building  a  chapel  of  his  own  in  Tot- 
tenham court  road.  A  letter  was  written  to  David  Garrick, 
Esq.,  occasioned  by  the  intended  representation  of  the  Minor. 
This  letter  was  supposed  to  have  been  written  by  tlie  Rev. 
Martin  Madan. 

This  theatrical  piece,  by  its  horrid  blasphemy  and  impiety, 
e.^cited  the  just  indignation  of  every  serious  person.  The  im- 
pious author,  intending  to  expose  Mr.  IVhitefield  to  public  con- 
tempt, makes  no  scruple  to  treat  the  very  expressions,  and  sa- 
cred doctrines  of  the  Bible,  with  that  profane  ridicule,  which  a 
solier  minded  Mahomedan  would  blush  at !  Or,  to  put  the  most 
favorable  construction  upon  the  matter,  he,  and  the  agents  em- 
ployed at  the  Tabernacle  and  chapel,  to  procure  materials,  were 
so  shamefully  ignorant  of  the  inspired  writings,  as  not  to  know, 
that  what  they  took  for  Mr.  Whitefield's  peculiar  languafi^e,  was 
that  of  the  word  of  God  !  However,  they  lost  their  labor ;  for 
by  their  endeavors  to  lessen  the  number  of  his  followers,  they 
increased  them,  and  brought  thousands  more  to  hear  the  gospel : 
and  thus  Providence  gave  him  the  victory  over  them,  baffling 
all  the  schemes  of  the  prince  of  darkness  ! 

Here  it  will  not  be  amiss  to  insert  the  following  account  from 
Edinburgh  : — "  Mr.  Foote*  being  manager  of  the  Edinburgh 
theater,  in  the  winter  of  1770,  the  Minor  was  acted  there. 
The  first  night  it  was  pretty  full,  as  people  fond  of  any  novelty, 
were  led  toit  without  knowing  any  thing  of  the  nature  of  the 
performance.  But  such  was  the  public  sense  of  the  impurity 
and  indecency  of  it,  when  known,  that  on  the  second  night, 
only  ten  women  appeared.  When  it  was  acted  on  Saturday, 
"November  24,  a  dispute  arose  among  the  spectators,  whether 
it  was  proper  to  bring  Mr.  Whitefield  upon  the  stage,  as  be  was 
now  dead  ?  This,  however,  was  done,  and  raised  a  general  in- 
dignation in  the  inhabitants  of  that  city.     Next  day  several 

♦  One  evening  while  Foote  was  exhibiting  Whitefield  to  pi;blic  ridicule,  in 
the  theater  of  Drury  lane,  the  venerable  man  himself  was  engaged  in  preaching 
at  Tottenham  court  chapel.  His  subject  was,  "-the  joys  of  Heaven."  Towards 
the  close  of  his  discourse,  when  his  piety,  his  imagination,  and  his  eloquence 
were  on  fire,  he  cried  out  in  the  midst  of  a  melted  and  enraptured  assembly, 
pointing  to  the  heavens,  "  thcre^  there,  an  ungodly  foot  tramples  on  the  saints 
no  more." 


MEMOIRS   OF    WHITEFIELD.  175 

ministers,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Erskine,  Dr.  Walker,  dec,  took  notice 
of  it  in  their  discourses  from  the  pulpit.  Dr.  Walker,  whose 
church  was  frequented  by  people  of  the  higher  rank,  observed 
in  his  lecture  upon  2  Cor.  v.  14 — 21,  that  he  could  not  read 
the  17th  verse,  if  any  man  he  in  Christ,  he  is  a  new  creature, 
without  expressing  the  jnst  indignation  he  felt,  upon  hearing, 
that  last  night  a  profane  piece  of  buffoonry  was  publicly  acted, 
ill  which  this  sacred  doctrine  is  ridiculed.  The  Rev.  Mr.  Baine, 
of  the  kirk  of  relief,  preached  a  sermon  on  the  occasion,  De- 
cember 2,  from  Psalm  xciv.  16.  Towards  the  conclusion  he 
says,  "  how  base  and  ungrateful  is  such  treatment  of  the  dead ! 
and  that  too  so  very  nigh  to  a  family  of  orphans,  the  records 
of  whose  hospital  will  transmit  Mr.  AVhitefield's  name  to  pos- 
terity with  honor,  when  the  memory  of  others  will  rot !  How 
illiberal  such  usage  of  one,  whose  seasonable  good  services  for 
his  king  and  country,  are  well  known  ;  and  whose  indefatigable 
labors  for  his  beloved  Master,  were  countenanced  by  heaven  !" 

May  14, 1760,  he  preached  at  Tottenham  court  chapel,  from 
Hosea  xi.  8,  9,  and  at  the  Tabernacle  in  the  evening,  when  his 
text  was  the  last  verse  of  the  80th  Psalm.  At  the  former  place, 
he  collected . two  hundred  and  twenty-two  pounds,  eioht  shil- 
Imsfs,  and  ninepence  ;  and  at  the  latter,  one  hundred  and  eighty- 
two  pounds,  fifteen  sliilliiigs,  and  nhiepence,  for  the  distressed 
Protestants  in  Prussia.  Thus  it  appears  that  his  benevolent 
disposition  led  him  strictly  to  observe  public  occurrences  :  and 
surely  no  man  more  carefully  endeavored  to  approve  them. 

The  months  of  September  and  October,  1760,  he  spent  in 
traveling  and  preaching  through  Yorkshire  ;  and  passed  the 
winter  in  London,  in  his  usual  manner. 

February  13,  1761,  being  a  day  appointed  for  a  general  fast, 
he  preached  early  in  the  morning  at  the  Tabernacle,  from 
Exodus  xxxiv.  3,  and  collected  one  hundred  and  twelve  pounds. 
In  the  forenoon  again,  at  the  chapel,  from  Joel  ii.  15.  After 
sermon,  the  collection  amounted  to  two  hundred  and  forty-two 
pounds ;  and  in  the  evening  he  preached  at  the  Tabernacle, 
from  Genesis  vii.  l,and  collected  two  hundred  and  ten  pounds. 
These  sums,  amounting  to  five  hundred  and  sixty-four  pounds, 
were  immediately  applied  to  the  noble  purposes  for  which  they 
were  collected,  the  relief  of  the  poor  afflicted  German  Protest- 
ants, and  the  unhappy  sufferers  by  fire  at  Boston.  Four 
hundred  pounds  were  conveyed  to  the  Germans,  through  the 
hands  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Ziegenhagen. 

"  Boston,  February  27,  1764.  At  a  meeting  of  the  freeholders 
and  other  inhabitants  of  the  town  of  Boston,  on  Friday  last,  it 
was  VOTED  UNANIMOUSLY,  that  the  thanks  of  the  town  be  given 
to  the  Rev.  George  Whitefield,  for  his  charitable  care  and  pains 


176  MEMOIRS  OF    WHITEFIELD. 

in  collecting  a  considerable  sum  of  money  in  Great  Britain,  for 
the  distressed  sufferers  by  the  great  fire  in  Boston,  in  1760 ; 
and  a  respectable  committee  was  appointed  to  wait  on  Mr. 
Whitefield,  to  inform  him  of  the  vote,  and  present  him  with  a 
copy  thereof." 

But  his  bodily  health,  which  had  often  been  very  bad,  now 
grew  worse  and  worse  ;  so  that,  in  August,  1761,  he  was 
brought  to  the  very  gates  ;  yet  the  Lord  was  pleased  to  raise 
him  again.  It  was  happy  for  him,  that  he  frequently  obtained 
the  assistance  of  clergymen  from  the  country  at  this  time  ; 
particularly  of  the  Rev.  John  Berridge,*  vicar  of  Everton,  Bed- 

*  This  eminently  humble,  laborious,  and  highly  honored  ambassador  of  the 
Lord  Jesus,  was  born  in  1716,  at  Kingston,  in  Nottinghamshire.  In  the  fif- 
teenth year  of  his  age  he  was  convinced  of  the  sinfulness  of  man,  and  the 
necessity  of  being  born  again,  not  of  the  will  of  man,  or  of  the  will  of  the 
flesh,  but  of  God. 

He  was  sent  to  the  University  of  Cambridge  in  the  nineteenth  year  of  his 
age,  and  in  1749,  began  his  ministry,  at  Stapleford,  near  Cambridge  ;  where 
he  preached  regularly  six  years  with  zeal  and  faithlulness,  but  with  little  suc- 
cess. In  1755  he  was  admitted  to  the  vicarage  of  Everton,  in  Bedfordshire  ; 
where  he  continued  till  his  death. 

From  his  own  memorandums,  found  among  his  papers  since  his  decease,  it 
appears  he  was  a  stranger  to  that  faith  which  purifies,  works  by  love,  and 
makes  Christ  all  in  all  to  the  believing  soul,  till  the  year  1757  ;  and  therefore 
went  about  preaching  up  the  righteousness  of  the  creature,  instead  of  the 
merits  and  righteousness  of  Jesus  Christ  alone,  for  acceptance  with  God. 
This  made  it  no  wonder  that  his  ministrations  were  no  more  blessed  to  the 
souls  of  others  than  to  his  own.  In  the  following  year  it  pleased  the  Lord  of 
his  infinite  mercy  to  open  the  eyes  of  his  mind,  to  see  his  error,  and  make  hitn 
cry  out,  "  Lord,  if  I  am  right,  keep  me  so ;  but  if  I  am  not,  make  me  so; 
and  lead  me  to  the  knowledge  of  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus." 

A  few  days  after  this,  his  earnest  and  constant  prayer  was  granted  ;  he  was 
led  by  the  blessed  spirit  to  acknowledge  the  insufficiency  of  good  works  to 
merit  the  divine  favor,  and  accordingly  renounced  them,  as  unworthy  of  de- 
pendence, and  in  no  wise  meritorious  in  the  sight  of  God.  He  was  taught 
the  necessity  of  believing  in  the  Redeemer  alone  for  life  and  salvation,  and 
joyfully  received  and  depended  on  him  as  the  only  Savior  from  the  wrath  to 
come  ;  agreeably  to  the  declaration  of  an  inspired  apostle,  Acts  iv.  12.  "  Nei- 
ther is  salvation  in  any  other ;  for  there  is  none  other  name  under  heaven, 
given  among  men,  whereby  we  musX  be  saved." 

From  this  time  he  truly  found  his  preaching  was  not  in  vain  in  the  Lord ; 
for  he  had  many  bright  and  eminent  seals  added  to  his  ministry,  which  were 
his  joy  in  life,  and  shall  doubtless  be  his  crown  of  rejoicing  when  time  shall 
be  no  more.  Among  these  was  the  Rev.  Mr.  Hicks,  a  clergj^man  of  Wrest- 
lingworth,  about  four  miles  from  Everton,  who  became  a  very  useful  man, 
and  often  accompanied  him  in  his  itinerant  labors  from  place  to  place. 

Having  so  good  a  Master,  he  entered  upon  his  work  with  cheerful  steps, 
and  pursued  it  with  the  greatest  industry.  Emboldened  by  the  success  of 
Whitefield,  he  saw  it  to  be  his  duty  to  itinerate,  or  to  extend  the  sphere  of  his 
usefulness  by  becoming  a  traveling  preacher.  He  did  not  confine  his  labors 
lo  the  narrow  limits  of  Everton,  but,  like  the  majestic  sun,  illuminated  an 
extensive  tract  of  country.  His  love  to  mankind  was  ardent ;  he  knew  the 
worth  of  an  immortal  soul ;  he  knew  the  awful  terrors  of  the  Lord  ;  he  knew 
the  emptiness  of  the  present  world ;  he  knew  the  sandy  foundation  upon 
which  thousands  build ;  he  knew  the  dangerous  devices  of  Satan ;  he  knew 
the  awful  precipice  upon  which  the  ungodly  stand.  His  bowels  melted  with 
pity— his  heart  yearned  to  assist  them.    He  therefore  left  no  means  unat- 


MEMOIRS  OF   WHITEFIELD.  177 

fordshire ;  Fellow  of  Clare  Hall,  Cambridge  ;  and  chaplain 
to  the  Right  Honorable,  the  Earl  of  Buchan ;  of  whom  he  writes, 

tempted  to  awaken  their  concern,  and  allure  them  to  the  Son  of  God.  In  his 
itineracy  he  would  take  the  counties  of  Bedford,  Cambridge,  Essex,  Hertford 
and  Huntingdon,  making  the  episcopal  mandate  the  invariable  rule  of  his 
operations,  "  Go  and  seek  Christ's  sheep  where  thou  canst  find  them."  In  this 
circuit  he  preached  upon  an  average  from  ten  to  tv)elve  sermons  a  loeek,  and 
frequently  rode  a  hundred  miles.  Nor  were  these  extraordinary  exertions 
the  hasty'fruit  of  intermitting  zeal,  but  they  were  regularly  continued  during 
the  long  succession  of  more  than  twenty  years,  exemplifying  through  the  whole 
of  his  ministerial  career,  the  motto  of  the  late  celebrated  Dr.  Doddridge, 
Dum  vivimus  vivavius. 

The  first  year  that  he  began  to  preach  the  gospel,  he  was  visited  by  upwards 
of  a  thousand  different  persons  under  serious  impressions :  and  it  has  been 
computed,  that  under  his  own,  and  the  joint  ministry  of  Mr.  Hicks,  about 
Jour  thousand  were  awakened  to  a  concern  about  their  souls,  in  the  space  of 
twelve  months. 

For  several  years  before  Whitefield  died,  Mr.  Berridge  preached  at  the 
Tabernacle  an^  Tottenham  court  chapel,  and  continued  to  do  so  annually  till 
1793 ;  he  intended  to  have  come  that  year,  and  was  expected  by  his  nume- 
rous friends  in  Louden,  but  instead  of  his  presence,  they  received  the  melan- 
choly tidings  of  his  death.  For  some  days  previous  to  his  decease,  his  strength 
and  "health  had  visibly  decreased,  and  on  Sunday,  20th  January,  he  came 
down  into  his  parlor  as  usual,  but  with  great  difficulty  reached  his  chamber 
in  the  evening.  A  few  hours  after  he  was  in  bed,  he  appeared  to  be  seized 
with  the  symptoms  of  immediate  dissolution.  His  face  was  contracted  and 
his  speech  faltered  ;  and  in  this  situation  he  continued  till  about  three  o'clock 
on  Tuesday  afternoon,  January  22,  when  breathing  less  and  less,  this  cham- 
pion of  his  Redeemer  calmly  entered  into  the  joy  of  his  Lord,  in  the  76th 
year  of  his  age.  On  the  ensuing  Sabbath,  his  remains  were  interred  in  his 
own  parish  church  yard.  The  Rev.  Charles  Simeon,  Fellow  of  King's  col- 
lege, Cambridge,  preached  his  funeral  sermon,  from  2  Tim.  iv.  7,8.  Six 
neighboring  clergymen  attended  to  bear  his  pall.  The  almost  immense  con- 
course of  people,  who  assembled  from  all  parts  of  the  country,  to  be  present 
at  this  solemnity,  the  undissembled  grief  which  was  depicted  upun  every 
countenance,  the  tears  which  trickled  down  every  cheek,  were  a  melancholy, 
but  expressive  eulogium  on  his  character,  and  should  be  considered  as  a  just 
panegyric  on  his  worth. 

Never  man  entered  upon  the  work  of  his  Master  with  more  disinterested 
views.  His  purse  was  as  open  as  his  heart,  though  not  so  large.  His  ear  was 
ever  attentive  to  the  tale  of  woe,  his  eye  was  keen  to  observe  the  miseries  of 
the  poor,  the  law  of  kindness  was  written  upon  his  heart,  and  his  hand  was 
always  ready  to  administer  relief.  The  gains  of  his  vicarage,  of  his  fellow- 
ship, and  of  his  patrimonial  income,  (for  his  father  died  very  rich,)  were 
appropriated  to  support  his  liberality.  Houses  were  rented,  lay  preachers 
maintained,  and  his  own  traveling  expenses  disbursed  by  himself  Cottagers 
were  always  gainers  by  his  company.  He  invariably  left  a  half  croAvn  for 
the  homely  provisions  of  the  day,  and  during  his  itineracy,  it  actually  cost 
\\\vci  five  hundred  pounds  in  this  single  article  of  expenditure. 

His  mental  powers  were  far  from  contemptible :  he  posses.sed  a  strength 
of  understanding— a  quickness  of  perception — a  depth  of  penetration — a  bril- 
liancy of  fancy — and  a  fund  of  prompt  wit,  beyond  most  men.  A  vein  of 
innocent  humour  ran  through  all  his  public  and  private  discourses.  This 
softened,  what  some  might  call  the  austerity  of  religion,  and  rendered  his 
company  pleasant  to  people  of  less  serious  habits ;  but,  what  is  very  singular, 
it  never  overcame  his  gravity. 

In  learning  he  was  inferior  to  very  few  of  the  most  celebrated  sons  of 
science  and  literature  at  the  university.  His  masculine  ability,  his  uniform 
sobriety,  and  long  residence  at-coUege,  were  favorable  to  improvement ;  and 
so  insatiable  was  his  thirst  for  knowledge,  that  from  his  entrance  at  Clare 
Hall,  to  his  acceptance  of  the  vicarage  of  Everton,  he  regularly  studied  fif- 


178  MEMOIRS  OF    WHITEFIELD. 

"  A  new  inslrument  is  raised  up  out  of  Cambridge  university  : 
he  has  been  preaching  with  great  fame,  and  hke  an  angel  of 
the  church  indeed."  After  his  recovery,  which  was  very  gra- 
dual, he  was  so  extremely  weak  as  to  be  unable  to  labor  as 
formerly  ;  and  therefore  left  London,  and  visited  Bristol,  Exe- 
ter, and  Plymouth. 

He  now  found  himself  much  better,  though  not  able  to  bear 
the  fatigue  of  long  journeys  and  frequent  preaching,  as  lie  used 
to  do.  Of  this  he  complains  in  October,  1761 :  "  I  have  not 
preached  a  single  sermon  for  some  weeks.  Last  Sunday  I 
spoke  a  little,  but  I  feel  its  effects  ever  since.  A  sea  voyage 
seems  more  necessary  to  me  now  than  ever.  I  now  know 
what  nervous  disorders  are.  Blessed  be  God,  that  they  were 
contracted  in  his  service  !  I  do  not  repent,  though  I  am  fre- 
quently tempted  to  wish  that  the  report  of  my  death  had  been 
true,  since  my  disorder  keeps  me  from  my  old  delightful  work 
of  preaching." 

In  a  journey  this  month  to  Leeds  and  Newcastle,  although 
he  was  enabled  to  bear  riding  in  a  post  chaise,  he  could  preach 
but  seldom ;  and  his  friends  prudently  refrained  from  pressing 
him.  "  I  hope^  however,"  says  he,  "  I  am  traveling  in  order  to 
preach."  Accordingly  he  journeyed  slowly  to  Edinburgh  and 
Glasgow ;  and  was  in  London  till  the  month  of  December ; 
when  he  was  much  recovered,  which  he  attributed  instrumen- 
tally  to  his  following  the  advice  and  prescriptions  of  several 
eminent  physicians  in  Edinburgh  ;  being  convinced,  as  he  said, 
"  that  their  directions  had  been  more  blessed,  than  all  the  medi- 
cines and  advice  he  had  elsewhere." 

His  health  being  in  a  great  measure  restored,  he  could  not 
refrain  from  his  beloved  work.  And  writes  from  Bristol,  April, 
1762 :  "  Bristol  air  agrees  with  me.  I  have  been  enabled  to 
preach  five  times  this  last  week,  without  being  hurt.  Who 
knows  but  I  may  yet  be  restored  so  far  as  to  sound  the  gospel 
trumpet  for  my  God  !  The  quietness  I  enjoy  here,  with  daily 
riding  out,  seems  to  be  one  very  proper  means." 

Notwithstanding  his  weakness  and  shortness  of  breath,  he 
still  continued  preaching  four  or  five  times  a  week,  till  the 
middle  of  May ;  and  now  and  then  was  enabled  to  "  take  the 
field,"  as  he  called  it ;  in  which  exercise  he  much  delighted. 
"  Mouwts,"  says  he,  "  are  the  best  pulpits ;  and  the  heavens  the 

teen  hours  a  day.  He  was  as  familiar  with  the  learned  languages  as  with 
his  mother  tongue. 

None  who  intimately  knew  him,  will  consider  this  as  an  exaggerated  his- 
tory, but  will  rather  join  the  honest  man,  who  told  the  minister  at  the  close  of 
his  funeral  sermon  in  London,  "  Sir,  I  have  known  good  Mr.  Berridge  above 
forty  years ;  and  after  all  your  commendation,  I  must  say,  as  the  queen  of 
Sheba  did  on  another  occasion,  the  half  has  not  been  told." 


MEMOIRS  OF    WHITEFIELD.  179 

best  sounding  boards.  O  for  power  equal  to  my  will !  I  would 
fly  from  pole  to  pole,  publishing  the  everlasting  gospel  of  the 
Son  of  God !" 

After  his  return  to  town,  his  zealous  exertions,  increasing 
cares  and  labors,  aifected  his  spirits,  and  brought  him  low  again. 
He  therefore  resolved  on  a  voyage  to  Holland  ;  and  according- 
ly set  out  in  the  month  of  July.  The  sea  air  agreed  so  well 
with  him,  that  finding  himself  much  better,  heAvrites  from 
Norwich,  July  31 :  ''  The  expedition  to  Holland,  was.  I  trust, 
profitable  to  myself  and  others  ;  and,  if  ever  my  usefulness  is 
to  be  continued  at  London,  I  must  be  prepared  for  it  by  a  longer 
itineration  both  by  land  and  water.  At  present,  blessed  be 
God,  1  can  preach  once  a  day  ;  and  it  would  do  your  heart 
good  to  see  what  an  influence  attends  the  word.  All  my  c^d 
times  are  revived  again." 

August  18,  he  arrived  at  Edinburgh  :  from  thence  went  to 
Glasgow :  preached  at  each  place  alternately  every  day,  and 
at  Cambuslang  twice,  till  September  13,  when  he  returned  to 
England  ;  and  rejoiced  at  the  news  of  an  expected  peace, 
hoping  soon  to  embark  for  America. 

During  his  stay  in  England,  he  was  not  able  to  preach  more 
than  once  a  day,  through  extreme  weakness  and  bodily  pain. 
At  Leeds,  Bristol,  and  Plymouth,  he  labored  with  greater  ease 
and  pleasure  ;  lout  of  London,  he  says,  "  as  aftairs  are  circum- 
stanced, every  thing  there  tends  to  Aveigh  me  down."  Having 
therefore  engaged  some  of  his  dearest  and  most  intimate  friends, 
to  take  upon  them  the  whole  care  and  management  of  the  affairs 
of  his  chapel  and  Tabernacle,  with  all  his  other  concerns  in 
England,  he  set  sail  in  the  month  of  March,  1763,  for  Greenock, 
in  Scotland.  In  this  tour,  he  preached  at  Everton,  Leeds, 
Aberford,  Kippax,  and  Newcastle  ;  and  also  was  employed  in 
writing  his  observations,  in  answer  to  Bishop  AYarburton. 

For  some  weeks  after  his  arrival  in  Scotland,  he  regularly 
preached  once  a  day  ;  but  was  obliged,  by  the  return  of  his 
former  complaint,  when  at  Edinburgh,  to  refrain,  for  the  rpost 
part,  for  almost  six  weeks. 

At  length  he  embarked  the  sixth  time  for  America,  on  the 
first  of  June,  in  the  ship  Fanny,  Captain  Archibald  Galbraith, 
bound  from  Greenock  to  Virginia  ;  and  arrived  there  in  the 
latter  end  of  August,  after  a  voyage  of  twelve  weeks.  "  Thanks 
to  a  never  failing  Redeemer,"  says  he  "I  have  not  been  laid  by 
an  hour,  through  sickness,  since  I  came  on  board.  A  kind 
captain,  and  a  most  orderly  and  quiet  ship's  company,  who 
gladly  attended  when  I  had  breath  to  preach.  Scarce  an  oath 
have  1  heard  upon  deck,  and  such  a  stillness  has  been  through 
the  whole  ship,  both  on  week  days  and  the  Lord's  day,  as  hath 


180  MEMOIRS  OP   WHITEFIELD. 

from  time  to  time  surprised  me."  He  dated  his  letters  in  Sep- 
tember, October,  and  November,  from  Philadelphia.  Though 
still  reduced  by  weakness,  yet  he  continued  to  preach  twice  a 
week.  "  Here,"  says  he,  "  are  some  young  bright  witnesses 
rising  up  in  the  church.  Perhaps  I  have  already  conversed 
with  forty  new  creature  ministers  of  various  denominations. 
Sixteen  popular  students,  I  am  credibly  informed,  were  con- 
verted in  New  Jersey  college  last  year.  What  an  open  door 
if  I  had  strength  !  Last  Tuesday  we  had  a  remarkable  season 
among  the  Lutherans ;  children  and  grown  people  were  much 
impressed." 

It  was  his  earnest  wish  to  go  immediately  to  Georgia,  but  he 
was  absolutely  dissuaded  by  his  physicians,  till  he  recovered 
his  strength.  In  the  latter  end  of  November,  he  left  Philadel- 
phia and  went  to  New  York,  preaching  several  times  by  the 
way ;  at  the  college  of  New  Jersey,  and  also  at  Edinburgh 
town,  with  much  approbation  and  success.  His  spirits  now 
revived,  so  that  he  was  enabled  to  preach  three  times  a  week. 
During  his  stay  in  New  York,  in  the  winter,  he  writes,  "  pre- 
judices in  this  place  have  most  strongly  subsided.  The 
better  sort  flock,  as  eagerly  as  the  common  people,  and  are 
fond  of  coming  for  private  gospel  conversation.  Congregations 
continue  very  large,  and,  I  trust,  saving  impressions  are  made 
upon  many."  This  appears  by  the  following  account  taken 
from  the  Boston  Gazette. 

"New  York,  .January  23,  1754.  The  Rev.  George  White- 
field  has  spent  seven  weeks  with  us,  preaching  twice  a  week, 
with  more  general  approbation  than  ever  ;  and  has  been  treat- 
ed with  great  respect,  by  many  of  the  gentlemen  and  merchants 
of  this  place.  During  his  stay,  he  preached  two  charity  ser- 
mons, the  one  on  the  occasion  of  the  annual  collection  for  the 
poor,  in  which  double  the  sum  was  collected  that  ever  was 
upon  the  like  occasion  ;  the  other  was  for  the  benefit  of  Mr. 
Wheelock's  Indian  school  at  Lebanon,  in  New  England,  for 
which  he  collected,  notwithstanding  the  present  prejudices  of 
many  people  against  the  Indians,  the  sum  of  one  hundred  and 
twenty  pounds.  In  his  last  sermon,  he  took  a  very  affectionate 
leave  of  the  people  of  this  city,  who  expressed  great  concern 
at  his  departure.  May  God  restore  this  great  and  good  man, 
in  whom  the  gentleman,  the  christian,  and  accomplished  ora- 
tor, shine  forth  with  such  peculiar  lustre,  to  a  perfect  state  of 
health,  and  continue  him  long  a  blessing  to  the  world,  and  the 
church  of  Christ !" 

Having  left  New  York,  he  preached  at  East  Hamptonbridge, 
Hampton,  and  South  Hold,  on  Long  Island,  at  Shelter  Island, 
and  at  New  London,  Norwich,  and  Providence,  on  the  main 


MEMOIRS  OF    WHITEFIELD.  181 

land,  in  his  way  to  Boston,  where  he  arrived  in  the  latter  end 
of  February,  1764,  and  was  welcomed  by  many,  with  great 
affection.  But  as  the  small  pox  was  spreading  through  the 
town,  he  preached  for  some  time  in  the  parts  adjacent.  At 
Newbury,  in  particular,  a  divine  power  attended  the  word 

preached.     From  Concord,  he  writes,  to  his  friend  Mr.  S , 

^^  How  would  you  have  been  delighted  to  have  seen  Mr.  Whee- 
lock's  Indians  !  Such  a  promising  nursery  of  future  mission- 
aries, I  believe,  was  never  seen  in  New  England  before.  Pray 
encourage  it  with  all  your  might.  1  also  wish  you  would  give 
some  useful  puritanical  books  to  Harvard  college  library,  lately 
burnt  down."  The  estimation  in  which  he  was  held  by  the 
gentlemen  of  Harvard  college,  will  be  seen  by  the  following  : 

"  At  a  meeting  of  the  president  and  fellows  of  Harvard  college, 
Autrust  22,  1768,  the  Rev.  G.  Whitefield,  having,  in  addition 
to  his  former  kindness  to  Harvard  college,  lately  presented  to 
the  library  a  new  edition  of  his  journals,  and  having  procured 
large  benefactions  from  several  benevolent  and  respectable 
gentlemen,  voted,  that  the  thanks  of  the  corporation  be  given 
to  the  Rev.  Mr.  Whitefield,  for  these  instances  of  candor  and 
generosity." 

PRESENT. 
The  President,  Dr.  Elliot, 

Mr.  Appleton,  Dr.  Cooper, 

Mr.  Professor  Winthrop,         Treasurer  Hubbard. 

(A  true  Copy,)  Per  E.  Holyoke,  President. 

In  the  month  of  April  his  disorder  returned  ;  but  not  so  vio- 
lently as  to  prevent  him  long  from  preaching,  and  the  Boston i- 
ans  flocked  with  great  eagerness  to  hear  him.  He  left  Boston. 
in  order  to  proceed  immediately  southward,  but  messenger^^ 
were  sent  after  him  to  persuade  him  to  return. 

June  1,  1764,  he  writes,  "Friends  have  even  constrained  mo 
to  stay  here,  for  fear  of  running  into  the  summer's  heat.  Hither- 
to I  find  the  benefit  of  it.  Whatever  it  is  owing  to,  through  mer- 
cy, I  am  much  better  in  health  than  I  was  this  time  twelve 
months,  and  can  preach  thrice  a  week  to  very  large  auditories, 
without  hurt ;  and  every  day  I  hear  of  some  brought  under 
concern.     This  is  all  of  grace  !" 

He  again  left  Boston,  to  the  great  grief  of  his  fi*iends,  after 
a  sorrowful  parting,  and  came  back  to  New  York  ;  and  from 
thence  his  letters  are  dated  from  June  till  the  end  of  August. 
"  At  present,"  says  he,  "  my  health  is  better  than  usual,  and  u.n 
yet  I  have  felt  no  inconvenience  from  the  summer's  heat.  1 
have  preached  twice  lately  in  the  fields,  and  we  sat  under  the 
blessed  Redeemer's  shadow  with  great  delight.     My  late  ex- 

16 


182  MEMOIRS   OF    AVHITEFIELD. 

cursions  upon  Long  Island,  I  trust,  have  been  blessed.  It 
would  surprise  you  to  see  above  one  hundred  carriages  at  every 
sermon,  in  the  new  world  !"' 

He  spent  the  months  of  September  and  October  at  Philadel- 
phia ;  where  the  provost  of  the  college  read  prayers  for  him. 
Both  the  present,  and  the  late  governor,  with  the  principal  gen- 
tlemen of  the  city,  attended.  He  received  the  thanks  of  the 
trustees,  for  speaking  for  the  charity  children,  and  recommend- 
ing the  institution. 

Leaving  Philadelphia,  he  continued  his  journey  southward 
through  Virginia :  and  November  22,  from  New  Brunswick, 
in  Carolina,  he  writes  thus  : — "At  Newbern,  last  Sunday,  good 
impressions  were  made.  From  that  place  to  this,  I  have  met 
with  what  they  call  New  Lights  in  almost  every  stage.  I  have 
the  names  of  several  of  their  preachers.  This  with  every  other 
])lace,  being  open  and  exceedingly  desirous  to  hear  the  gospel^ 
makes  me  almost  determined  to  come  back  early  in  the  spring." 
Having  preached  at  Charleston,  he  once  more  arrived  at  Sa- 
vannah, and  had  the  happiness  to  find  the  state  of  the  colony 
as  prosperous  as  he  could  wish.  "  The  colony,"  says  he,  "  is 
rising  fast ;  nothing  but  plenty  at  Bethesda  ;  and  all  arrears,  I 
trust,  will  be  paid  off  before  I  leave  it :  so  that  in  a  short  time, 
I  hope  to  be  freed  from  these  outward  encumbrances."  And 
he  was  not  disappointed  in  his  expectations.  He  writes,  "  Be- 
thesda, January  14,  1765.  God  hath  given  me  great  favcfr  in 
the  sight  of  the  governor,  council,  and  assembly.  A  memorial 
was  presented  for  an  additional  grant  of  land,  consisting  of  two 
thousand  acres.  It  was  immediately  complied  with.  Both 
houses  addressed  the  governor  in  behalf  of  the  intended  college. 
As  warm  an  answer  was  given.  Every  heart  seems  to  leap 
for  joy,  at  the  prospect  of  its  future  utility."  Again,  "  Bethes- 
da. February  13.   Yesterday  morning,  the  governor,  and  Lord 

J.  A.  G- n,  with  several  other  gentlemen,  favored  me  with 

their  company  to  breakfast.  But  how  was  my  lord  surprised 
and  delighted  !  After  expressing  himself  in  the  strongest  terms, 
he  took  me  aside,  and  informed  me,  that  the  governor  had  show- 
ed him  the  accounts,  by  which  he  found,  what  a  great  benefac- 
tor I  had  been  ;  that  the  intended  college  would  be  of  the  utmost 
utility  to  Georgia,  and  the  neighboring  provinces ;  that  the 
plan  was  beautiful,  rational,  and  practicable ;  and  that  he  was 
persuaded  his  majesty  would  highly  approve  of,  and  also  favor 
it  with,  some  peculiar  marks  of  his  royal  bounty."  He  adds  in 
the  same  letter,  "  Now  farewell,  my  beloved  Bethesda  ;  surely 
the  most  delightful  place  in  all  the  southern  parts  of  America. 
What  a  blessed  winter  have  I  had  !  Peace  and  love,  and  har- 
mony, and  plenty,  reign  here !  Mr.  Wright,  hath  done  much 


MEMOIRS   OF    WHITEFIELD. 


183 


in  a  littte  time,  all  are  surprised  at  it ;  but  he  hath  worked 
night  and  day,  and  not  stirred  a  mile  for  many  weel^.  Thanks 
be  to  God,  all  outward  things  are  settled  on  this  side  the  water. 
The  auditing  the  accounts,  and  laying  the  foundation  for  a  col- 
lege, hath  silenced  enemies,  and  comforted  friends.  The  fin- 
ishing of  this  affair  confirms  my  call  to  England,  at  this  time. 

Having  left  Bethesda  in  such  comfortable  circumstances,  he 
determined,  on  the  ISth  of  February,  to  delay  his  intended 
journey  to  the  northward,  judging  it  best  to  sail  immediately 
for  England;  to  settle  the  colleo;e  affairs.  However,  he  spent 
part  of  the  month  of  March  at  Charleston,  and  then  taking  an 
affectionate  farewell,  proceeded  towards  Philadelphia,  preach- 
ing at  many  places  by  the  way,  especially  at  Newcastle.  He 
says,  "  all  along  from  Charleston  to  this  place,  the  cry  is,  for 
Christ's  sake  stay  and  preach  to  us !  O  for  a  thousand  lives 
to  spend  for  Jesus  !" 

There  being  no  vessel  at  Philadelphia,  bound  for  England, 
he  sailed  for  New  York,  in  the  Earl  of  Halifax  packet,  and 
once  more  landed  in  England,  July  5,  1765.  He  writes,  "  we 
have  had  but  a  tv/enty-eight  days'  passage.  The  transition 
hath  been  so  sudden,  that  I  can  scarce  believe  I  am  in  Eng- 
land. I  hope,  ere  long,  to  have  a  more  sudden  transition  into 
a  better  country."  When  he  arrived,  he  was  very  ill  of  a  ner- 
vous fever  ;  which  left  him  extremely  Aveak  in  body,  and  pre- 
vented him  from  exerting  himself,  as  he  had  been  used  to  do. 
Yet,  far  from  being  discouraged,  he  continued  to  do  all  the 
good  he  could,  being  in  expectation  of  soon  entering  into  his 
eternal  rest.  "  O,  to  end  life  well  !"  says  he,  '•  methinks  I  have 
now  but  one  river  to  pass  over.  And  we  know  of  One  that 
can  carry  us  over,  without  being  ankle  deep." 

On  the  6th  of  October,  he  was  called  to  open  the  Countess 
of  Huntingdon's  chapel  at  Bath,  His  text  was  2  Cor.  vi.  16. 
He  says,  "  the  chapel  is  extremely  plain,  and  yet  equally  grand 
— a  beautiful  original — all  was  conducted  with  great  solemnity. 
Though  a  very  wet  day,  the  place  was  very  full.  I  preached 
in  the  morning ;  the  Rev.  Mr.  Townsend,  of  Pewsy,  in  the 
evening." 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

From  his  opening  Lady  Huntingdon's  chapel  at  Bath,  to  his  embark- 

ingfor  America^  1769. 

Whitefield  made  but  a  short  stay  at  Bath,  and  returned 
to  London.  January  18.  1766,  he  writes  to  a  friend  at  Sheer- 
ness,  "  I  am  sorry  to  acquaint  you  that  it  is  not  in  my  power  to 


184  MEMOIRS  OF    WHITEFIELD. 

comply  with  your  request,  for  want  of  more  assistance.  I  am 
confined  in  toAvn  with  the  care  of  two  important  posts,  when 
I  am  only  fit  to  be  put  into  some  garrison  among  invahds." 
Early  in  the  spring;  he  was  awhile  relieved  ;  for  he  was,  in 
the  month  of  March,  at  Bath  and  Bristol. 

He  writes  March  17,  "  the  uncertainty  of  my  motions  has 
made  me  slow  in  writing ;  and  a  desire  to  be  awhile  free  from 
London  cares,  has  made  me  indifferent  about  frequent  healing 
from  thence.  Last  Friday  evening,  and  twice  yesterday,  I 
preached  at  Bath,  to  very  thronged  and  brilliant  auditories.'^ 
A  cause  of  much  joy  to  him  about  this  time,  was  the  repeal  of 
the  stamp  act ;  for  he  had  the  colonial  interest  always  at  heart, 
and  he  ardently  wished  for  the  restoration  of  peace  and  tran- 
quility to  his  beloved  country.  We  find  in  his  letter  book,  the 
following  memorandum ;  "  March  16,  1767,  stamp  act  re- 
pealed ! — gloria  DeoP 

The  celebrated  Indian  ministers,  Mr.  Cecum*  and  Mr.  Whit- 
aker,  now  arrived  from  America,  in  order  to  raise  subscriptions 
for  Mr.  Wheelock's  Indian  scliool.  That  pious  institution 
Whitefield  much  approved  ;  and  concerning  it,  in  a  letter, 
dated  London,  April  25,  he  writes,  "  the  prospect  of  a  large 
and  effectual  door  being  opened  among  the  heathen,  blessed  be 
God,  is  very  promising.  Mr.  Occum  is  a  settled,  humble  chris- 
tian ;  the  good  and  great,  with  a  multitude  of  lower  degree, 
heard  him  preach  last  week  at  Tottenham  court  chapel,  and 
felt  much  of  the  power  and  presence  of  the  Lord.  Mr.  Ro- 
maine  has  preached,  and  collected  one  hundred  pounds,  and  I 
believe  seven  or  eight  hundred  more  are  subscribed.  The  truly 
noble  Lord  Dartmouth  espouses  the  cause  most  heartily,  and 
his  majesty  has  become  a  contributor.  The  King  of  kings, 
and  Lord  of  lords,  will  bless  them  for  it."  Mr.  Occum  and 
Whitaker  came  afterwards  to  Scotland,  and  procured  very 
larofe  contributions  in  the  cities  of  Edinburgh  and  Glasgow  : 
but  especially  from  the  family  of  Mr.  Sprewell,  of  Glasgow, 
and  from  the  Rev.  Mr.  M'Culloch,  at  Cambuslang.t 

June  19,  we  find  him  at  Collam,  near  Bristol,  from  whence 
he  writes : — "  As  my  feverish  heat  continues,  and  the  weather 

*  INIr.  Occum  was  one  of  the  Mohegan  tribe  of  Indians,  in  Connecticut. 
He  was  admitted  into  the  Rev.  Mr.  "Wheelock's  school,  at  Lebanon,  when  a 
youth,  where  he  learned  Latin  and  Greek,  with  a  view  to  the  exercise  of  his 
ministry  among  the  Indians.  He  married  an  Indian  Avoman,  by  whom  he 
had  seven  or  eight  children ;  and  kept  a  school  on  Long  Island,  where  his 
wife  and  family  tilled  the  ground. 

He  was  ordained  a  preacher  by  the  Suffolk  presbyter}' ;  and  was  sent  on  a 
mission  to  the  Oneida  Indians,  one  of  the  six  nations,  and  afterwards  to  sev- 
eral other  tribes. 

t  It  appears  from  accounts,  afterwards  published,  that  they  ccUected  the 
great  sum  of  9494/.  75.  7^. 


MEMOIRS  OF    WHITEFIELD.  185 

is  too  wet  to  travel,  I  have  complied  with  the  advice  of  friends, 
and  have  commenced  a  hot  well  water  drinker  twice  a  day. 
However,  twice  this  week,  at  six  in  the  morning,  I  have  been 
enabled  to  call  thirsty  souls  to  come  and  drink  of  the  vmter  of 
life  freely.  To-morrow  evening,  God  willing,  the  call  is  to  be 
repeated,  and  again  on  Sunday. " 

From  Collam  he  returned  to  London,*  from  which  place  he 

*  About  this  time  Whitefield  became  acquainted  with  that  faithful  servant 
of  Jesus,  the  Rev.  Torial  Joss,  Mj*.  Joss  was  a  native  of  Scotland.  He  was 
born  September  29,  1731,  at  a  small  village  on  the  sea  coast,  about  twenty- 
miles  north  of  Aberdeen.  Mr.  Joss  was  of  a  very  mild  disposition,  and 
rather  inclined  to  serious  subjects  ;  but  these  being  discouraged  at  home,  he 
hid  his  Bible  out  of  the  house,  and  embraced  every  opportunity  of  consulting 
it,  as  the  guide  of  his  youth.  As  soon  as  his  age  would  admit,  he  was  placed 
out  to  a  maritime  employment.  This  was  a  habit  of  life,  not  very  favorable 
to  reljgious  improvement ;  but  that  God  who  dltelh  upon  the  floods,  "  Can,"  as 
Whitefield  said  of  him  and  the  celebrated  Captain  Scott,  afterwards  the  Rev. 
Jonathan  Scott,  "  bring  a  shark  from  the  ocean,  and  a  lion  from  the  forest, 
and  /b/m  Ihcrti  for  himself  to  shovj  forth  his  praise.'" 

The  vessel  he  was  in  being  taken  by  the  enemy,  he  was  carried  to  a  foreign 
prison,  where  he  suffered  extremely.  On  his  return,  in  the  year  1746,  a  date 
rendered  memorable  in  the  British  annals  by  the  total  suppression  of  the 
Scotch  rebellion,  he  was  led  by  curiosity  to  view  the  royal  and  rebel  armies. 
Here  he  was  impressed,  and  sent  on  board  a  king's  ship,  stationed  n  that 
coast,  to  co-operate  with  the  land  forces. 

After  some  time  he  made  his  escape,  and  traveling  to  Sunderland,  bound 
himself  in  articles  of  apprenticeship  to  a  captain  of  a  coasting  vessel,  belong- 
ing to  Robin  Hood's  Bay,  near  Whitby,  in  Yorkshire.  It  does  not  appear  that 
his  morals  were  injured  by  the  vicissitudes  he  had  already  witnessed ;  nor  was 
it  till  after  this  period,  that  he  gave  evident  signs  of  conversion  to  God.  He 
was,  however,  eager  to  obtain  useful  learning  ;  and  during  the  winter  months, 
when  the  vessels  were  laidiy,  regularly  attended  at  school,  to  acquire  a  scien- 
tific knowledge  of  his  profession. 

By  a  series  of  the  most  singular  providences,  the  gospel  was  brought  to  Ro- 
bin Hood's  Bay.  Many  people  heard  it  with  attention ;  and  some  believed  to 
the  saving  of  their  souls.  Wesley,  on  hearing  this  circumstance,  went,  and 
soon  established  a  society  in  the  town.  Mr.  Joss  had,  previous  to  this,  begun 
to  pray  and  exhort ;  and  was  greatly  encouraged  by  Wesley,  to  proceed.  He 
now  joined  this  newly  formed  society,  and  though  not  an  Arminian  in  senti- 
ment, was  ever  admitted  to  the  pulpits  belonging  to  that  people. 

He  was  now  about  eighteen  years  of  age,  and  became  exceedingly  zealous. 
He  carried  the  savor  of  his  Master's  name  on  board ;  where  some  heard,  and 
others  mocked.  Waxing  strong  in  the  grace  that  is  in  Christ  Jesus,  he  sought 
every  occasion  to  teach  and  preach  in  the  several  harbors,  where  his  vessel 
lay.  His  first  public  sermon  was  delivered  at  Boston,  in  Lincolnshire,  where 
God  was  with  him  of  a  truth. 

When  Mr.  Joss  was  appointed  to  the  command  of  a  ship,  he  immediately  set 
up  regular  worship.  As  often  as  the  weather  would  permit,  he  preached  re- 
gularly to  his  crew  ;  and  before  he  left  the  sea,  he  had  a  number  of  the  sailors 
who  could  publicly  pray  and  exhort. 

Having  a  flattering  prospect  of  suceeding  in  life,  he  was  married  on  Christ- 
mas day,  1755,  to  Miss  Moorsom,  of  Whitby,  after  a  mutual  and  intimate  at- 
tachment of  ten  years.  By  Mrs.  Joss  he  had  eleven  children,  only  two  of 
whom,  together  with  his  mournful  widow,  survive  him. 

Mr.  Joss  now  looked  forward  to  that  period  when  he  should  realize  a  gen- 
teel fortune  for  his  growing  family.  But  fortunes,  dependent  upon  the  caprice 
of  wind  or  weather,  and  especially  when  they  stand  in  the  way  of  ministerial 
duty,  are  a  precarious  tenure.    While  lie  commanded  the  ships  of  other  pro- 

16* 


186  MEMOIRS  OF    WHITEFIELD. 

writes,  September  25  :  "Many  in  this  metropolis  seem  to  be  on 
the  wing  for  God :  the  shout  of  a  king  is  yet  heard  in  the  Metho- 

prietoiN,  he  never  experienced  the  least  disaster  ;  but  when  he  became  a  joint 
owner,  he  witnessed  nothing  else.  In  his  fourth  vo3-age  to  London,  the  ves- 
sel was  lost  at  the  Nore,  and  he  and  his  crev/  were  with  difficulty  saved.  He 
then  went  down  to  Berwick,  to  superintend  the  building  of  one  considerably 
larger.  During  his  residence  at  this  port,  he  preached  to  crowds  with  great 
acceptance  and  success.  When  the  ship  was  finished  and  laden,  the  poor  peo- 
ple began  to  regret  the  prospect  of  his  departure.  The  wind  was  fair,  and  the 
next  tide  he  intended  to  sail ;  but  the  next  morning  it  became  foul,  and  detain- 
ed him  five  weeks  longer  than  he  intended.  After  he  had  sailed,  a  gentleman 
of  Berwick,  unknown  to  Mr.  Joss,  wrote  to  an  acquaintance  of  Whitefield 
in  London,  saying  what  a  wonderful  preacher  they  had  been  favored  with  for 
nine  months.  He  mentioned  when  he  supposed  the  vessel  would  be  in  the 
Tliames.  Her  name  was  the  Hartley  Trader,  but  the  other  coasting  crews, 
called  her  the  Pulpit.  Whitefield,  who  had  seen  the  above  letter,  and 
had  heard  that  the  ship  had  come  to  her  moorings,  published,  without  the 
knowledge  of  Mr.  Joss,  that  a  captain  would  preach  on  Saturday  evening. 
Being  found  on  board  he  was  apprised  of  the  circiunstance,  and  refused  to 
comply  ;  but  the  messenger  resolved  not  to  go  on  shore  till  he  consented.  The 
services  of  this  and  the  ensuing  evening,  were  so  gratifying  to  Whitefield, 
that  he  immediately  requested  him  to  leave  the  sea,  and  labor  in  the  Taberna- 
cle connection.  To  these  solicitations  he  turned  a  deaf  ear ;  and  nothing 
short  of  a  speaking  Providence  would  ever  have  prev^ailed. 

This  was  his  first  voyage,  and  in  it  he  lost  his  main  anchor.  On  his  next 
return  to  London,  he  preached  frequently  at  the  Tabernacle,  which  was  greatly 
attended.  Whitefield  renewed  his  application — he  declined.  In  this  voy- 
age he  lost  one  of  his  crew,  a  promising  youth,  who  was  drowned.  On  his 
third  voyage  to  London,  his  congregations  were  prodigiously  crowded;  and 
Whitefield  pressed  on  him  the  duty  of  leaving  a  maritime  employment,  and 
being  devoted  wholly  to  the  ministry.  Mr.  Jc^s  had  on  board  a  younger 
brother,  a  pious  man,  who  was  very  dear  to  him  on  many  accounts,  and 
thought  if  ever  he  should  change  his  views,  it  would  be  a  good  situation  for 
him.  He  was  so  far  prevailed  on,  as  to  send  his  brother,  this  trip,  while  he 
supplied  the  Tabernacle  ;  but  lo !  in  going  down  the  river,  his  brother  fell  over 
the  side  of  the  ship,  and  was  drowned.  Whitefield  then  addressed  him  in 
a  very  solemn  manner,  saying,  "  Sir,  all  these  disasters  are  the  fruit  of  your 
disobedience  ;  and,  let  me  tell  you,  if  you  refuse  to  hearken  to  the  call  of  God, 
both  you  and  your  ship  will  soon  go  to  the  bottom!"  Overcome  by  the  voice 
of  Providence,  he  yielded  ;  and  on  his  fourth  voyage,  he  quitted  the  compass, 
the  chart,  and  the  ocean,  for  the  service  of  the  sanctuary.  This  was  late  in 
the  year  1766.  Immediately  he  entered  into  close  communion  with  White- 
field,  who,  to  the  day  of  his  death  continued  to  him  his  affection,  and  intrust- 
ed him  with  his  confidence. 

In  this  change  of  situation,  he  could  not  have  been  actuated  by  motives  of 
a  pecuniary  nature  ;  for  his  prospects  in  trade  were  by  far  more  flattering 
than  in  the  ministry.  His  sermons,  in  the  former  years  of  his  residence  in 
town,  were  not  only  attended  by  large  auditories,  but  with  energy  to  the  con- 
version of  many  souls ;  nor  did  God  leave  him  without  many  witnesses  to  the 
success  of  his  ministerial  labors.  He  generally  spent  four  or  ifive  months  in  the 
year  out  of  London,  for  the  purpose  of  itinerating.  In  this  period,  he  regular- 
ly visited  South  Wales,  Gloucestershire,  Bristol  Tabernacle,  and  occasion- 
ally other  parts  of  the  kingdom.  In  Pembrokeshire  the  Welsh  followed  him 
in  multitudes;  and,  on  the  Lord's  day,  would  travel  from  one  to  twenty  miles 
round  Haverford  West  to  hear  him. '  To  not  a  few  of  these  he  became  a  spir- 
itual father ;  and,  indeed,  wherever  he  exercised  his  talents,  though  but  a 
few  weeks,  he  left  some  seals  of  his  apostleship  behind. 

Mr.  Joss  died  of  a  fever,  after  a  few  days  illness,  on  the  17th  of  April,  1797, 
in  the  66th  year  of  his  age.  During  bis  illness,  he  enjoyed  a  solid  peace ;  and 
tlip  Lord  Jesus  indulged  him  with  a  peculiar  manifestation  of  his  gracious 


MEMOIRS   OF    WHITEFIELD.  187 

dist  camp.  Had  I  wings,  I  would  gladly  fly  from  pole  to  pole  ; 
but  they  are  clipped  by  thirty  year's  feeble  labors.  Twice  or 
thrice  a  week  I  am  permitted  to  ascend  my  gospel  throne. 
The  love  of  Christ,  I  am  persuaded,  will  constrain  you  to  pray 
that  the  last  glimmering  of  an  expiring  taper  may  be  blessed 
to  the  guiding  of  many  wandering  souls  to  the  Lamb  of  God." 

In  the  month  of  November,  this  year,  he  visited  Bath  and 
Bristol.  At  the  latter  city  he  had  very  numerous  and  respecta- 
ble auditories  (notwithstanding  the  weather  was  extremely 
bad,)  and  administered  the  sacrament ;  and  at  Bath,  he  never 
remembered  so  large  an  assembly  of  nobility  and  persons  of  dis- 
tinction, attending  his  preaching  before. 

About  the  latter  end  of  November,  he  again  returned  to  I.j>n- 
don  ;  and  in  a  letter  dated  December  15,  says,  "  I  have  been 
itinerating  at  Bristol,  Bath,  Gloucestershire,  and  at  Oxford,  and 
humbly  hope  my  feeble  labors  were  not  altogether  in  vain  in 
the  Lord.'" 

Li  Januar)^,  1767,  he  wrote  a  recommendatory  preface  to  a 
new  edition  of  the  works  of  Bishop  Bunyan,  as  he  used  to  call 
him  ;  which  has  been  published  among  his  tracts  ;  and  March 
20,  he  was  called  to  open  Lady  Huntingdon's  new  chapel  at 
Brighthelmstone  in  Sussex,  when  he  preached  on  2  Peter  iii.  IS. 

After  an  excursion  to  Norwich,  in  April,  1767,  he  writes  thus; 
"  I  fear  my  spring  and  summer  fever  is  returning.  If  so,  my 
intended  plan  of  operations  will  be  much  contracted.  But  fu- 
ture things  belong  to  him  Avho  orders  all  things  well."  Yet 
(to  our  astonishment)  the  very  next  month,  we  find  he  preached 
at  Rodborough,  Gloucester,  Ha verford  West,  in  Wales;  from 
which  place  he  writes.  May  31:  "Tliousands  and  thousands 
attend  by  eight  in  the  morning.  Life  and  light  seem  to  fly  all 
around.  On  Tuesday,  God  willing,  I  am  to  preach  at  Wood- 
stock ;  on  Friday,  at  Pembroke ;  here  again  next  Sunday,  by 
eight ;  and  then  for  England."  And  after  his  return  to  Glou- 
cester, June  10,  "  blessed  be  God,"  says  he,  "  I  have  got  on  this 

presence.  Some  of  his  last  words  were,  "  Into  thy  hands  I  commit  my  soul  ! 
O  the  preciousness  of  faith!  I  hav^e  finished  my  coarse  !  My  pilgrimage  is  at 
an  end !  O,  thou  Friend  of  sinners,  take  thy  poor  old  friend  home !"  The 
last  \T  -.rd  he  was  heard  to  speak  was,  "  Archangels  !"  In  a  few  mmutes  after, 
he  lifted  up  both  his  hands,  and  smiled  and  died.  Mr.  Joss  was  between  thir- 
IV  and  forty  years  a  faithful  preacher  of  the  everlasting  gospel. 

Thus  liv'd,  and  died,  this  servant  of  the  Lord, 
A  painful,  faithful,  preacher  of  his  word  ; 
Ripen'd  in  age,  and  steadfast  in  the  faith, 
Joyful  he  sunk  into  the  arms  of  death ; 
His  soul  upmounted  to  the  realms  of  day ; 
Let  the  dark  tomb  awhile  re'^tain  his  clay, 
Which  with  immortal  blooming  joys  shall  rise, 
When  the  last  trumpet  shakes  the  Vaulted  skies. 


188  MEMOIRS    OF    WHITEFIELD. 

side  the  Welch  mountains.  Blessed  be  God,  I  have  been  on 
the  other  side.  AVhat  a  scene  last  Sunday!  What  a  cry  for 
more  of  the  bread  of  life!  but  I  Wcis  quite  worn  down." 

September  11,  he  arrived  at  Leeds,  after  preaching  at  North 
ampton  and  Sheffield  on  his  way.  And  September  20,  he 
writes  from  Newcastle,  in  high  spirits  :  "  I  have  now  a  blessed 
Methodist  field  street  preaching  plan  before  me.  This  after- 
noon in  the  Castle  Garth  ;  to-morrow  for  Sunderland,  and 
then  to  Yarmouth.  I  have  been  enabled  to  preach  in  the  street 
at  several  places,  and  hope  to  go  to  Gesborough,  Whitby,  Scar- 
borough, New  Malton,  York,  Leeds,  Liverpool,  Chester,  and 
Manchester."  Again  from  Thirck,  September  28  :  "  My  body 
feels  much  fatigued  in  traveling ;  comforts  in  the  soul  over- 
balance." And  from  Leeds.  October  3  :  "  Field  and  street 
preaching  hath  rather  bettered  than  hurt  my  bodily  health." 

The  negotiations  about  the  intended  coHege  at  Bethesda, 
were  this  winter  brought  to  an  issue.  A  memorial,  addressed 
to  his  majesty,  was  put  into  the  hands  of  the  clerk  of  the  privy 
council,  setting  forth  the  great  utility  of  a  college  in  that  place, 
to  the  inhabitants  of  the  southern  provinces  ;  and  praying  that 
a  charter  might  be  granted  upon  the  plan  of  the  college  at 
New  Jersey.  This  memorial  was  transmitted  by  the  clerk  of 
the  privy  council  to  the  lord  president,  and  by  his  lordship 
referred  to  the  archbishop  of  Canterbury,  to  whom  also  a 
draft  of  an  intended  charter  was  presented  by  the  Earl  of 
Dartmouth.  Upon  which  an  epistolary  correspondence  en- 
sued bet\veen  the  archbishop  and  Whitefield  ;  the  consequence 
of  which  was,  that  his  grace  gave  the  draft  of  the  college  to 
the  lord  president;  who  promised  he  would  consider  of  it ;  and 
gave  it  as  his  opinion,  that  '•  the  head  of  the  college  ought  to 
be  a  member  of  the  Church  of  England ;  that  this  was  a  quali- 
fication not  to  be  dispensed  with ;  and  also,  that  the  public 
prayers  should  not  be  extempore  ones,  but  the  liturgy  of  the 
church,  or  some  other  settled  and  established  form."  Whitefield 
replied,  that  these  restrictions  he  could  by  no  means  agree  to, 
because  the  greatest  part  of  the  collections  and  contributions 
for  the  Orphan-house,  came  from  Protestant  dissenters ;  and 
because  he  had  constantly  declared,  that  the  intended  college, 
should  be  founded  upon  a  broad  bottom,  and  no  other.  "  This," 
said  he.  "  I  judged  I  was  sufficiently  warranted  to  do,  from  the 
known,  long  established,  mild,  and  uncoercive  genius  of  the 
British  government ;  also  from  your  grace's  moderation  toward 
Pcotestant  dissenters  ;  from  the  unconquerable  attachment  of 
the  Americans  to  toleration  principles,  as  well  as  from  the 
avowed,  habitual  feelings  of  my  own  heart. 

"  This  being  the  case,  and  as  your  grace,  by  your  silence, 


MEMOIRS  OF    WHITEFIELD.  189 

seems  to  be  like  minded  with  the  lord  president ;  and  as  your 
grace's  and  his  lordship's  influence  will  undoubtedly  extend 
itself  to  others,  I  would  beg  leave,  after  returning  all  due  ac- 
knowledgments, to  inform  your  grace  that  I  intend  troubling 
your  grace  and  his  lordship  no  more  about  this  so  long  depend- 
ing concern.  As  it  hath  pleased  the  great  head  of  the  church, 
in  some  degree  to  renew  my  bodily  strength,  I  propose  now  to 
renew  my  feeble  efforts,  and  turn  the  charity  into  a  more  gene- 
rous, and  consequently  into  a  more  useful  channel.  1  have 
no  ambition  to  be  looked  upon  as  the  founder  of  a  college  ;  but 
I  would  fain  act  the  part  of  an  honest  man,  a  disinterested 
minister  of  Jesus  Christ ;  and  a  true  catholic,  moderate  pres- 
byter of  the  Church  of  England." 

He  now  determined,  (upon  mature  deliberation,)  in  the  mean 
time,  on  the  addition  of  a  public  academy  to  the  Orphan-house, 
similar  to  what  was  done  at  Philadelphia,  before  its  college 
charter  was  granted  ;  and  to  embrace  the  first  favorable  op- 
portunity that  might  offer,  of  making  another  application  for 
a  charter  on  a  broad  bottom.  The  steps  he  took  in  this  affair, 
are  more  fully  narrated,  than  the  limits  of  our  present  plan 
would  admit,  in  a  letter  to  Governor  Wright.  In  a  letter  to  his 
intimate  friend  Mr.  Keen,  he  complains,  "  None  but  God  knows 
what  a  concern  is  upon  me  now,  in  respect  of  Bethesda.  As 
another  voyage,  perhaps,  may  be  the  issue  and  result  of  all  at 

last,  I  would  heir  you  and  my  dear  Mr.  H y  to  let  me  have 

all  my  papers  and  letters,  that  I  may  revise  and  dispose  of 
them  in  a  proper  manner.  This  can  do  no  hurt,  come  life  or 
come  death." 

October  28,  he  preached  at  the  Tabernacle,  to  the  society  for 
promoting  religious  knowledge  among  the  poor ;  and  collected, 
after  sermon,  upwards  of  one  hundred  pounds,  above  four 
times  as  much  as  usual ;  and  besides,  gained  eiglity  new  sub- 
scribers. His  text  was  Luke  xi.  2.  Thi/  kingdom  come.  The 
place  was  so  full,  that  many  went  away  who  could  not  get  in. 
Several  dissenting  ministers,  of  different  denominations,  were 
present,  perhaps  more  than  ever  before  attended  to  hear  a  cler- 
gyman of  the  established  church  preach.  He  afterwards  dined 
at  Draper's  hall,  with  the  ministers  and  whole  company,  who 
treated  him  with  great  respect.  The  time  was  spent  in  the 
utmost  liarmony ;  which  gave  him  much  pleasure  in  reflection. 

Early  in  the  year  1768,  six  pious  students  were  expelled 
from  St.  Edmund  hall,  in  Oxford,  for  praying,  reading,  sing- 
ing hymns,  and  exhorting  each  other  in  private  and  religious 
meetings  ! 

The  following  is  an  extract  of  a  letter  from  Oxford,  inserted 
in  the  St.  James'  Chronicle  for  Thursday,  March  17,  1768 : 


190  MEMOIRS  OP   WHITEFIELD. 

"  On  Friday  last,  March  9,  1768,  six  students  belonging  to 
Edmund  hall,  were  expelled  the  university  after  a  hearing  of 
several  hours  before  the  vice  chancellor  and  some  of  the  heads 
of  houses,  for  holding  Methodistical  tenets,  and  taking  upon 
them  to  pray,  read  and  expound  the  scriptures,  and  singhymns 
in  a  private  house.  The  principal  of  the  college,  the  Rev. 
Dr.  Dixon,  defended  their  doctrines  from  the  thirty-nine  arti- 
cles of  the  established  church,  and  spoke  in  the  highest  terms 
of  the  piety  and  exemplariness  of  their  lives ;  but  this  motion 
was  overruled,  and  sentence  pronounced  against  them.  Dr. 
Dixon  observed,  that  as  these  six  gentlemen  were  expelled  for 
having  too  much  religion,  it  w^ould  be  very  proper  to  inquire 
into  the  conduct  of  some  who  had  too  little  ;  and  the  vice 
chancellor  was  heard  to  tell  their  chief  accuser,  that  the  uni- 
versity was  much  obliged  to  him  for  his  good  work. 

The  following  are  ^he  names  of  the  young  men,  with  the 
names  of  those  who  passed  sentence  on  them.  The  sentence 
was  pronounced  in  the  chapel.  James  Matthews,  Thomas 
Jones,  Joseph  Shipman,  Benjamin  Kay,  Erasmus  Middleton, 
and  Thomas  Grove.  "For  the  crimes  above  mentioned,  we, 
David  Durell,  D.  D.,  vice  chancellor  of  the  university,  and 
.  visitor  of  the  hall ;  Thomas  Randolph,  D.  D.,  president  of  C. 
C.  C.  ;  Thomas  Fothergill,  D.  D.,  provost  of  queen's  college  ; 
Thomas  Nowell,  D.  D.,  principal  of  St.  Mary's  hall ;  and  the 
Rev.  Thomas  Atterbury,  A.  M.,  of  Christ's  church,  senior 
proctor,  deem  each  of  them  worthy  of  being  expelled  the  hall ; 
I  therefore,  by  my  visitorial  power,  do  hereby  pronounce  them 
expelled."* 

*  This  event  occasioned  a  long  and  unpleasant  controversy,  in  which  Dr. 
Nowell  and  Sir  Richard  Hill,  Bart,  were  principal  combatants.  The  apology 
offered  by  the  friends  of  the  expulsion  was,  that  the  young  men  had  broken 
the  statutes  of  the  university,  which  would  have  been  pleaded  with  a  better 
grace,  had  the  same  zeal  for  discipline  appeared  in  the  expulsion  of  a  few 
young  men  for  swearing,  gaming,  and  intoxication,  which  were  certainly  not 
less  irregularities,  than  extemporary  praying,  singing  hymns,  and  expounding 
the  scriptures.  The  issue  exposed  the  university  to  a  great  deal  of  ridicule, 
particularly  in  the  "  Shaver,  a  sermon,"  which  "was  written  by  the  late  Rev. 
John  McGowan ;  and  was  not  only  very  popular  at  the  time,  but  heis  gone 
through  twenty  editions.  Dr.  Home,  bishop  of  Norwich,  also  wrote  in  de- 
fence of  the  students. 

According  to  the  Rev.  Dr.  Nowell's  learned  answer  to  Sir  Richard  Hill,  it 
is  evidently  much  more  safe,  and  less  impious,  to  ridicule  the  miracles  of  Mo- 
ses and  of  Christ,  than  to  pray  in  private  houses  without  book.  The  eloquent 
orator  of  the  university  gives  a  full  account  of  the  case  of  Mr.  W — 11 — ng,  a 
friend  of  his  oratorship's,  who  was  charged  upon  oath  with  the  above  said 
contempt  of  the  scripture,  and  ridicule  of  the  miracles  of  Moses  and  Christ. 
The  proofs  were  so  point  blank  against  the  said  Rev.  Mr.  W — ^^11 — ng,  that  his 
reverence  could  not  deny  the  charge.  Well,  then,  what  was  the  issue  1  Was 
he  expelled  1  No,  he  was  not.  (Auery,  why  was  he  not  expelled  1  Answer, 
his  reverence  pleaded  his  being  drunk  when  he  uttered  those  contemptuous 
words  against  the  miracles  of  Moses  and  Christ,  i.  e.  The  candidate  for  holy 


MEMOIRS  OF    WHITEFIELD.  191 

Upon  this  occasion  Whitefield  wrote  his  letter  to  Dr.  Durell, 
vice  chancellor  of  the  university ;  in  which  he  observes,  "  that 
however  criminal  the  singing  hymns  in  a  university  might  be 
deemed,  the  same  practice  in  a  camp^  was  not  thought  repre- 
hensible by  a  noble  general.  The  late  Duke  of  Cumberland, 
who,  when  in  Germany,  happened  one  evening  to  hear  the 
sound  of  voices  from  a  cave  at  a  little  distance,  asked  the  senti- 
nel what  noise  it  was.  He  was  answered,  that  it  was  some  de- 
vout soldiers,  who  were  singing  hymns.  Instead  of  citing  them 
to  appear  before  their  officers,  ordering  them  to  the  halberts  to  be 
whipped,  or  commanding  them  to  be  drummed  out  of  the  regi- 
ment, he  pleasantly  said,  "  are  they  so  ?  Let  them  go  on,  then, 
and  be  as  merry  as  they  can."  In  this  he  acted  wisely  ;  for  he 
knew,  and  found  by  repeated  experience,  as  did  other  command- 
ins^  officers,  that  singing  and  praying,  in  these  private  societies, 
did  not  hinder,  but  rather  fitted  and  animated  these  pious  sol- 
diers to  fight  their  country's  battles  in  the  field  ;  and  it  may  be 
presumed,  that  if  these  students  had  not  been  expelled  for  sing- 
ing hymns,  (fee,  they  certainly  would  not  have  been  less,  but, 
in  all  probability,  much  better  prepared  for  handling  the  sword 
of  the  spirit,  the  word  of  God,  and  fighting  therewith,  either 
from  the  press  or  the  pulpit  the  battles  of  the  Lord  of  Hosts." 

In  the  summer,  he  went  the  last  time  to  Edinburgh  ;  and 
there  the  congregations  were  as  large,  attentive,  and  affectionate 
as  ever. 

Soon  after  his  return  to  London,  Mrs.  Whitefield  fell  ill  of 
an  inflammatory  fever,  and  died  on  the  9th  of  August.  On  the 
14th  he  preached  her  funeral  sermon  from  Romans  viii.  20, 
and  September  12,  he  writes,  '•  I  have  been  in  hopes  of  my  own 
departure.  Through  hard  writing,  and  frequent  preaching,  I 
hav^e  burst  a  vein.  The  flux  is  in  a  great  measure  stopped  :  but 
rest  and  quietness  are  strictly  enjoined.  We  were  favored 
with  glorious  gospel  gales  this  day  fortnight  and  several  pre- 
ceding days." 

In  his  memorandum  book,  he  wrote  as  follows :  "  August 
24,  1768,  opened  good  Lady  Huntingdon's  chapel  and  college, 
in  the  parish  of  Falgarth,  Brecknockshire,  South  Wales* — 

orders  was  drdnk  when  he  ridiculed  revealed  religion ;  and  yet  he  got  into 
orders  ;  and  yet  he  continues  a  member  of  the  university  ! 

In  the  same  affair,  related  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Durell,  it  is  plain  that  private 
religious  assemblies,  alias  conventicles,  are  in  much  less  esteem  at  Oxford, 
than  tap  houses  and  taverns  ;  for  the  six  Methodists  were  expelled  for  pray- 
ing in  a  conventicle,  but  the  Rev.  Mr.  W— 11— ng  could  get  drunk  in  a  tap 
house,  and  yet  continues  a  member  of  the  university.  Nor  can  this  be  denied, 
unless  the  public  orator  should  eat  his  words ;  or  otherwise  show  from  good 
and  authentic  records,  that  members  of  that  learned  body  do  occasionally  get 
drunk  within  their  own  peculiar  districts. 

*  Here  it  may  be  proper  to  observe,  thai  the  college  in  Wales  ceased  at  her 


192  MEMOIRS  OF    WHITEFIELD. 

preached  from  Exodus  xx.  24.  In  all  places  where  I  record 
my  name^  I  will  come  unto  ihee^  and  I  loill  bless  thee. 

"August  25.  Gave  an  exhoriation  to  the  students  in  the  col- 
lege chapel,  from  Luke  i.  15.  He  shall  he  great  in  the  sight 
of  the  Lord. 

"  Sunday,  August  28.  Preached  in  the  court  before  the  col- 
lege, the  congregation  consisting  of  some  thousands,  from  1  Cor. 
iii.  11.  Other  foundation  can  no  man  lay.,  than  that  is  laid, 
VjhicJi  is  Jesus  Christ. 

Thus  we  see  him  incessantly  doing  the  work  of  an  evangel- 
ist. Well  would  it  be  for  the  church  of  Christ,  if  there  were 
more  of  his  brethren  inclined  to  follow  his  steps,  even  as  he 
followed  Christ ! 

Concerning  his  dear  departed  friend  and  fellow  laborer,  Mr. 
Middleton,  he  writes,  September  26  :  '•  He  is  now  made  per- 
fectly whole.  He  was  carried  from  the  Tabernacle  last  Wednes- 
day evening,  and  a  subscription  opened  for  his  four  orphans. 
In  the  midst  of  his  torturing  pains,  being  asked  by  his  daugh- 
ter how  he  was,  answered,  '  a  heaven  upon  earth.'  Soon  af- 
terwards he  fell  asleep  in  Jesus." 

The  latter  end  of  this  year,  we  find  his  health  very  much 
impaired ;  yet,  though  in  much  weakness,  he  continued  to  preach 
as  often  as  he  was  able. 

Bristol,  November  12.  "  Last  night,  I  hope,  the  Redeemer 
manifested  forth  his  glory.  Friday  evening,  and  the  following 
Sunday,  I  shall  preach  at  Bath.  In  three  weeks  I  expect  to 
reach  London,  unless  called  before  that  period  to  reside  at  the 
New  Jerusalem  ;  the  pleasing  prospect  hes  day  and  night  be- 
fore me." 

Thus  this  £food  and  great  man,  found  increasing  pleasure  in 
laboring  in  his  Master's  vineyard,  while  pains  and  infirmities 
brought  his  body  low,  his  soul  was  exulting  in  the  expectation 
of  speedily  entering  into  everlasting  rest ! 

It  pleased  the  Lord,  in  the  ensuing  spring,  1769,  to  restore 
him  a  little  ;  so  that  he  was  enabled  to  preach  oftener  than  he 
had  done  for  some  time  past.  His  joy  was  now  much  increas- 
ed, by  the  addition  of  some  noble  members,  joined  to  Lady 
Huntingdon's  society.  '-  Some  more  coronets,  I  hear  are  likely 
to  be  laid  at  the  Redeemer's  feet.  They  glitter  gloriously  when 
set  in  and  surrounded  with  a  cro\vn  of  thorns." 


ladyship's  death,  the  lease  being  just  expired,  and  no  endowment  being  left, 
her  income  dying  with  her  ;  but  a  new  college,  on  a  plan  more  promising  for 
literature,  has  been  established  at  Cheshunt  in  Hertfordshire  near  London  ; 
and  under  the  superintending  care  of  trustees  appointed  for  that  purpose.  A 
number  of  students  have  been  already  educated  there,  and  many  are  gone 
forth,  now  preaching  the  gospel  with  much  acceptance,  from  this  seminary. 


MEMOIRS  OF  WHITEFIELD.  l03 

About  midsummer,  he  preaclied  at  Kingswood,  Bristol, 
Bradford,  Frome,  Chippenham,  Rodborougli,  Castlecomb,  and 
Dursie^,  But,  intending  to  open  Lady  Hantingdon's  chapal 
at  Tunbridge,  he  did  not  go  his  western  circuit  at  this  time. 

July  23,  1769,  he  opened  Lady  Huntingdon's  new  chapel  at 
Tunbridge  Wells,  and  preached  from  Genesis  xxviii.  17. 
This  is  none  other  hut  the  house  of  God,  and  this  is  the  gate 
of  Heaven.  The  congregation  being  too  large  to  be  accom- 
modated in  the  chapel  he  preached  out  of  doors,  from  a  mount 
in  the  court  before  the  chapel ;  after  which  he  gave  a  general 
exhortation  ;  and  next  day  administered  the  Lord's  supper,  and 
preached  from  Thess.  ii.  11,  12. 

He  now  began  seriously  to  prepare  for  another  voyage  across 
the  Atlantic,  to  visit  ouce  more  his  beloved  orphans  and  friends 
at  Georgia,  Accordingly,  at  the  beginning  of  September,  he 
embarlced  the  seventh  and  last  time,  in  the  Friendship,  Captain 
Ball,  for  America.  From  on  board  he  writes  :  "  I  am  comfort- 
ed on  every  side — a  civil  captain  and  passengers  ;  all  willing 
to  attend  on  divine  worship,  and  to  hear  of  religious  things.'' 


CHAPTER  XX. 

Prom  his  last  embarking  for  America^  to  his  death^  September  30, 

1770. 

The  vessel  was  detained  a  month  in  the  Downs,  by  contrary 
winds ;  one  ship  was  lost,  but  the  passengers  escaped  in  a  boat. 
"Whitefield.  as  usual,  ever  careful  to  redeem  the  time,  employed 
liimself  in  writing  many  excellent  consolatory  epistles  to  his 
numerous  friends  ;  he  often  preached  on  board,  and  sometimes 
also  on  shore,  both  at  Deal  and  llamsgate.  During  the  vio- 
lence of  the  storms,  they  sung  the  following  hymns,  written  by 
the  Rev.  Charles  Wesley. 

HYMN  I. 

Lord  of  the  wide  extended  main, 

Whose  power  the  winds  and  waves  controls ; 

Whose  hand  doth  earth  and  heaven  sustain, 
Whose  spirit  leads  believing  souls. 

For  thee  we  leave  our  native  shore, 

(We,  whom  thy  love  delights  to  keep,) 
In  other  worlds,  thy  Avorks  explore, 

And  see  thy  wonders  in  the  deep. 

'T  i«;  here  thy  unknoAvn  paths  we  trace, 
Which  dark  to  human  eyes  appear ; 
17 


194  MEMOIRS    OF   AVHITEFIELD. 

While  through  the  mighty  waves  we  pass, 
Faith  only  sees  that  God  is  here  ! 

Throughout  the  deep  thy  footsteps  shine, 
We  own  thy  way  is  in  the  sea: 

O'er  aw'd  by  majesty  divine, 
And  lost  in  thy  immensity  ! 

Thy  wisdom  here  we  learn  to  adore, 
Thy  everlasting  truth  we  prove  ; 

Amazing  heights  of  boundless  power, 
Unfathomable  depths  of  love  ! 

Infinite  God  !  thy  greatness  span'd 

These  heav'ns,  and  meted  out  the  skies  j 

Lo  !  in  the  hollow  of  thy  hand, 
The  raeasur'd  waters  sink  and  rise  ! 

Thee  to  perfection,  who  can  tell  1 
Earth  and  her  sons  beneath  thee  lie, 

Lighter  than  dust  within  thy  scale, 
And  less  than  nothing  in  thine  eye. 

Yet  in  thy  Son  divinely  great, 
We  claim  thy  providential  care  j 

Boldly  we  stand  before  thy  seat, 
Our  advocate  hath  plac  d  us  there. 

With  him  we're  going  up  on  high, 
Since  he  is  our's,  and  we  are  his  j 

With  him  we  reign  above  the  sky, 
Yet  walk  upon  our  subject  seas. 

We  boast  of  our  recover'd  powers, 
Lords,  are  we  of  the  lands  and  floods  j 

And  earth,  and  heaven,  and  all  is  our's, 
And  we  are  Christ's,  and  Christ  is  God'»* 


HYMN  II. 

Glory  to  Thee,  whose  powerful  word, 
Bids  the  tempestuous  winds  arise ; 

Glory  to  Thee,  the  sov'reign  Lord 
Of  air,  and  earth,  and  seas,  and  skies ! 

Let  air,  and  earth,  and  skies  obey. 
And  seas  thy  awful  will  perform  : 

From  them  we  learn  to  own  thy  sway. 
And  shout  to  meet  the  gathering  storm. 

What  tho'  the  floods  lift  up  their  voice, 
Thou  hearest,  Lord,  our  louder  cry ; 

They  cannot  damp  thy  children's  joys, 
Or  shake  the  soul,  when  God  is  nigh. 

Headlong  we  cleave  the  yawning  deep. 
And  back  to  highest  heaven  are  borne ; 

Unmov'd  tho'  rapid  whirlwinds  sweep, 
And  all  the  watery  world  upturn. 


MEMOIRS    OF  WHITEFIELD,  105 

Roar  on,  ye  waves !  our  souls  defy 

Your  roaring  to  disturb  our  rest. 
In  vain  to  impair  the  calm  ye  try, 

The  calm  in  a  believer's  breast. 

Rage,  while  our  faith  the  Savior  tries, 

Thou  sea,  the  servant  of  his  will : 
Rise,  while  our  God  permits  thee  rise ; 

But  fall,  when  he  shall  say,  "  be  still 


I" 


It  is  presumed,  the  following  extract  from  Whitefield's  MS. 
Journal,  relative  to  this  period,  will  be  read  with  interest. 

"  Saturday,  September  2.  Had  a  most  awful  parting  season 
at  Tottenham  court  chapel  sacrament,  last  Sunday  morning  ; 
the  sermon  from  Gen.  xxviii.  12.  'And  he  dreamed,  and  be- 
hold, a  ladder  set  upon  the  earth,  and  the  top  of  it  reached  to 
heaven  ;  and,  behold,  the  angels  of  God  ascended  and  descend- 
ed on  it.'  Preached  from  the  same  text  at  the  Tabernacle, 
which  was  more  than  full,  on  Wednesday  morning  at  seven 
o'clock.  This  day  dined  with  my  worthy,  fast,  and  tried  friend, 
Mr,  Keen  ;  and  having  comfortably  settled,  and  left  all  my 
outward  concerns  in  his  hands,  I  took  an  affectionate  leave,  and 
in  company  with  some  dear  friends,  this  eveninsf  reached 
Gravesend  ;  where  others  met  us.  We  supped  and  conversed 
together  in  some  degree,  I  trust,  like  persons  who  hoped,  ere 
long,  to  sit  down  together  at  the  marriage  feast  of  the  supper 
of  the  Lamb.     Hcisten,  O  Lord,  that  wished  for  time  1 

"  Sunday,  September  3.  Preached  this  morning  at  the 
Methodist's  Tabernacle,  from  John  xii.  32.  'And  I,  if  I  be 
lifted  up  from  the  earth,  will  draw  all  men  unto  me.'  The 
congregation  was  not  very  large  ;  but  God  gave  me  great 
freedom  of  speech,  and  made  it  indeed  a  house  of  God,  and 
gate  of  heaven.  In  the  afternoon,  I  preached  in  the  market- 
place, from  Gen.  iii.  13.  'And  the  Lord  God  said  unto  the 
woman,  what  is  this  that  thou  hast  done  ?  and  the  woman  said, 
the  serpent  beguiled  me,  and  I  did  eat' — to  a  much  larger,  but 
not  more  devout  auditory.  In  the  out-skirts,  as  might  natu- 
rally be  expected,  some  were  a  little  noisy  ;  but  a  great  body 
were  very  attentive,  and  I  was  enabled  to  lift  up  my  voice  like 
a  trumpet.  The  remainder  of  the  evening  was  spent  as  the 
night  before,  with  myliondon  christian  friends,  who,  with  me> 
less  than  the  least  of  all,  exceedingly  rejoiced  at  the  opportunity 
of  a  parting  street  market-place  preaching  ;  where,  I  trust,  some 
pennyless  bankrupt  sinners,  were  made  willing  to  buy  gospel 
wine  and  milk,  without  money,  and  V\'ithout  price.  May  the 
great  day  show,  that  this  hope  was  not  altogether  ill  grounded  !: 

"  Monday,  September  4.  Had  my  dear  christian  friends  on 
board  to  breakfast  with  me  this  morning.     Conversation  was 


196  MEMOIRS  OF    WHITEFIELD. 

sweet,  but  parting  bitter.  Wliat  mean  you,  said  the  apostle,  to 
weep  and  break  my  heart?  However,  through  infinite  mercy, 
1  was  helped  to  bear  up  ;  and  after  tlieir  departure,  the  divine 
presence  made  up  the  loss  of  all,  even  with  new  creature  com- 
forts. Lord,  if  thy  divine  presence  go  not  with,  and  accompany 
me  all  the  way,  for  thine  infinite  mercy's  sake,  suffer  me  not 
to  go  one  step  further  ! 


But  I  believe  thy  promise  Lord, 
Oh !  help  my  unbelief! 


"  Tuesday,  September  5.  The  captain  not  coming  down  as 
was  expected,  we  did  not  weigh  anchor  till  this  morning's  ebb. 

•'  Tlie  winds  being  contrary,  and  the  weather  hazy,  we  did 
not  arrive  in  the  Downs  till  the  Friday  following.  In  the  in- 
terim, I  had  the  opportunity  of  conversing  a  little  with  the  pilot, 
and  strange  passengers.  All  attended  divine  worship  very 
orderly,  and  thanked  me  for  my  offer  of  lending  them  bcokr, 
and  giving  them  what  assistance  lay  in  my  power,  towards 
making  their  voyage  comfortable.  AH  seemed  thankful,  and 
the  pilot  parted  with  tears  in  his  eyes.  May  the  great  and 
never  failing  pilot,  the  Almighty  Jesus,  r^new  us,  and  take  us 
all  into  his  holy  protection,  and  then  all  must  necessarily  end 
in  our  safe  arrival  in  the  haven  of  eternal  rest ! 

"  Tuesday,  September  12.  Preached  last  Sunday  morning 
to  my  little  flock  on  board,  and  was  most  agreeably  surprised 
to-day,  with  a  kind  unexpected  visit  from  the  Rev.  Dr.  Gibbons. 
His  discourse  Avas  very  friendly  and  devout. 

"  Wednesday,  September  13.  I  went  on  shore,  and  attended 
an  ordination  solemnity,  at  the  dissenting  mieeting.  Several  mi- 
nisters oiiiciated.  Several  very  important  questions  were  asked 
and  ansv/ered  before,  and  a  solemn  charge  given  after  imposi- 
tion of  hands.  Eut  the  prayer  put  up  in  the  very  act  of  laying 
on  of  hands,  by  Dr.  Gibbons,  was  so  affecting,  and  the  looks  and 
behavior  of  those  that  joined,  so  serious  and  solemn,  that  I  hard- 
ly know  when  I  was  more  struck  under  any  one's  ministration. 
The  ordination  being  over,  at  the  desire  of  the  ministers  and 
other  gentlemen,  I  went  and  dined  with  them ;  our  conversation 
was  edifying ;  and  being  informed,  that  m.any  were  desirous  to 
hear  me  preach,  I  willingly  complied  ;  and  I  trust  some  seed 
Vv^as  sown  the  same  evening  at  Deal ;  which,  by  God's  b.eavenly 
blessing,  will  spring  up  to  life  eternal.  The  people  of  Deal 
seemed  very  civil,  and  some  came  to  me  who  had  not  forgotten 
my  preaching  to  them,  and  their  decease'd  friends  and  parents, 
thirty-two  years  ago. 

'•  Friday,  September  1.5.  I  had  received  most  pressing  invi- 
tations to  visit  Ramsgate,  many  weeks  ago.     These  were  now 


MEMOIRS  OP    WHITEFIELD.  197 

repeated  by  many  of  that  place,  who  came  to  the  ordination 
at  Deal ;  so  there  was  no  resisting  their  importunity.  We  reach- 
ed Ramsgate  at  about  two,  took  some  refreshment,  and  there  I 
preached  about  four,  not  to  a  very  large,  but  an  attentive  and 
affected  auditory.  This  I  did  also  the  morning  following ;  and 
was  most  agreeably  entertained  with  the  discourse  and  good 
memory  of  one  in  particular,  who  had  been  my  fellow  passen- 
ger, and  frequent  hearer  many  years  ago,  in  the  Wilmington, 
Captain  Darling,  bound  to  Piscataway,  in  New  England.  The 
people's  behavior  here  was  so  undissembledly  generous,  frank, 
genteel,  and  christian,  that  I  know  not  where  1  have  been  more 
pleased  and  delighted.  Being  quite  uneasy,  lest  by  staying 
longer  I  should  be  unready,  if  the  wind  should  turn  favorable, 
I  went  early  on  Sunday  morning  to  Deal,  and  from  thence 
immediately  on  board,  and  preached  in  the  afternoon.  This 
morning,  I  received  a  surreptitious  copy  of  my  Tabernacle  fare- 
well sermon,  taken,  as  the  short  haijd  writer  professes,  verbatim 
as  I  spoke  it.  But  surely  he  is  mistaken.  The  whole  is  so  in- 
judiciously paragraphed,  and  so  wretchedly  unconnected,  that 
I  owe  no  thanks  to  the  misguided,  though  it  may  be  well  meant 
zeal  of  the  writer  and  publisher,  be  they  who  they  will.  But 
such  conduct  is  an  unavoidable  tax  upon  popularity.  And  all 
that  appear  for  Jesus  Christ  and  his  blessed  gospel,  must,  like 
their  master,  expect  to  suffer  from  the  false  fire  of  professing 
friends,  as  well  as  the  secret  malice  of  avowed  enemies.  How- 
ever, if  any  one  sentence  is  blessed  to  the  conviction  of  one 
sinner,  or  the  edification  of  any  individual  saint,  T  care  not 
what  becomes  of  my  character,  though  I  would  always  pray 
to  be  preserved  from  bringing  upon  myself,  or  others,  needless 
and  unnecessary  contempt. 

"Monday,  September  25.  Weighed  anchor  last  Tuesday 
morning,  with  a  small  favorable  gale  and  fine  weather.  So 
many  ships  which  had  lain  in  the  Downs,  moving  at  the  same 
time,  and  gently  gliding  by  us,  together  with  the  prospect  of 
the  adjacent  shore,  made  a  most  agreeable  scene.  But  it  prov- 
ed only  a  very  transient  one.  For  by  the  time  we  got  to  Fair- 
lee,  the  wind  backened,  clouds  gathered,  very  violent  gales 
succeeded,  and  for  several  days  we  were  so  tossed,  that  after 
comino^  over  against  Brighthelmstone,  the  captain  rightly  judg- 
ing, turned  back,  as  did  many  other  ships,  and  anchored  over 
against  New  Rumsey  and  Dungeness.  Lord,  in  thine  own 
time,  thou  wilt  give  the  winds  a  commission  to  carry  us  for- 
ward towards  our  desired  port !" 

Reader !  what  was  it,  think  you,  that  inspired  this  venerable 
evangelist  with  such  a  firm  confidence  in  the  goodness  and 
mercy  of  God,  towards  his  people  in  general,  and  himself  in 

17* 


198  MEMOIRS  OF    WHITEFIELD. 

particular  ?  Nothing  but  an  experimental  knowledge  of,  and 
a  steadfast  belief  in  the  most  important  doctrines  of  grace  1 
For  in  a  letter  to  a  minister,  written  many  years  ago,  he  thus 
expresses  himself: — "The  doctrines  I  have  preached,  come 
with  double  evidence  upon  my  mind  day  by  day.  I  am  more 
convinced  that  they  are  the  truths  of  God  :  they  agree  with 
the  written  word,  and  the  experience  of  all  the  saints  in  all 
ages.  Nothing  more  confirmiS  me  in  the  belief  of  them,  than 
the  opposition  that  is  made  against  them,  by  natural  men. 
Election,  free  grace,  free  justification,  without  any 
regard  to  works  foreseen,  are  such  paradoxes,  to  carnal  minds, 
that  they  cannot  away  with  them.  This  is  the  wisdom  of  God, 
which  is  foolishness  with  men  ;  and  which,  the  Lord  being  my 
helper,  I  intend  to  exalt  and  contend  for  more  and  more  ;  not 
with  carnal  weapons,  that  be  far  from  me  ;  but  with  the  sword 
of  the  spirit,  the  word  of  God.  No  sword  like  that."  And  he 
continued  to  preach,  and  earnestly  contend  for  those  God  ex- 
alting, creature  humbling  truths.  "  Truths  which,"  as  a  good 
man  once  said,*  "  lie  at  the  fountain  of  God's  glory  and  his  peo- 
ple's comfort,  not  only  to  this  period,  but  to  the  end  of  his  life  !" 

At  length  they  were  enabled  to  clear  the  channel ;  and  pro- 
ceeding on  their  voyage,  arrived  safe  on  November  30,  at 
Charleston,  in  South  Carolina.  The^^  had  a  most  perilous  and 
trying  passage ;  yet,  on  his  arrival,  Whitefield  found  himself 
in  a  much  better  state  of  health,  than  after  any  voyage  he  had 
made  for  many  years.  And  his  eagerness  to. promote  the  glory 
of  God,  and  the  good  of  precious  souls,  increased  with  his 
bodily  strength,  so  that  the  same  day  he  landed  on  the  Ameri- 
can shore,  he  preached  at  Charleston,  where  his  reception  was 
as  heart}^,  or  more  so  than  ever.  Here  he  was  met  by  Mr. 
Wright,  who  brought  him  the  welcome  news  that  all  things 
were  in  great  forwardness  at  Bethesda. 

In  his  memorandum  book,  is  written  the  following: — "No- 
vember, 1769.  For  the  last  Aveek  we  were  beating  about  our 
port,  within  sight  of  it,  and  continued  for  two  days  in  five  fath- 
om hole,  just  over  the  bar.  A  dangerous  situation,  as  the  wind 
blew  hard,  and  our  ship,  like  a  young  christian,  for  want  of 
more  ballast,  would  not  obey  the  helm.  Bat  through  infinite 
mercy,  on  November  30,  a  pilot  boat  came  and  took  us  safe 
ashore  to  Charleston,  after  being  on  board  almost  thirteen 
weeks.  Friends  received  me  most  cordially.  Praise  the  Lord, 
O  my  soul,  and  forget  not  all  his  mercies.  Oh !  to  begin  to 
be  a  christian  and  minister  of  Jesus  !" 

*  Mr.  William  Mason,  author  of  the  Spiritual  Treasury,  and  many  other 
valuable  pieces,  which  have  been  made  exceedingly  useful  to  many  of  God's 
children. 


MEMOIRS  OF   WHITEFIELD.  199 

When  he  reached  Bethesda,  he  writes  : — "  January  11, 1770. 
Every  thing  exceeds  my  most  sanguine  expectations.  I  am 
ahnost  tempted  to  say,  it  is  good  for  me  to  be  here ;  but  all 
must  give  way  to  gospel  ranging — divine  employ  ! 

"  For  this,  let  men  revile  my  name, 
I'll  shun  no  cross,  I'll  fear  no  shame; 
All  hail,  reproach  ! " 

In  another  letter,  Whitefield  says,  "  And  the  increase  of  this 
colony  is  almost  incredible.  Two  wings  are  added  to  the 
Orphan-house,  for  the  accommodation  of  students ;  of  which 
Governor  Wright  laid  the  foundation,  March  25,  1769." 

The  very  great  esteem  which  the  whole  colony  entertained 
for  Whitefield,  and  which  at  this  time,  in  particular,  they 
thought  it  their  duty  to  express,  appears  from  the  following 
papers : — 

"Commons  House  of  Assembly,  Monday,  January  29, 
1770.  Mr.  Speaker  reported,  that  he,  with  the  house,  having 
waited  on  the  Rev.  Mr.  Whitefield,  in  consequence  of  his  in- 
vitation, at  the  Orphan-house  academy,  heared  him  preach  a 
very  suitable  and  pious  sermon  on  the  occasion ;  and  with 
great  pleasure  observed  the  promising  appearance  of  improve- 
ment, towards  the  good  purposes  intended,  and  the  decency 
and  propriety  of  behavior  of  the  several  residents  there ;  and 
were  sensibly  affected,  when  they  saw  the  happy  success  which 
has  attended  Whitcfield's  indefatigable  zeal  for  promoting  the 
welfare  of  the  province  in  general,  and  the  Orphan-house  in 
particular.   Ordered,  that  this  report  be  printed  in  the  Gazette. 

"John  Simpson,  ClerkP 

Extract  from  the  Georgia  Gazette.  "  Savannah,  January- 
Si,  1770.  Last  Sunday,  his  excellency  the  governor,  council 
and  assembly,  having  been  invited  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Whitefield, 
attended  at  divine  service  in  the  chapel  of  the  Orphan-house 
academy,  where  prayers  Avere  read  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Ellington, 
and  a  very  suitable  sermon  was  preached  by  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Whitefield,  from  Zachariah  iv.  10,  '  For  who  has  despised  the 
day  of  small" things?'  to  the  great  satisfaction  of  the  auditory  ; 
in  which  he  took  occasion  to  mention  the  many  discourage- 
ments he  met  with,  well  known  to  many  there,  in  carrying  on 
the  institution  for  upwards  of  thirty  years  past,  and  the  present 
promising  prospect  of  its  future  and  more  extensive  usefulness. 
After  divine  service,  the  company  were  very  politely  enter- 
tained with  a"  handsome  and  plentiful  dinner ;  and  were  greatly 
pleased  to  see  the  useful  improvements  made  in  the  house,  the 


200  MEMOIRS  OF   WHITEFIELD. 

two  additional  wings  for  apartments  for  students,  one  hundred 
and  fifty  feet  each  in  length,  and  other  lesser  buildings,  in  so 
much  forwardness  ;  and  the  whole  executed  with  taste,  and  in 
so  masterly  a  manner ;  and  being  sensible  of  the  truly  gene- 
rous and  disinterested  benefactions  derived  to  the  province 
through  his  means,  they  expressed  their  gratitude  in  the  most 
respectful  terms." 

The  following  speech  was  delivered  by  an  orphan,  after 
Whitefield's  sermon  preached  before  the  governor,  and  others, 
January  28,  1770. 

"  When  I  consider  where  I  stand,  and  before  whom  I  am 
about  to  speak,  no  wonder  that,  previous  to  my  rising,  a  tremb- 
ling seized  my  limbs  ;  and  now,  when  risen,  a  throbbing  seizes 
my  heart ;  and,  as  a  consequence  of  both,  shame  and  confu- 
sion cover  my  face.  For  what  am  I,  a  poor  unlettered  orphan, 
unlearned,  almost  in  the  very  rudiments  of  my  mother  tongue, 
and  totally  unskilled  in  the  persuasive  arts  of  speaking,  that  I 
should  be  called  to  speak  before  such  a  venerable,  august  as- 
sembly, ajs  is  this  day  convened  under  Bethesda's  roof?  But, 
when  I  reflect,  that  I  stand  up  at  your  command,  reverend  sir, 
to  whom,  under  God,  I  owe  my  little  all ;  and  when  I  further 
reflect  on  the  well  known  candor  of  those  that  compose  this 
venerable,  august  assembly,  my  trembling  begins  to  abate,  my 
throbbing  ceases,  and  a  gleam  of  hope  breaks  in,  that  the 
tongue  of  the  stammerer  will,  in  some  degree,  be  able  to  speak 
plain.  But  where  shall  I  begin  ?  and  how  shall  I  express  the 
various  emotions  that,  within  the  space  of  half  an  hour,  alter- 
nately agitated  and  affected  my  soul  ?  If  the  eye,  as  I  have 
been  taught  to  think,  is  the  looking-glass  of  the  soul ;  and  if 
the  outward  gestures,  and  earnest  attention,  are  indications 
expressive  of  the  inward  emotions  and  dispositions  of  the  hu- 
man heart,  then  a  heartfelt  complacency  and  joy  hath  pos- 
sessed the  souls  of  many  in  this  assembly,  whilst  the  reverend 
founder  hath  been  giving  from  the  pulpit  such  a  clear,  succinct, 
and  yet  withal,  affecting  account  of  the  rise  and  progress  of  his 
Orphan-house  academy,  and  of  the  low  estate  of  this  now 
flourishing  colony,  when  the  first  brick  of  this  edifice  was  laid. 
All  hail  that  happy  day !  which  we  now  commemorate,  when 
about  thirty-two  years  ago,  in  faith  and  fervent  prayer,  the  first 
brick  of  this  edifice  was  laid.  Many  destitute  orphans  were 
soon  taken  in,  and  without  any  visible  fund,  in  the  dearest  part 
of  his  majesty's  dominions,  more  than  fifty  laborers  were  em- 
ployed and  honorably  paid ;  and  a  large  orphan  family,  for 
these  many  years,  has  been  supported,  clothed,  and  brought  up 
in  the  nurture  and  admonition  of  the  Lord.  O  could  these 
walls  speak  !  could  ev^ery  chamber,  every  corner  of  this  fabric 


MEMOIRS  OP    WHITEFIELD.  201 

speak!  what  agonizing  supplications,  what  inwrought  ener- 
getic prayers  would  they  tell  us  they  had  been  witness  to ;  and 
also  of  the  blessed  fruits,  of  which  we  are  now  partakers ! 
Behold  !  a  once  infant,  deserted,  and  despised  colony,  not  only 
lifting  up  its  drooping  head,  and  in  some  degree  overtopping, 
at  least,  for  trade,  and  increase  and  extent  of  commerce,  vicing 
with  some  of  its  neighboring  provinces.  Behold  !  the  once 
despised  institution  !  the  very  existence  of  which,  for  many 
years  denied,  through  the  indefatigable  industry,  unparalleled 
disinterestedness,  and  unwearied  perseverance  of  its  reverend 
founder,  expanding  and  stretching  its  wings,  not  only  to  receive 
a  larger  number  of  helpless  orphans  like  myself,  but  to  nurse 
and  cheri'-sh  many  of  the  rising  generation,  training  them  up 
to  be  ornaments  both  in  church  and  state.  For  ever  adored  be 
that  providence,  that  power  and  goodness,  which  have  brought 
matters  to  such  a  desirable  and  long  expected  issue  !  Thanks, 
thanks  be  rendered  to  your  excellency,  for  the  countenance 
you  have  always  given  to  this  beneficent  plan,  for  laying  the 
first  brick  of  yonder  wings  this  time  twelve  month,  and  for  the 
favor  of  your  company  on  this  our  anniversary.  Thanks  to 
you,  Mr.  President,*  who  have  long  been  a  felloAv  helper  in  this 
important  work,  and  have  now  the  pleasure  of  seeing  the  fruit 
of  all  your  labors.  Thanks  to  the  gentlemen  of  his  majesty's 
honorable  council,  and  to  the  members  of  the  general  assembly, 
who  so  warmly  recommended  the  utility  of  this  institution. 
Thanks  to  you,  sir,  who  first  opened  it  by  preaching.  Thanks 
to  you  who  left  your  native  country,  and  without  fee  or  reward, 
have  for  many  years  labored  and  watched  over  us  in  the  Lord. 
Thanks  to  all  who  have  this  day  honored  us  with  their  pre- 
sence. And,  above  all,  thanks,  more  than  an  orphan  tongue 
can  utter,  or  orphan  hearts  conceive,  be  under  God,  rendered 
unto  you,  most  honored  sir,  who  have  been  so  happily  instru 
mental,  in  the  hands  of  a  never  failing  God,  in  spreading  his 
everlasting  gospel." 

TO    MR.    ROBERT    KEEN. 

February  10,  1770,  Whitefield  writes  :  "  Through  infinite 
mercy,  this  leaves  me  enjoying  a  greater  share  of  bodily  health 
than  I  have  known  for  many  years.  I  am  now  enabled  to 
preach  almost  every  day,  and  my  poor  feeble  labors  seem  not 
to  be  in  vain  in  the  Lord.  Blessed  be  God,  all  things  are  in 
great  forwardness  ct  Bethesda.  I  have  conversed  with  the 
governor  in  the  most  explicit  manner,  more  than  once,  con- 
cerning an  act  of  assembly,  for  the  establishment  of  the  intend- 

♦  The  Hon.  Mr.  Habersham,  president  of  his  majesty's  council  and  Mr. 
White  field's  executor,  in  Georgia. 


202  MEMOIRS    OF   WHITEFIELD. 

ed  Orphan-house  college.*  He  most  readily  consents.  I  hare 
shown  him  a  draught,  which  he  much  approves  of,  and  all  will 
be  finished  at  my  return  from  the  northward :  in  the  mean  while, 
the  building  will  be  carried  on.  As  two  ministers  from  New  Jer- 
sey and  Rhode  Island,  have  been  soliciting  benefactions  for 
their  respective  colleges,  no  application  of  that  nature  can  be 
made  here ;  but  the  Lord  will  provide !  My  eyes  wait  upon  Him, 
from  whom  all  temporal  and  spiritual  salvations  come.  Since 
my  being  in  Charleston,  I  have  shown  the  draught  to  some 
persons  of  great  eminence  and  influence.  They  highly  approve 
of  it,  and  willingly  consent  to  be  some  of  the  wardens.  Nearly 
twenty  are  to  be  of  Georgia,  and  about  six  of  this  place ;  one 
of  Philadelphia,  one  of  New  York,  one  of  Boston,  three  of 
Edinburgh,  two  of  Glasgow,  and  six  of  London.  Those  of 
Georgia  and  South  Carolina,  are  to  be  qualified ;  the  others  to 
be  only  honorary  corresponding  wardens.  I  have  therefore 
taken  the  freedom  of  nominating  ****** ;  and  as  my  name  is  to 
be  annihilated,  they  may  accept  the  trust  without  expecting 
much  trouble,  or  suffering  contempt  for  being  connected  with 
me.  This,  I  think,  is  the  chief  of  the  plan :  more  particulars 
that  may  occur,  together  with  the  draught  of  the  charter,  you 
may  expect  hereafter." 

TO   THE    SAME. 

"  Charleston,  February  12, 1770. 
"No  letters  by  the  packet,  or  another  ship,  that  hath  brought 
in  above  five  hundred  from  London.  As  I  hear  Captain 
Rainer  is  bound  to  Savannah,  I  hope  at  my  return  to  Bethesda, 
to  find  a  letter  there.  Your  last,  dated  November  2,  was  imme- 
diately answered.     Mr.  B s  will  accept  my  most  grateful 

acknowledgments  for  his  kind  present  of  maps  and  charts.  In 
a  few  months,  I  hope,  all  will  be  completed.  But  what  may 
these  few  months  produce  ?  Lord  Jesus,  prepare  us  for  what- 
soever thou  hast  prepared  for  us,  and  give  peace  in  our  time, 
for  thine  infinite  mercy's  sake !  You  must  expect  another 
draught  soon.  God  be  praised  for  that  saying,  '  it  is  more 
blessed  to  give  than  to  receive.'  You  would  be  pleased  to  see 
with  what  attention  people  hear  the  word  preached.  I  have 
been  in  Charleston  near  a  fortnight — am  to  preach  at  a  neigh- 
boring coimtry  parish  church  next  Sunday,  and  hope  to  see 
Georgia  the  week  following.     Perhaps  I  may  sail  from  thence 

*  A  paper  of  College  Rules  was  found  written  with  his  own  hand,  and  in 
which  he  orders  the  following  authors  in  divinity  to  be  read  :  Henry,  Dod- 
dridge, Guyle,  Burkitt,  Willison,  Professor  Franck,  Boston,  Jenks,  Hervey, 
Hall,  Edwards,  Trapp,  Pool,  Warner,  Leighton,  Pearson,  Owen,  Bunyan, 
and  the  Homilies  to  be  read  publicly  by  rotation.  He  intended  to  publish  a 
new  edition  of  the  Homilies. 


I 


MEMOIRS  OF   WHITEFIELD.  203 

to  the  northward,  and  perhaps  embark  from  thence.  Lord 
Jesus,  direct  my  goings  in  thy  way  !  I  am  blessed  with  bodily 
health,  and  am  enabfed  to  go  on  my  way  rejoicing.  Grace  ! 
grace  !  Join  in  shouting  those  blessed  words.  I  wrote  by  one 
Captain  Watt,  who  was  to  sail  from  Georgia  this  week.  In  that 
you  will  find  something  concerning  my  late  visit  to,  and  pub- 
lic entertainment  at  Bethesda.  You  see  how  often  I  pester  you 
with  letters.  I  can  only  add,  that  you  may  tell  all,  I  am  hap- 
pier than  words  can  express  ;  which  I  take,  in  a  great  measure, 
to  be  owing  to  the  prayers  of  my  dear  English  friends,  which 
are  daily  put  up  for  me,  and  I  hope  daily  returned  by,  an  un- 
worthy worm." 

TO   ANOTHER    FRIEND. 

"  Charleston,  February  27,  1770. 
"  I  owe  you  an  answer  to  your  kind  letter.  Blessed  be  God, 
I  can  send  you  good  news  from  a  far  country  !  All  things  at 
Bethesda  go  on  quite  well.  My  bodily  health  is  on  the  ad- 
vance ;  and  the  word,  I  trust,  runs  and  is  glorified.  At  present 
my  intended  plan  about  returning,  continues  the  same  ;  but  all 
depends  on  news  from  home.  Strange  !  that  none  could  write 
a  line  or  two  by  so  many  ships.  Only  one  letter  have  I  re- 
ceived from  Mr.  Keen,  since  my  arrival.  Next  week,  God 
willing,  I  return  to  Georgia  ;  and  soon  after,  I  purpose  to  go  to 
the  northward.  I  know  who  will  follow  me  with  their  prayers 
— they  will  avail  much.  The  Lord  Jesus  be  with  all  your 
spirits !  I  suppose  you  heard  from  Bethesda,  by  Captain  An- 
derson. Mr.  Wright  is  the  main  spring,  with  regard  to  the 
buildings ;  and  all  the  other  wheels  move  orderly  and  well. 
Praise  the  Lord,  O  my  soul !  O  this  pilgrim  way  of  life  !  To 
me  it  is  hfe  indeed.  No  nestling,  no  nestling,  my  dear  Mr. 
Brown,  on  this  side  eternity.  This  is  not  our  rest.  Ere  long 
Ave  shall  sing : 

All  our  sorrows  left  below, 
.And  earth  exchang'd  for  heaven. 

"  Leaving  you  to  add  Hallelujah  ;  and  sending  most  hearty 
greetings  to  your  whole  self." 

"  Savannah,  March  11,  1770. 
"  Blessed  be  God,  the  good  wine  seemed  to  be  kept  to  the  last, 
at  Charleston.  Last  Thursday,  I  returned,  and  found  all  well 
at  Bethesda.  I  am  come  to  town  to  preach  this  morning,  though 
somewhat  fatigued,  with  being  on  the  water  three  nights. 
Upon  the  whole,  however,  I  am  better  in  health  than  I  have 
been  for  many  years.  Praise  the  Lord,  O  my  soul !  I  have 
been  sadly  disappointed  in  receiving  no  letters  by  the  Charles- 


204  MEMOIRS  OF   WHITEFIELD. 

ton  packet.  All  knew  that  I  was  to  be  in  those  parts,  only  till 
the  ensuing  lady-day :  then  I  purpose  to  set  off  for  the  north- 
ward,    I  drew  at  Charleston  for .     Perhaps  may  draw 

again  soon.  Expect  more  particulars  in  a  few  days.  This  is 
waited  for,  God  biess  you  all  !  Dearly  beloved  in  the  Lord, 
pray  for  us.  Time  is  scarce  allowed  me  to  subscribe;  myself, 
my  very  dear  friend,  "  Less  than  the  least  of  all, 

"G.  W." 

"Bethesda,  April  6,  1770. 
"  I  am  waiting  here  for  a  brig  that  is  to  carry  me  northward, 
and  for  a  letter  and  news  from  England.  Your  last  was  dated 
November  2,  Several  months  have  intervened.  I  now  almost 
despair  of  hearing  from  you  again,  till  my  arrival  at  Boston. 
But  I  hope  that  you,  and  all,  remember  us  oftener  than  you 
write.  You  are  daily  remembered  at  a  throne  of  grace.  How 
glad  would  many  be  to  see  our  Goshen,  our  Bethel,  our  Bethes- 
da !  Never  did  I  enjoy  such  domestic  peace,  comfort,  and  joy, 
during  my  whole  pilgrimage.  It  is  unspeakable,  it  is  full  of 
glory.  Peace,  peace  unutterable  attends  our  paths  :  and  a 
pleasing  prospect  of  increasing,  useful  prosperity  is  continually 
rising  to  our  view.  I  have  lately  taken  six  poor  children,  and 
God  willing,  purpose  to  add  greatly  to  their  number.    Dear  Mr. 

D n  and  his  wife  are  to  "sail  next  month,  in  the  Brittania, 

Captain  Dean,  bound  for  Portsmouth.  We  part  with  great 
respect.  Fain  would  I  retain  such  an  old,  tried,  disinterested 
friend,  in  the  service  of  the  sanctuary,  and  near  my  person. 
But  what  scheme  to  pursue,  I  know  not,  being  uncertain  as  to 
the  path  which  I  shall  be  called  to  take.  A  few  months  will 
determine,  perhaps  a  few  weeks.  In  the  mean  while,  I  can 
only  commend  you  all  to  the  blessed  Jesus,  and  the  word  of  his 
grace  ;  and  entreat  the  continuance  of  your  prayers.  Again, 
hallelujah  !  praise  the  Lord  !  The  books  and  letters,  both  by 
Ball  and  Sunbury,  are  come  safe.  You  have  done  quite  right. 
Our  Lord  must  choose  his  own  means  to  bring  about  his  own 
purpose.     Mr.  Smith,  the  clerk,  was  much  rejoiced  by  receiving 

a  letter.     Poor  Mr.  Jacob  W 1,  an  honest,  industrious 

creature,  was  as  much  dejected  by  receiving  none.     If  Mr. 

G s  had  added  a  line  or  two  to  his  present,  it  would  have 

been  doubly  acceptable.  Next  week,  God  willing,  we  sail  for 
Philadelphia.     I  shall  leave  letters  behind  me  to   come   by 

Mr.  D n.     All  is  well — all  more  than  well  here  ?     Never, 

never  did  I  enjoy  such  an  era  of  domestic  peace  and  happiness. 
I  have  taken  about  ten  orphans.  Prizes  !  Prizes  !  Hallelujah  ! 
Join,  my  very  dear  friends,  join  in  praising  Him  whose  name 
endureth  for  ever.    If  possible,  I  shall  write  a  line  to  the  Welch 


MEMOIRS  OF    WHITEFIELD.  205 

brethren.  They  have  sustained  a  loss  indeed,  in  the  death  of 
Mr.  Howell  Uavies.  God  sanctify  it !  surely  my  time  will  come 
by  and  by.  But  I  must  away  to  Savannah.  Real  good,  I  trust, 
is  done  there." 

"Bethesda,  April  20,  1770. 

"  To  my  very  great  joy,  a  few  days  ago,  I  received  your  very 
kind  letters,  with  all  the  papers.  We  enjoy  a  little  heaven  on 
earth  here.  With  regret  I  go  northward,  as  far  as  Philadelphia 
at  least,  next  Monday.  Though  I  am  persuaded,  as  the  house 
is  now  altered,  I  should  be  cooler  here,  during  the  summer's 
heat  than  at  any  other  place  I  know  of,  where  I  used  to  go.  I 
should  be  glad  to  treat  you  with  some  of  the  produce  of  our 
colony,  which  is  much  earlier  than  yours.  The  audits,  <fec., 
sent  with  this,  be  pleased  to  communicate  to  all  my  real  friends. 
You  have  certainly  determined  quite  right  in  a  late  affair. 
Every  thing  concurs  to  show  me,  that  Bethesda's  affairs  must  go 
on  as  yet  in  their  old  channel.  A  few  months  may  open  strange 
scenes.  O  for  a  spirit  of  love  and  moderation  on  all  sides,  and 
on  both  sides  the  water  !  I  wish  some  books  might  be  procured 
for  our  infant  library  ;  but  more  of  this  in  our  next.  Letters 
may  now  be  sent  by  way  of  Boston,  New  York,  and  Philadel- 
phia. I  should  be  glad  to  hear  often,  if  it  be  but  a  line.  In 
all  probability,  I  shall  not  return  hither  till  November.  Was 
ever  any  man  blessed  with  such  a  set  of  skillful,  peaceful, 
laborious  helpers  !  O  Bethesda,  my  Bethel^  my  Peniel  !  My 
happiness  is  inconceivable.  A  few  hundreds  besides  what  is 
already  devoted,  would  finish  all,  I  do  not  in  the  least  doubt. 
I  have  had  nine  or  ten  prizes  lately.  You  know  what  I  mean 
■ — nine  or  ten  orphans  have  lately  been  taken  in.  Hallelujali ! 
hallelujah  !  let  chapel.  Tabernacle,  heaven,  and  earth  rebound 
with  hallelujah  !  I  can  no  more.  My  heart  is  too  big  to  speak 
or  add  more." 

Bethesda,  April  21,  1770. 

"  This  comes  to  inform  you,  that  tlie  Father  of  mercies  has 
not  forgotten  to  be  gracious  to  the  chief  of  sinners,  and  less  than 
the  least  of  all  saints.  On  the  contrary,  he  daily  loads  us  with 
his  benefits.     Bethesda  is  a  place,  that  the  Lord  doth  and  wili 

bless.     Dear  Mr.  D n  and  his  wife  will  inform  you  of 

particulars.  Among  other  things,  they  will  tell  you  of  our  new 
chapel.  I  have  sent  for  sundries  for  its  use  and  completion.  O 
help  me  to  praise  Him,  whose  loving  kindness  is  better  than 
life  !  I  hope  your  daughter  grows  in  grace,  and  will  become 
like  unto  one  of  the  polished  comers  of  the  temple.  That  root 
and  branch  may  increase,  with  all  the  increase  of  God,  most 
cordially  prays,  <fec." 

From  these  and  the  following  extracts,  may  be  seen  thp 

18 


206  MEMOIRS   OF    WHITEFIELD. 

astonishing  goodness  of  God  to  this  distinguished  minister  of 
Christ.  What  blessings  attend  his  ministry  !  What  success 
crowned  all  his  undertakings  !  How  was  his  soul  supported 
under  every  difficulty,  amid  hosts  of  foes,  against  all  cpposition  ! 
Still  was  he  enabled  to  triumph,  and  come  off  more  than  con- 
queror through  Him  that  loved  him. 

"Bethesda,  April  21,  1770. 

^'  No  such  good  news  yet.  Less  than  the  least  of  all  is  not 
drowned  to  this  very  day.  Perhaps  he  ma^r  live  to  see  his 
London  friends  in  England,  or  at  Bethesda.  How  would  many 
rejoice  to  be  in  such  a  peaceable,  commodious,  and  comfortable 
habitation !  I  cannot  tell  you  half  Blessed  be  God,  1  was 
never  better  at  this  season  of  the  year  in  bodily  health — never 
more  comfortable  in  my  soul.  Grace !  grace !  hallelujah ! 
praise  the  Lord. 

"  Again — Well !  so  that  we  may  die  daily  to  ourselves  and 
the  world,  all  is  well,  and  shall  be  well.  This  I  am  persuaded 
is  your  happy  case ;  and,  in  some  degree,  I  trust,  it  is  mine." 

"Savannah,  April  24,  1770. 

"  Five  in  the  morning ;  I  am  just  going  into  the  boat,  in  or- 
der to  embark  for  Philadelphia.     I  hope  the  good  wine  was 

left  to  the  last  on  Sunday.  Mr.  D n  and  his  wife,  are  to  sail 

in  a  fortnight.  He  is  an  honest  creature,  and  an  excellent  ac- 
countant.    I  have  written  strongly  on  his  behalf     Pie  will 

bring  a  large  packet,  and  is  to  have pounds  of  you,  which 

I  have  given  him  as  a  present.  This  will  prove  a  blessed  year 
for  me  at  the  day  of  judgment.  Hallelujah  !  come  Lord, 
come  !  Mr.  Robert  Wright  has  herewith  sent  you  a  power  of 
attorney,  begging  you  would  settle  his  affairs  in  Essex.  He  is 
worthy,  for  whom  you  should  do  this.  A  quiet,  ingenious, 
good  creature  ;  and  his  wife  an  excellent  mistress  of  the  family. 
Such  a  set  of  helpers  I  never  met  with.  They  will  go  on  with 
the  buildings,  while  I  take  my  gospel  range  to  the  northward.. 
It  is  for  thee,  O  Jesus,  even  for  thee,  thou  never  failing  Be- 
thesda's  God !" 

"Philadelphia,  May  9,  1770. 

"  This  leaves  me  a  two  days'  inhabitant  of  Philadelphia.  I 
embarked  at  Savannah  in  the  Georgia  packet,  on  the  twenty- 
fourth  ultimo,  and  arrived  here  the  sixth  instant.  The  even- 
ing following,  I  was  enabled  to  preach  to  a  large  auditory, 
and  was  to  repeat  the  delightful  task  this  evening.  Pulpits, 
hearts,  and  affections,  seem  to  be  as  open  and  enlarged  towards 
me  as  ever.  Praise  the  Lord,  O  my  soul !  As  yet  I  have  my 
old  plan  in  view,  to  travel  in  these  northern  parts  all  summer, 


MEMOIRS  OF   WITITEFIELD.  207 

and  return  late  in  the  fall  to  Georgia.  Through  infinite  mercy, 
I  still  continue  in  good  health,  and  more  and  more  in  love 
every  day  with  a  pilgrim  life.  God  bless  you  and  all  my  dear 
friends  and  hearers  in  the  great  metropolis.  I  know  they 
pray  for  me.     They  are  never  forgotten  day  or  night." 

"Philadelphia,  May  24,  1770. 

"  I  have  now  been  here  near  three  weeks ;  and  in  about  a  week 
more,  I  purpose  to  set  off  for  New  York,  in  my  way  to  Boston. 
A  wide  and  effectual  door,  I  trust,  has  been  opened  in  this 
city.  People  of  all  ranks  flock  as  much  as  ever.  Impressions 
are  made  on  many,  and  I  trust  they  will  abide.  To  all  the 
episcopal  churches,  as  well  as  most  of  the  other  places  of  wor- 
ship, I  have  free  access.  Notwithstanding  I  preach  twice  on 
the  Lord's  day,  and  three  or  four  times  a  week  besides,  yet  I 
am  rather  better  than  I  have  been  for  many  years.  This  is 
the  Lord's  doing.  To  the  long  suffering,  never  failing  Lord, 
be  all  the  glory." 

"Philadelphia,  June  14,  1770. 

"  This  leaves  me  just  returned  from  a  one  hundred  and  fifty 
miles'  circuit,  in  which,  blessed  be  God,  I  have  been  enabled 
to  preach  every  day.  So  many  new  as  well  as  old  doors  are 
open,  and  so  many  invitations  sent  from  various  quarters,  that 
I  know  not  which  way  to  turn  myself  However,  at  present, 
I  am  bound  to  New  Yurk.  Help  me  to  praise  him  whose 
mercy  endureth  for  ever.  As  yet  I  am  enabled  to  ride  and 
travel  cheerfully ;  the  heat  not  being  greater  than  in  England. 
Expect  to  hear  further,  as  we  go  along.  The  ship  I  find  is 
going." 

"  New  York,  June  30. 

"I  have  been  here  just  a  week.  Have  been  enabled  to  preach 
four  times :  and  am  to  repeat  the  delightful  task  this  evening. 
Congregations,  are  larger  than  ever.  You  will  see,  by  the  in- 
closed packet,  what  numerous  invitations  from  every  quarter, 
I  am  daily  receiving.  Blessed  be  God,  I  have  been  strengthen- 
ed to  itinerate  and  preach  daily,  for  some  time.  Next  week  I 
purpose  to  go  to  Albany ;  from  thence,  perhaps,  to  the  Oneida 
Indians ;  there  is  to  be  a  very  large  Indian  congress ;  Mr. 
Kirkland  accompanies  me.  He  is  a  truly  christian  minister, 
and  missionary.  Every  thing  possible  should  be  done  to 
strengthen  his  hands  and  his  heart.  I  shall  write,  God  willing 
at  my  return.  Perhaps  I  may  not  see  Georgia  till  Christmas. 
As  yet,  I  keep  to  my  intended  plan,  in  respect  to  my  returning. 
Lord  Jesus  direct  my  goings  in  thy  way !  The  heat  begins 
now  to  be  a  little  intense ;  but,  through  mercy,  I  am  enabled 
to  bear  up  bravely.     What  a  God  do  we  serve !" 


208  MEMOIRS  OF    WHTTEFIELD. 

Infidel !  read  and  tremble  !  This  awful  God  who  thus  pre- 
serves the  men  who  fear  him,  though  earth  and  hell  unite 
ag-ainst  them  ;  this  God  shall  surely  come  in  flaming  fire,  to 
judge  and  punish  all  who  now  despise  his  power,  reject  his 
word,  and  persecute  his  saints  ! 

But,  O  ye  fearful  saints,  fresh  courage  take ;  for  this  same 
God  is  your's,  your  Father  and  your  Friend.  For  you  He 
nomes  in  smiling  majesty,  with  his  angelic  hosts,  to  raise  your 
ransomed  souls  from  earth  to  heaven  ! 

"New  York,  July  29,  1770. 

"  Since  my  last,  and  during  this  month,  I  have  been  above 
a  five  hundred  miles'  circuit ;  and  have  been  enabled  to  preach 
and  travel  through  the  heat  every  day.  The  congregations 
have  been  very  large,  attentive,  and  affected,  particularly  at 
Albany,  Schenectady,  Great  Barrington,  Norfolk,  Salisbury^ 
Sharon,  Smithfield,  Poughkeepsie,  Fishkill,  New  Rumbart, 
New  Windsor,  and  Peck's  Hill.  Last  night  I  returned  hither^ 
and  hope  to  set  out  for  Boston  in  two  or  three  days.  O  what 
a  new  scene  of  usefulness  is  opening  in  various  parts  of  this 
world !  All  fresh  work,  where  I  have  been.  The  divine  in- 
fluence has  been  as  at  first.  Invitations  crowd  upon  me  both 
from  ministers  and  people,  from  many,  many  quarters.  A  very 
peculiar  providence  led  me  lately  to  a  place  where  a  horse 
stealer  was  executed.  Thousands  attended.  The  poor  crimi- 
nal had  sent  me  several  letters,  hearing  I  was  in  the  country. 
The  sherifl"  allowed  him  to  come  and  hear  a  sermon  under  an 
adjacent  tree.  Solemn,  solemn  !  After  being  by  himself  about 
an  hour,  I  walked  half  a  mile  with  him  to  the  gallows.  His 
heart  had  been  softened  before  my  first  visit.  He  seemed  full 
of  solid,  divine  consolation.  An  instructive  walk  !  I  went  up 
with  him  into  the  cart.  He  gave  a  short  exhortation.  I  then 
stood  upon  the  coffin — added,  I  trust,  a  word  in  season — pray- 
ed, gave  the  blessing,  and  took  my  leave.  Effectual  good,  I 
hope,  was  done  to  the  hearers  and  spectators.  Grace  !  grace  ! 
But  I  must  not  enlarge." 

Boston,  September  17. 

He  sends  the  following  letter  to  Mr.  Wright,  at  Bethesda  : — 
"  Fain  would  I  come  by  Captain  Souder,  from  Philadelphia  ; 
but  people  are  so  importunate  for  my  stay  in  these  parts,  that  I 
fear  it  will  be  impracticable.  My  God  will  supply  all  my  wants 
according  to  the  riches  of  his  grace  in  Christ  Jesus.  Two  or 
three  evenings  ago,  I  was  taken  in  the  night  with  a  violent 
flux,  attended  with  retching  and  shivering :  so  that  I  was 
obliged  to  return  from  Newbury,  but  through  infinite  mercy,  I 
am  restored,  and  to-morrow  morning  hope  to  begin  again. 


MEMOIRS  OF    WHITEFIELD.  209 

Never  was  the  word  received  with  greater  eagerness  than  now. 
All  opposition  seems,  as  it  were,  for  a  while  to  cease.  I  find 
God's  time  is  the  best.  The  season  is  critical  as  to  outward 
circumstances  ;  but  when  forts  are  given  up,  the  Lord  Jesus 
can  appoint  salvation  for  walls  and  for  bulwarks  ;  he  has 
promised  to  be  a  wall  of  fire  round  about  his  people.  This 
comforts  me  concerning  Bethesda,  though  we  should  have  a 
Spanish  war.  You  will  be  pleased  to  hear,  I  never  was  carried 
through  the  summer's  heat  so  well." 

And  lastly,  to  his  dear  friend,  Mr.  Keen,  in  London.  "  Ports- 
mouth, New  Hampshire,  September  23,  1770.  By  this  time  I 
thought  to  be  moving  southward.  But  never  was  greater  im- 
portunity used  to  detain  me  longer  in  these  northern  parts. 
Poor  New  England  is  much  to  be  be  pitied ;  Boston  people 
most  of  all.  How  grossly  misrepresented  !  What  a  mercy  that 
our  christian  charter  cannot  be  dissolved !  Blessed  be  God  for 
an  unchangeable  Jesus  !  You  will  see,  by  the  many  invita- 
tions, what  a  door  is  opened  for  preaching  the  everlasting  gos- 
pel. I  was  so  ill  on  Friday,  that  I  could  not  preach,  though 
thousands  were  waiting  to  hear.  Well,  the  day  of  release  will 
shortly  come,  but  it  does  not  seem  yet ;  for  by  riding  sixty 
miles  I  am  better,  and  hope  to  preach  here  to-morrow.  I  trust 
my  blessed  Master  will  accept  these  poor  efforts  to  serve  him. 
^O  for  a  warm  heart !  O  to  stand  fast  in  the  faith,  to  acquit  our- 
selves like  men,  and  be  strong  !  May  this  be  the  happy  expe- 
rience of  you  and  your's  !  I  suppose  your  letters  are  gone  for 
me  in  the  Anderson  to  Georgia.  If  spared  so  long,  I  expect  to 
see  it  about  Christmas.  Still  pray  and  praise.  I  am  so  poorly, 
and  so  engaged  when  able  to  preach,  that  this  must  apologize 
for  not  writing  to  more  friends ;  it  is  quite  impracticable.  Hop- 
ing to  see  all  dear  friends  about  the  time  proposed,  and  ear- 
nestly desiring  a  continual  interest  in  all  your  prayers,  <fec."* 

Thus  end  the  epistles  of  this  truly  great  man  ;  of  whom 
the  pious  Mr.  Hervey  once  wrote  to  a  friend  thus :  "  I  have 
seen  lately  that  most  excellent  minister  of  the  ever  blessed 
Jesus,  Mr.  Whitefield.  I  dined,  supped,  and  spent  the  evening 
with  him  at  "Northampton,  in  company  with  Dr.  Doddridge, 
and  two  pious,  ingenious  clergymen  of  the  Church  of  Eng- 
land, both  of  them  known  to  the  learned  world  by  their  valu- 
able writings.  And  surely,  I  never  spent  a  more  delightful 
evening,  or  saw  one  that  seemed  to  make  nearer  approaches  to 
the  felicity  of  heaven.  A  gentleman  of  great  worth  and  rank 
in  the  town,  invited  us  to  his  house,  and  gave  us  an  elegant 
treat ;  how  mean  was  his  provision,  how  coarse  his  delicacies, 

♦  Whitefield  died  the  30th. 
18* 


210  MEMOIRS  OF   WHITEFIELD. 

compared  with  the  fruit  of  my  friend's  lips  ;  they  dropped  as 
the  honey-comb,  and  were  as  a  well  of  life.  Surely  people 
do  not  know  that  amiable  and  exemplary  man,  or  else.  I  can- 
not but  think,  instead  of  depreciating,  they  would  applaud 
and  love  him.  For  my  part,  I  never  beheld  so  fair  a  copy  of 
our  Lord — such  a  living  image  of  the  Savior — such  exalted 
delight  in  God — such  enlarged  benevolence  to  man — such  a 
steady  faith  in  divine  promises  — and  such  a  fervent  zeal  for 
the  divine  glory — and  all  this  without  the  least  moroseness  of 
humor,  or  extravagancies  of  behavior,  sweetened  with  the  most 
engaging  cheerfulness  of  temper,  and  regulated  by  all  the  so- 
briety of  reason,  and  wisdom  of  scripture ;  insomuch,  that  I 
cannot  forbear  applying  the  wise  man's  encomium  of  an  illus- 
trious woman,  to  this  eminent  minister  of  the  everlasting 
gospel ;  many  sons  have  done  virtuously,  but  thou  excellest 
them  all." 

From  the  17th  to  the  20th  of  September,  Whitefield  preached 
every  day  in  Boston  ;  on  the  20th  of  September,  at  Newton  ; 
and  proceeded  from  Boston,  September  the  21st,  on  an  excur- 
sion to  the  eastward,  although  at  that  time  indisposed.  At 
Portsmouth,  in  New  Hampshire,  he  preached  daily  from  the 
23d  to  the  29th  of  September ;  also  once  at  Kittery,  and  once 
at  York ;  and,  on  Saturday  morning,  September  29,  he  set  out 
for  Boston  ;  but  before  he  came  to  Newburyport,  where  he  had 
engaged  to  preach  next  morning,  he  was  importuned  to  preach 
by  the  way,  at  Exeter.  At  the  last  he  preached  in  the  open 
air,  to  accommodate  the  multitudes  that  came  to  hear  him,  no 
house  being  able  to  contain  them.  He  continued  his  discourse 
nearly  two  hours,  by  which  he  was  greatly  fatigued  ;  notwith- 
standing which,  in  the  afternoon,  he  set  off  for  Newburyport, 
where  he  arrived  that  evening ;  and  soon  after  retired  to  rest, 
being  Saturday  night,  fully  intent  on  preaching  the  next  day. 
His  rest  was  much  broken,  and  he  awoke  many  times  in  the 
night,  and  complained  very  much  of  an  oppression  at  his  lungs, 
breathing  with  much  difficulty.  And  at  length,  about  six 
o'clock  on  the  Lord's  day  morning,  he  departed  this  life,  in  a 
fit  of  the  asthma. 

Thus  died  this  faithful  laborer  in  the  gospel  vineyard,  who 
finished  his  course  with  joy,  and  is  now  singing  the  praises  of 
that  Jesus  whom  he  so  many  years  delighted  to  preach.  Read- 
er !  may  you  and  I  be  prepared  to  follow  him  ! 

Mr.  Richard  Smith,  who  attended  Whitefield  from  England 
to  America  the  last  time,  and  was  his  constant  companion  in 
all  his  journey ings  while  there,  till  the  time  of  his  decease,  has 
given  the  following  particular  account  of  his  death  and  in- 
terment : 


MEMOIRS    OF    WHITEFIELD.  211 

"On  Saturday,  September  29,  1770,  Mr.  Whitefield  rode 
from  Portsmouth  to  Exeter,  (fifteen  miles,)  in  the  morning,  and 
preached  there  to  a  very  great  multitude,  in  the  fields.  It  is 
remarkable,  that  before  he  went  out  to  preach  that  day,  (which 
proved  to  be  his  last  sermon,)  Mr.  Clarkson,  senior,  observing 
him  more  uneasy  than  usual,  said. to  him,  'Sir,  you  are  more 
fit  to  go  to  bed  than  to  preach.'  To  which  Mr.  Whitefield 
answered,  '  true  sir  ;'  but  turning  aside,  he  clasped  his  hands 
together,  and  looking  up,  said,  '  Lord  Jesus,  I  am  weary  in  thy 
work,  but  not  of  thy  work.  If  I  have  not  yet  finished  my 
course,  let  me  go  and  speak  for  thee  once  more  in  the  fields, 
seal  thy  truth,  and  come  home  and  die.'  His  last  sermon  was 
from  2  Cor.  xiii.  5.  '  Examine  yourselves,  whether  ye  be  in 
the  faith ;  prove  your  own  selves :  know  ye  not  your  own 
selves,  how  that  Jesus  Clirist  is  in  you,  except  ye  be  reprobates  V 
He  dined  at  Captain  Oilman's.  After  dinner,  Whitefield  and 
Mr.  Parsons  rode  to  Newburyport.  I  did  not  get  there  till  two 
or  three  hours  after  them.  I  found  them  at  supper.  1  asked 
Whitefield,  how  he  felt  himself  after  his  journey.  He  said,  'he 
was  tired,  therefore  he  supped  early,  and  would  go  to  bed.' 
He  eat  a  very  little  supper,  talked  but  little,  asked  Mr.  Parsons 
to  discharge  the  table,  perform  family  duty ;  and  then  retired 
up  stairs.  He  said,  '  that  he  would  sit  and  read  till  I  came  to 
him,'  which  I  did  as  soon  as  possible  ;  and  found  him  reading 
in  the  Bible,  with  Dr.  Watts'  Psalms  lying  open  before  him. 
He  asked  me  for  some  water  gruel,  and  took  about  half  his 
usual  quantity ;  and  kneeling  down  by  the  bedside,  closed  the 
evening  with  prayer.  After  a  little  conversation,  he  went  to  rest, 
and  slept  till  two  in  the  morning,  when  he  awoke  me,  and 
asked  for  a  little  cider,  of  which  he  drank  about  a  wine  glass 
full.  I  asked  him  how  he  felt,  for  he  seemed  to  pant  for  breath. 
He  told  me,  'his  asthma  was  coming  on  him  ao-ain  ;  he  must 
have  two  or  three  days'  rest.  Two  or  three  days'  riding,  with- 
out preaching,  would  set  him  up  again.'  Soon  afterwards,  he 
asked  me  to  put  the  window  up  a  little  higher,  (though  it  was 
half  up  all  night,)  '  for,'  said  he,  '  I  cannot  breathe  ;  but  1  hope 
I  shall  be  better  by  and  by ;  a  good  pulpit  sweat  to-day,  may 
give  me  relief:  I  shall  be  better  after  preaching.'  I  said  to  him, 
I  wished  he  would  not  preach  so  often.  He' replied,  'I  had 
rather  wear  out  than  rust  out.'  I  then  told  him,  I  was  afraid 
he  took  cold  in  preaching  yesterday.  He  said, '  he  believed  he 
had ;'  and  then  sat  up  in  the  bed,  and  prayed  that  God  would 
be  pleased  to  bless  his  preaching  where  he  had  been,  and  also 
bless  his  preaching  that  day,  that  more  souls  might  be  brought 
to  Christ ;  and  prayed  for  direction,  whether  he  should  winter 
at  Boston,  or  hasten  to  the  southward— prayed  for  a  blessing  on 


212  MEMOIRS  OF    WHITEFIELD. 

his  Bethesda  college,  and  his  dear  family  there  ;  for  the  Ta- 
bernacle and  chapel  congregations,  and  all  connections  on  the 
other  side  of  tho  water  ;  and  then  laid  himself  down  to  sleep 
again.  This  was  nigh  three  o'clook.  At  a  quarter  past  four 
he  waked,  and  said,  '  my  asthma,  my  asthma  is  coming  on  ;  I 
wish  I  had  not  given  out  word  to  preach  at  Haverhill,  on  Mon- 
day ;  I  don't  thmk  I  shall  be  able  ;  but  I  shall  see  what  to-day 
will  bring  forth.  If  I  am  no  better  to-morrow,  I  will  take  two 
or  three  days'  ride  !'  He  then  desired  me  to  warm  him  a  little 
gruel ;  and,  in  breaking  the  fire  wood,  I  waked  Mr.  Parsons, 
who,  thinking  I  knocked  for  him,  rose  and  came  in.  He  went 
to  Whitefield's  bed-side,  and  asked  him  how  he  felt  himself. 
He  answered,  '  I  am  almost  suffocated.  I  can  scarce  breathe, 
my  asthma  quite  chokes  me.'  I  was  then  not  a  little  surprised, 
to  hear  how  quick,  and  with  what  difficulty  he  drew  his  breath. 
He  got  out  of  bed,  and  went  to  the  open  window  for  air.  This 
was  exactly  at  five  o'clock.  I  went  to  him,  and  for  about  the 
space  of  five  minutes  saw  no  danger,  only  that  he  had  a  great 
difficulty  in  breathing,  as  I  had  often  seen  before.  Soon  after- 
wards he  turned  himself  to  me,  and  said,  '  /  am  dymg^  I 
said,  '  I  hope  not,  sir.'  He  ran  to  the  other  window,  panting 
for  breath,  but  could  get  no  relief  It  was  a  screed  that  I  should 
go  for  Dr.  Sawyer ;  and  on  my  coming  back,  I  saw  death  on 
his  face;  and  he  again  said,  ^ I  am  dying. ^  His  eyes  were 
fixed,  his  under  lip  drawing  inward  every  time  he  drew  breath  ; 
he  went  towards  the  window,  and  we  offered  him  some  warm 
wine,  with  lavender  drops,  which  he  refused.  I  persuaded 
him  to  sit  down  in  the  chair,  and  have  his  cloak  on  ;  he  con- 
sented by  a  sign,  but  could  not  speak.  I  then  offered  him  the 
glass  of  warm  wine  ;  he  took  half  of  it,  but  it  seemed  as  if  it 
would  hav^e  stopped  his  breath  entirely.  In  a  little  time  he 
brought  up  a  considerable  quantity  of  phlegm  and  wind.  I  then 
began  to  have  some  small  hopes.  Mr.  Parsons  said,  he  thought 
Whitefield  breathed  more  freely  than  he  did,  and  would  recover. 
I  said,  'no  sir,  he  is  certainly  dying.'  I  was  continually  em- 
ployed in  taking  the  phlegm  out  of  his  mouth  with  a  handker- 
chief, and  bathing  his  temples  with  drops,  rubbing  his  wrists, 
&c.,  to  give  him  relief,  if  possible,  but  all  in  vain  ;  his  hands 
and  feet  were  as  cold  as  clay.  When  the  doctor  came  in,  and 
saw  him  in  the  chair  leaning  upon  my  breast,  he  felt  his  pulse, 
and  said,  'he  is  a  dead  man.'  Mr.  Parsons  said,  'I  do  not  be- 
lieve it ;  you  must  do  something,  doctor  !'  He  said, '  I  cannot ; 
he  is  now  near  his  last  breath.'  And  indeed,  so  it  was ;  for 
he  fetched  but  one  grasp,  and  stretched  out  his  feet,  and  breath- 
ed no  more.  This  was  exactly  at  six  o'clock.  We  continued 
rubbing  his  legs,  hands,  and  feet  with  warm  cloths,  and  bathed 


MEMOIRS  OP    WHITEFIELD.  213 

him  with  spirits  for  some  time,  but  all  in  vain.  I  then  put 
him  into  a  warm  bed,  the  doctor  standing  by,  and  often  raised 
him  upright,  continued  rubbing  him  and  puttinfif-  spirits  to 
his  nose  for  an  hour,  till  all  hopes  were  gone.  The  people 
came  in  crowds  to  see  him ;  I  begged  the  doctor  to  shut  the 
door.* 

"  The  Rev.  Mr.  Parsons,  at  whose  house  my  dear  master 
died,  sent  for  Captain  Fetcomb,  and  Mr.  Boadman,  and  others 
of  his  elders  and  deacons,  and  they  took  the  whole  of  the  burial 
upon  themselves  ;  prepared  the  vault,  and  sent  and  invited  the 
bearers.  Many  ministers,  of  all  persuasions,  came  to  the  house 
of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Parsons,  where  several  of  them  gave  a  very 
particular  account  of  their  first  awakenings  under  his  ministry, 
several  years  ago,  and  also  of  many  in  their  congregations, 
that  to  their  knowledge,  under  God,  owed  their  conversion 
wholly  to  his  coming  among  them,  often  repeating  the  blessed 
seasons  they  had  enjoyed  under  his  preaching :  and  all  said, 
that  his  last  visit  was  attended  with  more  power  than  any 
other ;  and  that  all  opposition  fell  before  him.  Then  one  and 
another  of  them  would  pity  and  pray  for  his  dear  Tabernacle  and 
chapel  congregations,  and  it  was  truly  affecting:  to  hear  them 
bemoan  the  calamity  of  America  and  England.  Thus  they 
continued  for  two  hours  conversing  about  his  great  usefulness, 
and  praying  that  God  would  scatter  his  gifts  and  drop  his  man- 
tle among  them.  When  the  corpse  was  placed  at  the  foot  of 
the  pulpit,  close  to  the  vault,  the  Rev.  Daniel  Rogers  made  a 
very  affecting  prayer,  and  openly  confessed,  that  under  God,  he 
owed  his  conversion  to  the  labor-s  of  that  dear  man  of  God, 
whose  precious  remains  now  lay  before  them.  Then  he  cried 
out,  O  my  father,  my  father  !  then  stopped  and  wept,  as  though 
his  heart  would  break,  and  the  people  weeping  all  through  the 
place.  Then  he  recovered,  and  finished  his  prayer,  and  sat 
down  and  wept.   Then  one  of  the  deacons  gave  out  that  hymn 

*  Why  do  we  mourn  departing  friends  1'  &c. 

*  In  the  last  visit  but  one  which  Whitefield  paid  to  America,  he  spent  a  day 
or  two  at  Princeton,  under  the  roof  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Finley,  then  president  of 
the  college  at  that  place.  At  dinner,  the  doctor  said,  "  Mr.  Whitefield,  I  hof^e 
it  will  be  very  long  before  you  will  be  called  home,  but  when  that  event  shall 
arrive,  I  should  be  glad  to  hear  the  noble  testimony  you  will  bear  for  God." 
"  You  would  be  disappointed,  doctor,"  said  Whitefield,  "  I  shall  die  silent. 
It  has  pleased  God  to  enable  me  to  bear  so  many  testimonies  for  him  during 
my  life,  that  he  will  require  none  from  me  when  I  die.  No,  no,  it  is  your 
dumb  christians,  that  have  walked  in  fear  and  darkness,  and  thereby  been 
unable  to  bear  a  testimony  for  God  during  their  lives,  that  he  compels  to' speak 
out  for  him  on  their  death  beds."  This  anecdote  was  communicated  to  the 
writer  of  it,  by  a  gentleman  now  living,  who  was  then  a  student  at  the  col- 
lege, and  a  boarder  in  Dr.  Finley's  family.  The  manner  of  Whitefield's 
death  verified  his  prediction. 


214  MEMOIRS    OF    WHITEFIELD. 

some  of  the  people  weeping,  some  singing,  and  so  on  alternate- 
ly. The  Rev.  Mr.  Jewel  preached  a  funeral  discourse,  and 
made  an  affectionate  address  to  his  brethren,  to  lay  to  heart  the 
death  of  that  useful  man  of  God  ;  begging  that  he  and  they 
might  be  upon  their  watch-tower,  and  endeavor  to  follow  his 
blessed  example.  The  corpse  was  then  put  into  the  vault, 
and  all  concluded  with  a  short  prayer,  and  dismission  of  the 
people,  who  went  weeping  through  the  streets  to  their  respective 
places  of  abode." 

The  melancholy  news  of  Whitefield's  decease,  arrived  in  Lon- 
don on  Monday,  November  5,  1770,  by  the  Boston  Gazette,  and 
also  by  several  letters  from  different  correspondents  at  Boston, 
to  his  worthy  friend,  Mr  R.  Keen ;  who  received  likewise,  by 
the  same  post,  two  letters  written  with  his  own  hand,  when  in 
good  health,  one  seven  and  the  other  five  days  before  his  death. 
Mr.  Keen  caused  the  mournful  iidins^s  to  be  published  the  same 
night  at  the  Tabernacle,  and  the  following  evening  at  Totten- 
ham court  chapel.  His  next  step  was  to  select  some  proper 
person  to  deliver  a  funeral  discourse,  when  it  occurred  to  his 
mind,  that  he  had  many  times  said  to  Whitefield,  "  If  you  should 
die  abroad,  who  shall  we  get  to  preach  your  funeral  sermon  ? 
Must  it  be  your  old  friend,  the  Rev.  John  Wesley?"  And  his 
answer  constantly  was,  '•  He  is  the  man."  Mr.  Keen  therefore 
waited  on  Mr.  Wesley,  on  the  Saturday  following,  and  he  pro- 
mised to  preach  it  on  the  Lord's  day,  November  18,  which  he 
did,  to  an  extraordinarily  crowded  and  mournful  auditory ;  many 
hundreds  being  obliged  to  go  away,  who  could  not  possibly 
get  withm  the  doors. 

In  both  the  chapel  and  Tabernacle,  the  pulpits  were  hung 
with  black  cloth,  and  the  galleries  with  fine  black  baize. 
Escutcheons  were  affixed  to  the  fronts  of  the  pulpits  ;  and  on 
each  of  the  adjoining  houses,  hatchments  were  put  up  :  the 
motto  of  which  was — '•'  Mea  vita — sahis  et  gloria  ChristusP 
At  the  expiration  of  six  months,  the  mourning  in  each  place  of 
worship,  and  the  escutcheons  in  the  vestries,  were  taken  down. 
The  hatchments  remained  twelve  months,  when  one  was  taken 
down,  and  placed  in  the  Tabernacle,  and  the  other  over  a  neat 
marble  monument,  erected  by  Whitefield  for  his  wife  in  Tot- 
tenham court  chapel,  with  a  space  left  for  an  inscription  respect- 
ing himself  after  his  decease,  as  he  wished  to  be  interred  in  the 
same  vault  had  he  died  in  England.     The  Rev.  Titus  Knight,* 

*  The  Rev.  Titus  Knight,  was  a  native  of  Halifax,  a  town  in  which  he  ex- 
ercised his  ministry,  and  in  which,  indeed  he  may  be  said  to  have  spent  his 
whole  life.  He  was  born  December  17,  1719.  During  his  childhood,  he  had 
a  particular  veneration  for  sacred  things,  took  a  delight  in  attending  the 
church,  and  used  frequently  to  weep.     At  the  same  early  period  he  learned 


MEMOIRS  OP    WHITEFIELD.  215 

of  Halifax,  in  Yorkshire,   accordingly  wrote  the  following 
epitaph : 

In  Memory  of 

REV.  GEORGE  WHITEFIELD,  A.  M. 

Chaplain  to  the  Right  Honorable^  the  Countess  of  Huntingdon^ 

Whose  soul,  made  meet  for  glory, 

Was  taken  to  Immanual's  bosom, 

On  the  30th  of  Sept.  1770 ; 

And  now  lies  in  the  silent  grave,  at  Newburyport,  near  Boston,  m 

New  England  ; 
There  deposited  in  hope  of  a  joyful  resurrection  to  eternal  life  and 

glory. 

He  was  a  man  eminent  in  piety, 

Of  a  humane,  benevolent,  and  charitable  disposition. 

His  zealin  the  cause  of  God  was  singular  ; 

His  labors  indefatigable  ; 

And  his  success  in  preaching  the  Gospel  remarkable  and 

astonishing. 

He  departed  this  life. 

In  the  lifly-sixth  year  of  his  age. 


And  like  his  Master,was  by  some  despised  ; 

Like  Him,  by  many  others  loved  and  prized  : 
But  their's  shall  be  the  everlasting  crown, 

Not  whom  the  world,  but  Jesus  Christ  will  own. 

something  of  the  vanity  and  unsatisfying  nature  of  all  worldly  pleasure,  long 
before  he  knew  where  to  seek  for  solid  and  substantial  happiness.  Many  in- 
stances of  this  he  used  to  relate  ;  of  which  the  following  is  a  specimen.  The 
annual  fair  at  Halifax,  which  is  kept  on  midsummer  day,  was  a  season  to 
■vvhich  he  looked  forward  with  the  most  eager  expectation  of  pleasure  and  satis- 
faction. But  when  this  day  came,  he  invariably  found  the  most  pamful  dis- 
appointment ;  in  a  few  hours  he  grew  weary  of  diversion,  wandered  about 
quite  unhappy,  and  nev^er  could  this  extraordinary  day  afford  him  any  satis- 
faction, unless  when  he  could  retire  from  the  noise  arid  hurry  of  it,  to  enjoy 
the  common  recreation  of  bathing. 

It  inav  not  be  improper  here  to  introduce  some  account  of  an  interesting 
part  of  his  life,  which  he  has  given  in  a  work,  entitled,  Amyntas  and  Phile 
tus,  or  Christian  Conversation,  published  in  the  year  1770.  The  reader 
therefore,  will  not  be  displeased,  if  the  memorialists  retire  a  little,  while  hr 
who  is  the  subject  of  this  sketch  is  introduced  to  speak  (though  dead)  of  the 
things  which  it  pleased  God  to  do  for  his  soul. 

"  My  dear  parents  were  of  the  establishment ;  and  although  filial  duty,  as 
well  as  christian  charity,  requires  me  to  hope  the  best  in  behalf  of  them,  yet  I 
•seldom  or  ever  saw  or  heard  any  thing  of  religion  but  at  church  on  the  Sab- 
bath day.  They  were,  I  believe,  strictly  honest  in  their  dealings  with  men, 
supported  a  fair  character,  and  appeared  as  relis:ious  as  their  neighbors,  nor 
did  they  suspect,  as  church  folks,  that  they  could  miss  of  salvation.  I  was 
taught  to  conceive  of  dissenters,  as  base  hypocrites,  a  people  that  resembler 
the  scribes  and  pharisees,  against  whom  our  Lord  so  vehemently  inveighec' 
and  denounced  so  many  woes;  that  attempted  to  hide  their  wickedness  b 
deceitful  pretext  of  superior  sanctity.  In  consequence  of  these  and  the  like 
things  spoken  of  dissenters,  and  confirmed  by  instances  I  was  then  incapable 
of  inquiring  into,  or  judging  of,  I  contracted  very  unfavorable  ideas  of  every 
sect  of  Protestant  dissenters ;  and,  I  think,  could  vie  with  any  in  bigotry  and 
zeal,  thinking  as  highly  of  the  church,  as  it  was  possible  for  any  to  thiiik  of 


216  MEMOIRS  OF  WHITEFIELD. 

Whitefield  was  not  quite  My-six  years  of  age  at  the  time  of 
his  decease  ;  thirty-four  years  of  which  he  spent  in  the  work 

the  meeting.  But  I  can  never  sufBcienth'  admire  or  adore  the  free,  rich,  and 
distinguishing  grace  of  God  to  me  ;  for  although  there  was  nothing  of  religion 
in  our  family,  not  even  so  much  as  the  form  ;  and  the  way  of  life  I  was  engaged 
in,  from  seven  years  old,  not  only  unfavorable  to,  but  quite  destructive  of  all 
good  morals,  yet  it  pleased  the  Lord  to  preserve  me  from  the  filthy  conversa- 
tion of  my  necessary  companions,  and  from  learning  and  using  the  diabolical 
language,  I  mean  of  cursing  and  swearing,  which  was  daily  intermixed  with 
the  most  familiar  conversations.  About  the  age  of  eleven,  I  began  to  be  very 
thoughtful  concerning  a  future  state.  The  cogitations  of  the  day  afforded 
much  matter  for  imagination  in  my  sleeping  hours,  so  that  I  often  alarmed 
the  family  with  the  most  lamentable  shrieks  and  cries,  occasioned  by  terrifying 
dreams  of  being  shut  out  from  God,  and  thrust  into  endless  torments.  These 
thoughts  and  dreams,  produced  an  uncommon  seriousness  in  my  whole  de- 
portment. I  diligently  read  the  Bible,  gladly  catching  every  opportunity  of 
attending  public  prayers  at  the  church  in  the  week  days,  prayed  often  and  fer- 
vently in  secret ;  and  in  secret  it  was,  for  prayer  not  being  used  in  the  family, 
I  feared  to  be  found  in  the  practice  of  it.  These  impressions,  and  the  influences 
thereof,  abode  with  me  for  the  space  of  six  years,  during  all  which  time  I 
sought  and  expected  the  favor  of  God,  and  the'acceptaiion  of  my  person,  solely 
on  tlie  account  of  my  own  righteousness.  Nor  is  this  at  all  to  be  wondered 
at.  seeing  all  the  sons  of  Adam  naturally  seek  justification  and  life,  by  virtue 
of  that  law  and  covenant  which  he  violated  and  broke  in  paradise.  Nor  was 
this  error  in  any  wise  corrected  by  any  of  the  public  sermons  I  then  heard, 
all  of  which  were  more  legal  than  evangelical,  and  the  preachers  rather  sent 
the  congregation  for  life  to  Moses  than" to  Christ.  About  the  age  of  seven- 
teen, I  began  to  learn  psalmody,  and  for  the  space  of  more  than  ten  years,  I 
became  extravagantly  fond  of  all  kinds  of  music  ;  so  that  my  allections  were 
entirely  captivated  thereby,  and  in  a  great  measure  alienated  from  God;  yet 
all  that  time  the  good  spirit  o(  God  ne^'er  left  oti'  striving  with  me.  (if  I  may 
be  allowed  that  expression)  so  that  at  certain  seasons  I  was  greatly  distress- 
ed, and  wished,  'it  were  with  me  as  in  mouths  past.'  Sometimes  (to  use  the 
hvperbolical  phrase  of  the  Psalmist)  '  I  made  my  bed  to  swim,  and  water- 
ed mv  couch  with  tears,'  purposed  and  resolved  to  resume  my  former  course 
of  life,  and  relinquish  the  idol  of  my  soul.  About  this  time  it  pleased  that 
God,  whose  eyes  are  ever  upon  the  objects  of  his  everlasting  love,  to  favor  me 
with  an  opportunity  of  hearing  the  gospel ;  and  the  spirit  of  God  so  opened 
my  heart  to  attend  to  the  things  that  were  spoken,  and  shed  such  light  on  my 
understanding,  that  when  I  returned  home,  and  began  to  read  my  Bible,  it 
seemed  to  be^quite  another  book,  in  respect  to  its  doctrines,  and  the  method 
of  salvation  published  in  it.  from  Avhat  I  had  till  that  time  conceived  it  to  be. 
From  that  memorable  day  the  Lord  was  pleased  to  break  my  chain,  and  loose 
the  bonds  of  my  captivity,  so  that  I  could  say  with  holy  David,  '  My  soul  is 
escaped  as  a  bird  out  of  the  snare  of  the  fowler;  the  snare  is  broken,  and  I 
am  escaped.'  My  heart  was  now  exceedingly  rejoiced,  and  I  again  renewed 
my  former  resolutions  of  engaging  my  heart  with  God,  and  devoting  my  life 
to' his  service.  And  my  gracious  Redeemer  was  pleased  to  say  '  Amen' to 
mv  purposes  and  prayers,  and  bade  me,  with  an  efficacious  word,  take  hold  on 
his  stiength,  which  his  good  spirit  enabling  me  to  do,  I  was  filled  with  joy  and 
peace  in  believing.  I  no  longer  felt  that  narrowness  of  spirit,  which  I  was 
under  the  power  of  before,  nor  thought  salvation  confined  to  name  or  party. 
I  found  that  in  Christ  Jesus,  it  avaifed  nothing  what  a  man  had  been  before 
his  conversion,  whether  Greek  or  Jew,  nor  what  modes  of  worship  he  after- 
wards preferred,  seeing  Christ  is  all  and  in  all  to  them  that  believe  in  him. 
Since  that  happy  period,  although  my  backslidings  and  departures  from  God 
have  been  more"  than  I  can  enumerate,  and  what  I  blush  to  mention,  yet  my 
dear  Redeemer,  glor)'  be  to  his  name  !  having  bought  me  at  so  dear  a  rate, 
and  according  to  the'  greatness  of  that  love,  wherewith  he  loved  me,  would 
not,  could  not  (for  his  tender  heart  forbade  it,)  forsake  or  cast  me  ofl"." 


MEMOIRS  OF    WHITEFIELD.  217 

of  the  ministry.     And  surely,  if  life  is  to  be  measured  by  the 
greatest  diligence  and  enjoyment ;  as  being  ever  intent  upon 

From  the  above  account  it  may  be  gathered,  that  about  the  year  1746  or 
1747,  he  was  first  brought  to  a  true  knowledge  of  God,  and  of  himself;  soon 
after  which  it  pleased  the  Lord  to  introduce  him  to  public  notice.  As  that 
part  of  his  life,  which  preceded  the  above  period,  is  rather  mvolved  in  obscu- 
rity, we  may  conclude  there  could  be  nothing  in  it  very  interesting.  He  was 
always  diligent  in  his  business,  and  his  moralil}'  was  above  the  common  stand- 
ard; notwithstanding,  as  he  afterwards  acknowledged,  he  was  living  "  without 
God  and  without  Christ  in  the  world."  Deeply  convinced  of  the  inestimable 
value  of  his  own  soul,  he  immediately  became  desirous  of  being  an  instrument 
in  the  hand  of  God  of  saving  the  souls  of  others.  After  much  prayer  and 
deliberation  on  this  important  matter,  he  ventured  at  length  to  go  forth  in  the 
strength  of  the  Lord,  and  to  proclaim  that  Jesus  came  to  save  smners.  This 
was  in  the  year  1749,  for  in  a  manuscript  written  with  the  trembling  hand  of 
infirmity,  in  the  year  179*2,  he  mentions  that  he  had  been  forty-three  years  en- 
gaged in  publishing  the  precious  truths  of  the  gospel.  His  first  labors,  it  is 
well  known,  were  among  the  Methodists  in  Mr,  Wesley's  connection ;  and 
having  opportunities  of  preaching  in  various  parts  of  the  kingdom,  he  became 
signally  and  extensively  useful.  Many  old  disciples  in  that  connection  re- 
member his  name  to  this  day  with  atiection  and  gratitude. 

Having  labored  for  some  years  in  Mr.  Wesley's  connection,  he  found  that 
he  could  no  longer  publicly  insist  upon  certain  points  of  doctrine  maintained 
by  that  people.  This  occasioned  some  struggle  in  his  mind,  as  to  the 
propriety  of  his  continuance  in  that  connection,  or  separation  from  it.  But 
after  much  deliberation,  and  earnest  prayer,  a  separation  appeared  most  eligible, 
and  he  determined  peaceably  to  withdraw.  This  event  look  place  about  tlio 
spring  of  the  year  1762.  For  a  short  season  his  mind  M'as  perplexed  ;  not  that 
he  doubled  his  call  to  preach  the  gospel,  but  being  unable  to  perceive  to  whom 
his  future  labors  should  be  directed.  The  providence  of  God,  however,  soon 
delivered  him  from  this  embarrassment.  A  few  faithful  friends,  to  whom  he 
had  been  useful,  still  adhered  to  him  ;  and  to  them  he  continued  to  preach  as 
opportunity  permitted.  These  being  soon  increased  by  the  addition  of  others, 
a  scheme  was  suggested  of  erecting  a  house,  in  which  they  might  more  regu- 
larly assemble  together.  This  plan  was  immediately  adopted;  but  fresh  diffi- 
culties occurred,  as  the  parties  concerned  had  no  resources  within  themselves, 
equal  to  such  an  undertaking.  But  they  were  soon  taught  that  the  word  of 
God  is  not  bound,  and  that  the  Lord  has  the  hearts  of  all  men  at  his  disposal- 
Such  liberal  contributions  were  obtained,  as  enabled  them  to  accomplish  their 
design.  A  house  was  erected,  and  a  church  formed  on  the  independent,  or 
congregational  plan,  of  which  Mr.  Knight  Avas  ordained  pastor,  in  the  summer 
of  1763.  This  was  a  Bethel  indeed.  The  word  delivered  within  these  walls 
was  made  effectual  to  the  turning  of  many  from  the  error  of  their  ways,  and  to 
the  building  up  of  the  people  of  God  in  their  most  holy  faith.  The  congrega- 
tion continually  increasing,  it  soon  became  necessary  to  erect  a  galler}',  as 
large  as  the  building  would  admit.  Here  he  labored  with  much  assiduity  and 
zeai,  preaching  twice  on  the  Lord's  day  in  the  winter  season,  and  three  times 
in  the  summer,  and  giving  a  lecture  on  every  Thursday  evening  ihronghout 
the  year.  He  administered  the  Lord's  supper  regularly  every  month  ;  and  on 
the  Friday  evening  preceding  the  celebration  of  it,  he  met  the  members  of 
his  church,  and  delivered  an  address  suited  to  the  approaching  solemnity. 

He  established  among  his  people  several  little  societies,  which  assembled 
once  a  week,  for  the  purpose  of  prayer  and  religious  conversation.  One  of 
these  societies  met  at  his  own  house ;  and  the  rest  he  a,ttended  occasionally, 
as  opportunity  permitted. 

By  the  divine  blessing  on  his  public  and  private  labors,  the  number  of  thosi* 
who  attended  the  preaching  of  the  word  became  so  great,  that  a  larger  and 
more  commodious  house  was  necessarv  for  their  reception.  This  was  for 
some  time  considered  as  a  thing  rather  desirable  than  attainable.  At  length, 
however,  it  was  cordially  set  about,  and  -^  "ery  spacious  and  elegant  structure 

19 


218  MEMOIRS    OF    WIIITEFIELD. 

some  praiseworthy  design,  and  zealous  in  the  accomplisliraent 
of  it ;  redeeming  the  time  by  repeated  acts  of  piety  and  benevo- 
lence, which  characterize  the  worthy  man  and  christian  ;  hav- 
ing a  heart  constantly  flowing  with  ardent  love  for  the  souls  of 

completed,  which  was  opened  in  May,  1772.  Here  he  exercised  his  public 
ministrations  to  very  large  congregations,  till  it  pleased  the  Lord  to  incapaci- 
tate him  for  public  service ;  and,  to  use  his  own  expression,  to  reduce  him 
from  a  working  to  a  waiting  servant. 

About  the  year  1764,  his  acquaintance  with  Whitefield  commenced,  which, 
under  God,  was  the  means  of  extending  his  usefulness  very  considerably. 
For,  being  invited  by  Whitefield  to  his  pulpits,  and  his  preaching  being  aj)- 
proved,  he  afterwards  became  one  of  the  assistant  preachers,  and  spent  two 
months  every  year  in  preaching  at  the  Tabernacle,  Tottenham  court  chapel, 
Greenwich,  Woolwich,  and  other  places  in  the  same  connection. 

Mr.  Knight  had  uniformly  enjoyed  a  remarkable  good  state  of  health,  till  it 
pleased  God  to  afflict  him  Avith  a  paralytic  stroke,  in  the  month  of  June,  1790. 
In  a  short  time,  he  Avas  so  Jar  recovered,  that  he  resumed  his  usual  labors. 
But  his  mental  faculties,  especially  his  memory,  had  evidently  sustained  an 
injury.  Of  this  he  was  himself  very  sensible,' but  bore  the  affliction  with  a 
truly  christian  submission. 

In  the  5'^ear  1791,  he  undertook  his  annual  journey  to  London,  but  with  a 
determination  to  preach  more  sparingly  than  usual.  While  in  town,  he  was 
afflicted  with  a  second  paralytic  stroke,  which  afiected  his  understanding  far 
more  than  the  former.  With  great  difficulty  he  returned  to  Halifax,  and 
though,  in  a  measure,  he  recovered  from  this  stroke  likewise,  and  afterwards 
preached  several  sermons,  yet  it  left  him  so  debilitated,  that  he  v/as  incapable 
of  continuing  his  public  services  ;  and  having  preached,  for  the  last  time,  on 
the  18th  of  September,  1791,  from  the  convictions  of  his  own  mind,  and  the 
persuasions  of  his  friends,  he  resigned  the  charge  of  his  congregation. 

His  patient  submission  to  the  divine  will,  v^'as  an  insrructive  lecture  to  those 
who  were  around  him.  When  he  reflected  on  the  decay  of  his  mental  facul- 
ties, he  would  sometimes  say,  "what  an  idiot  I  am  become  !"  but  immediately 
would  add,  "but  no  wrong  is  done  to  me.  He  that  gave  my  faculties,  has  a 
right  to  take  them  away  whenever  he  pleases,  and  he  might  justly  have  done 
so  forty  years  ago."  Being  asked  by  one  of  his  sons,  concerning  the  feelings 
of  his  mind,  he  replied,  "  I  am  happy  on  two  considerations  ;  the  one  is,  that  I 
am  not  in  hell ;  the  other,  that  I  am  not  afraid  of  ever  going  the'  e."  At  an- 
other time,  when  Several  of  his  family  were  together,  the  subject  of  politics 
was  introduced,  and  something  mentioned  respecting  the  probability  of  the 
king  of  France  losing  his  crown  ;  upon  v.^hich  he  observed,  though  scarce  able 
to  understand  the  subject  of  conversation,  "  I  know  a  king  who  will  not  lose 
his  crown,  I  mean  king  Jesus.  He  reigns,  and  ever  will  reign  ;"  and  with  a 
flood  of  tears  he  added,  "  to  him  I  wish  you  every  one  to  submit." 

Plis  sight  at  length  so  fa.iled,  that  he  could  neither  read  nor  write  ;  and  his 
understanding  and  memory  continuing  to  be  impaired,  he  began  to  long  for 
the  hour  of  his  dissolution.  However,  he  seemed  greatly  afraid  lest  his  desire 
to  depart  and  to  be  with  Christ,  should  betray  him  into  im.patience.  After 
breathing,  rather  than  living,  for  some  months,  he  was,  on  Saturday  morning, 
March  2d,  1793,  mercifully  released  from  the  burthen  of  the  flesh,  and  remov- 
ed to  a  better  and  indissoluble  mansion,  in  the  74th  year  of  his  age. 


Thy  life  was  holy — happy  was  thine  end  ! 
By  saints  csteem'd,  and  e'en  by  sinners  blest. 
And  best  belov'd  by  those  wbo^  knew  thee  best ! 
In  thee  the  Savior's  image  clearl)^  shone, 
As  crj'-stal  lakes  reflect  the  orient  sun. 
The  v.'cnders  grace  divine  perform'd  in  thee, 
Sucli,  and  superior,  may  it  work  in  me  ! 


MEMOIRS    OF  WHITEFIELD.  219 

men,  and  especially  a  fervent  desire  to  glorify  God,  accompanied 
by  the  deepest  humility  and  self  abasement ;  "Whitefield,  in  these 
thirty-four  years,  may  be  said  to  have  lived  more  than  most 
men  would  do,  though  their  lives  were  prolonged  for  many 
ages. 

Early  on  the  morning  after  his  deatli,  Mr.  Sherburne  of  Ports- 
mouth sent  IMr.  Clarkson  and  Dr.  Haven,  with  a  message  to 
Mr.  Parsons,  desiring  that  White  field's  remains  might  be  buri- 
ed in  his  own  new  tomb,  at  his  own  expense  ;  and  in  the  evening 
several  gentlemen  from  Boston,  came  to  Mr.  Parsons,  desiring 
that  the  body  mio^ht  be  carried  there.  But  as  Whitefield  had 
repeatedly  desired  that  he  might  be  buried  before  Mr.  Parsons' 
pulpit,  if  he  died  at  Newburyport,  Mr.  Parsons  thought  himself 
oblio'ed  to  deny  both  of  their  requests. 

The  followmg  account  of  his  interment  is  subjoined  to  this 
sermon,  viz  : — October  2,  1770.  At  one  o'cloclv  all  the  bells  in 
the  town  were  tolled  for  an  hour,  and  all  the  vessels  in  the 
harbor  gave  their  proper  signals  of  mourning.  At  two  o'clock, 
the  bells  tolled  a  second  time.  At  three,  the  bells  called  to  at- 
tend a  funeral.  The  Rev.  Dr.  Haven  of  Portsmouth,  the  Rev. 
Messrs.  Daniel  Rogers  of  Exeter,  Jedediah  Jewet,  and  James 
Chandler,  of  Rowley,  Moses  Parsons,  of  Newbury,  and  Edward 
Bass,  of  Newburyport,  were  pall  bearers.  Tlie  procession  was 
from  the  Rev.  Mr.  Parsons'  of  Newburyport,  where  AV^hitefield 
died.  Mr.  Parsons  and  his  family,  together  with  many  other 
respectable  persons,  followed  the  corpse  in  mourning.  The 
procession  reached  only  one  mile,  when  the  corpse  was  carried 
into  the  Presbyterian  church,  and  placed  on  a  bier  in  the 
broad  aisle,  ov^er  which  the  Rev.  Mr.  Rogers  made  a  very 
suitable  prayer  in  the  presence  of  about  six  thousand  per- 
sons, within  the  walls  of  the  church,  while  many  thousands 
were  on  the  outside,  not  being  able  to  find  admittance. 
Then  the  following  hymn  by  Dr.  Watts  was  sung  by  the 
congregation. 

Why  do  we  mourn  departing  friends  1 

Or  shake  at  death's  alarms  1 
'Tis  but  the  voice  that  Jesus  sends 

To  call  them  to  his  arms. 

Are  we  not  tending  upward  too, 

As  fast  as  lime  can  move  1 
Nor  should  we  wish  the  hours  more  slow, 

To  keep  us  from  our  love. 

Why  should  we  tremble  to  convey 

Their  bodies  to  the  tombl 
There  the  dear  flesh  of  Jesus  lay, 

And  left  a  long  perfume. 


220  MEMOIRS  OF    WIIITEPIELD. 

The  graves  of  all  his  saints  he  bless'd, 

And  soft'ned  every  bed  ; 
Where  should  the  dying  members  rest, 

But  with  their  dying  Head '{ 

Thence  he  arose,  ascending  high, 

And  show'd  our  feet  the  way ; 
Up  to  the  Lord  our  flesh  shall  fly, 

At  the  great  rising  day. 

Then  let  the  last  loud  trumpet  sound, 

And  bid  our  kindred  rise  ; 
Awake,  ye  nations  under  ground  ; 

Ye  saints  ascend  the  skies. 

The  following  Epitaph,  in  memory  of  Whitefield  was  com- 
posed by  the  Rev.  Thomas  Gibbons. 

In  Reverend um  Virum 

GEORGIUM  WHITEFIELD, 

Laboribus  sacris  olim  abundantem ;  nunc  vero,  ut  bene  speratur 

ccelestem  et  imraortalem  vitam  cum  Chrislo  agentem. 

EPITAPHIM, 

(Auctore  Thomas  Gibbons,  S.  T.  P.) 

Electum  at  divinum  vas,  Whitefielde,  suisti 

Ingenio  pollens,  divitiisque  sacris  : 

His  opibus  populo  longe  laleque  tributis, 

Tandem  perfruers  lostitia  superum 

Inque  banc  intrasti,  Domino  plaudente  ministrum  : 

Expertum  in  multis,  assiduumque  bonum : 

Ecce  niei  portus,  et  clara  palalia  coeli 

Delicis  plenis  omnia  aperta  tibi. 

Dummatutinam  Stellam,  quam  dulce  rubentem  I 

Vivificos  roresque  ossa  sepulta  manent. 


TRANSLATION. 

A  vessel  chosen  and  divine,  replete 

With  nature's  gifts,  and  grace's  richer  stores, 

Thou  Whitefield  wast :  these  thro'  the  world  dispens'd 

In  long  laborious  travels,  thou  at  length 

Hast  reach'd  the  realms  of  rest,  to  which  thy  Lord 

Has  welcomed  thee  with  his  immense  applause. 

All  hail,  my  servant,  in  thy  various  trusts 

Found  vigilant  and  faithful,  see  the  ports, 

See  the  eternal  kingdoms  of  the  skies, 

With  all  their  boundless  glory,  boundless  joy 

Open'd  for  thy  reception,  and  thy  bliss. 

Mean  lime  the  body,  in  its  peaceful  cell 

Reposing  from  its  toils,  awaits  the  star, 

Whose  living  lusters  lead  that  promised  morn 

Whose  vivifying  dews  thy  mouldered  corse 

Shall  visit,  and  immortal  life  inspire. 


MEMOIRS  OP    WHITEPIE-LD.  221 

The  following  inscription  is  on  Whitefield's  tombstone,  in 
Newburyport. 

THIS  CENOTAPH 

is  erected  with  affectionate  veneration, 

to  the  memory  of  the 

REV.  GEORGE  WHITEFIELD, 

born  at  Gloucester,  Eng.  Dec'r.  16,  1714: 
educated  at  Oxford  University  :  ordained  1736. 
In  a  ministry  of  thirty-four  years,  he  crossed  the  Atlantic  thirteen 
times,  and  preached  more  than  eighteen  thousand  sermons. 
As  a  soldier  of  the  cross,  humble,  devout,  ardent;  he  put  on 
the  whole  armor  of  God,  preferring  the  honors  of  Christ 
to  his  own  interest,  repose,  reputation,  or  life.     As  a 
Christian  orator,  his  deep  piety,  disinterested  zeal, 
and  vivid  imagination,  gave  unexampled  energy 
to  his  look,  action,  and   utterance.     Bold,  fer- 
vent, pungent,  and  popular  in  his  eloquence, 
no  other  uninspired  man  ever  preached  to  so 
large  assemblies,  or  enforced  the  simple 
truths  of  the  gospel  by  motives  so  per- 
suasive and  awful,  and  with  an  in- 
fluence so  powerful  on  the  hearts 

of  his  hearers. 

He  died  of  asthma,  Sept.  30,  1770; 

suddenly  exchanging  his  life  of  unparalleled  labors  for  his 

eternal  rest. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

Extracts  from  some  of  the  funeral  sermons  'preached  on  the  occasion 
of  his  death. 

Many  sermons  were  preached  on  the  occasion  of  his  death, 
both  in  America  and  England.  From  these,  the  reader  will 
probably  not  be  displeased  to  see  the  following  extracts ;  as 
they  not  only  set  the  character  of  Whitefield  in  a  variety  of 
lights,  bat  are  so  many  testimonies  to  it,  by  witnesses  of  un- 
doubted credit,  in  different  parts  of  tlie  world. 

The  first  sermon  was  preached  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Parsons  at 
Newburyport,  the  very  day  on  which  he  died,  from  Phil.  i.  21. 
"  For  me  to  live  is,  Christ,  and  to  die  is  gainP  In  which  he 
gives  the  following  character  of  his  departed  friend: 

"  Christ  became  a  principle  of  spiritual  life  in  his  soul,  while 
he  was  an  under-graduate  at  the  university  in  Oxford.  Before 
his  conversion,  he  was  a  pharisee  of  the  pharisees,  as  strict  as 
ever  Paul  was,  before  God  met  him  on  his  way  to  Damascus, 
according  to  his  own  declaration  in  his  last  sermon,  which  I 
beared  him  preach  at  Exeter,  yesterday.     He  was,  by  means 

19* 


222  MEMOIRS  OF   WHITEFIELD. 

of  reading,  a  very  searching  puritanical  writer ;  convinced 
of  the  rottenness  of  all  duties  he  had  done,  and  the  danger  of 
a  self-righteous  foundation  of  hope.  When  he  heared  Christ 
speak  to  him  in  the  gospe',  he  cried,  'Lord,  what  wilt  thou 
have  me  to  do  V  And  it  seems  as  if,  at  that  time,  it  had  been 
made  known  to  him,  that  he  was  a  chosen  vessel,  to  bear  the 
name  of  Jesus  Christ  through  the  British  nation,  and  her  colo- 
nies ;  to  stand  before  kings  and  nobles,  and  all  sorts  of  people, 
to  preach  Christ,  and  him  crucijfied.  From  that  time,  the  dawn 
of  salvation  had  living  power  in  his  heart,  and  he  had  an  ar- 
dent desire  to  furnish  himself  for  the  gospel  ministry.  To  this 
end,  besides  the  usual  studies  at  the  college,  he  gave  himself 
to  reading  the  holy  scriptures,  to  meditation  and  prayer ;  and 
particularly,  he  read  Mr.  Henry's  Annotations  on  the  Bible, 
upon  his  knees  before  God. 

"  Since  my  first  acquaintance  with  him,  which  is  about 
thirty  years  ago,  I  have  highly  esteemed  him,  as  an  excellent 
christian,  and  an  eminent  minister  of  the  gospel.  A  heart  so 
bent  for  Christ,  with  such  a  sprightly,  active  genius,  could  not 
admit  of  a  stated  fixed  residence  in  one  place,  as  the  pastor  of 
a  particular  congregation  ;  and  therefore,  he  chose  to  itinerate 
from  place  to  place,  and  from  one  country  to  another  ;  which 
indeed,  was  much  better  suited  to  his  talents,  than  a  fixed 
abode  would  have  been.  I  often  considered  him  as  an  angel 
flying  through  the  midst  of  heaven,  with  the  everlasting  gospel, 
to  preach  unto  them  that  dwell  on  the  earth;  for  he  preached 
the  uncorrupted  word  of  God,  and  gave  solemn  warnings 
against  all  corruptions  of  the  gospel  of  Christ.*  When  he 
came  the  first  time  to  Boston,  the  venerable  Dr.  Coleman,  with 
whom  I  had  a  small  acquaintance,  condescended  to  write  to 
me,  '  that  the  wonderful  man  was  come,  and  they  had  a  week 
of  sabbaths ;  that  his  zeal  for  Christ  was  extraordinary ;  and 
yet  he  recommended  himself  to  his  many  thousand  hearers  by 
his  enofagedness  for  holiness  and  souls.'  I  soon  had  opportu- 
nity to  observe,  that  wherever  he  flew,  like  a  flame  of  fire,  his 
ministry  gave  a  general  alarm  to  all  sorts  of  peo,Dle,  though  be- 
fore they  had,  for  a  long  time,  been  amazingly  sunk  into  dead 
formality.  It  was  then  a  time  in  New  England,  when  real 
christians  generally  had  slackened  their  zeal  for  Christ,  and 
fallen  into  a  remiss  and  careless  frame  of  spirit ;  and  hypocrit- 
ical professors  were  sunk  into  a  deep  sleep  of  carnal  security. 
Ministers,  and  their  cono-regations  seemed  to  be  at  ease.  But 
his  preaching  appeared  to  be  from  the  heart,  though  too  many, 

♦  The  late  Dr.  Grosvenor,  upon  hearing  Whitefield  preach  at  Charles- 
■square,  Hoxton,  expressed  himself  thus : — "  That  if  the  apostle  Paal  had 
preached  tc  this  auditory,  he  would  have  preached  in  the  same  manner." 


MEMOIRS  OF   WHITEFIELD.  223 

who  spake  the  same  things,  preached  as  if  it  were  indilFerent, 
whether  they  were  received  or  rejected.  We  were  convinced 
that  he  beheved  the  message  he  brought  us,  to  be  of  the  last 
importance.  Nevertheless,  as  soon  as  there  was  time  for  reflec- 
tion, the  enemies  of  Christ  began  to  cavil,  and  hold  np  some  of 
his  sallies  as  if  they  were  unpardonable  faults.  By  such  means 
he  met  with  a  storm  as  tempestuous  as  the  troubled  sea,  that 
casts  up  mire  and  dirt.  Some  of  every  station  were  too  fond 
of  their  old  way  of  formality,  to  part  with  it,  for  such  a  de- 
spised cause  as  living  religion.  But  the  spirit  of  Christ  sent 
home  the  message  of  the  Lord  upon  the  conciences  of  some, 
and  shook  them  off  from  their  false  hopes :  but  many  began  to 
find  fault,  and  some  to  write  against  his  evangelizing  through 
the  country,  while  others  threatened  fire  brands,  arrows,  and 
death.  Yet  God  gave  room  for  his  intense  zeal  to  operate,  and 
fit  objects  appeared,  Avherever  he  went,  to  engage  him  in 
preaching  Christ,  and  him  crucified. 

"  In  his  repeated  visits  to  America,  when  his  services  had 
almost  exhausted  his  animal  spirits,  and  his  friends  were  ready 
,to  cry,  ^  Spare  thyself.'  his  hope  of  serving  Christ,  and  winning 
souls  to  him,  animated  and  engaged  him  to  run  almost  any 
risk.  Neither  did  he  ever  cross  the  Atlantic,  on  an  itinerating 
visitation,  without  visiting  his  numerous  brethren  here,  to  see 
liow  religion  prospered  amongst  them  ;  and  we  know  that  his 
labors  have  been  unwearied  among  us,  and  to  the  applause  of 
all  his  hearers  ;  and,  through  the  infinite  mercy  of  God,  his 
labors  have  sometimes  been  crowned  with  great  success,  in  the 
conversion  of  sinners,  and  the  edification  of  saints.  And 
though  lie  often  returned  from  the  pulpit,  very  feeble  after 
public  preaching,  yet  his  engaging  sweetness  of  conversation, 
changed  the  suspicions  of  many  into  passionate  love  and 
friendship. 

""  In  many  things,  his  example  is  worthy  of  imitation  ;  and  if 
in  any  thing  he  exceeded,  or  came  short,  his  integrity,  zeal  for 
God,  and  love  to  Christ  and  his  gospel,  rendered  him,  in  ex- 
tensive usefulness,  more  than  equal  to  any  of  his  brethren.  In. 
preaching  here,  and  througli  most  parts  of  America,  he  has 
been  in  labors  more  abundant,  approving  himself  a  minister  of 
God,  in  much  patience,  in  afl^iictions,  in  watchings,  in  fastings, 
by  pureness,  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  by  love  unfeigned  ;  as  sorrow- 
ful, yet  always  rejoicing ;  as  having  nothing,  yet  possessing  all 
things.  And  God,  that  comforteth  those  that  are  cast  down, 
has  often  comforted  us  by  his  comino^ ;  and  not  by  Iiis  coming 
only,  but  by  the  consolation  wherewith  he  was  comforted  in  us, 
so  that  we  could  rejoice  the  more. 

"  His  popularity  exceeded  all  that  ever  I  knew ;  and  though 


224  MEMOIRS    OF   WHITEFIELD. 

the  asthma  was  sometimes  an  obstruction  to  him,  his  dehvery 
and  entertaining  method  was  so  inviting  to  the  last,  that  it 
would  command  the  attention  of  the  vast  multitudes  of  his 
hearers.  An  apprehension  of  his  concern  to  serve  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  and  do  good  to  the  souls  of  men  drew  many  thou- 
sands after  him,  who  never  embraced  the  doctrines  he  taught. 
He  had  something  so  peculiar  in  his  manner,  expressive  of 
sincerity  in  all  he  delivered,  that  it  constrained  the  most  aban- 
doned to  think  he  believed  what  he  said  was  not  only  true,  but 
of  the  last  importance  to  souls  ;  and  by  adapted  texts  adduced, 
and  instances  of  the  grace  of  God  related  agreeable  thereto, 
often  surprised  his  most  judicious  hearers. 

"  His  labors  extended  not  only  to  New  England,  and  many 
other  colonies  m  British  America,  but  were  eminent  and  more 
abundant  in  Great  Britian.  Many  thousands  at  his  chapel 
and  Tabernacle,  and  in  other  places,  were  witnesses  that  he 
faithfully  endeavored  to  restore  the  interesting  doctrines  of  the 
reformation,  and  the  purity  of  the  church  to  its  primitive  glory. 
Some  among  the  learned,  some  of  the  mighty  and  noble,  have 
been  called  by  his  ministry,  to  testify  for  the  gospel  of  the  grace 
of  God.  The  force  of  his  reasonings  against  corrupt  principles, 
and  the  easy  method  he  had  of  exposing  the  danger  of  them, 
haA^e  astonished  the  most  that  heard  him,  in  all  places  where 
he  preached.  How  did  he  lament  and  withstand  the  modern 
unscriptiiral  notions  of  religion  and  salvation,  that  were  palm- 
ed upon  the  churches  of  every  denomination  !  The  affecting 
change  from  priiritive  purity  to  fatal  heresy,  together  with  the 
sad  eifects  of  it  in  mere  formality  and  open  wickedness,  would 
often  make  him  cry,  as  the  prophet  did  in  another  case,  '  How 
is  the  gold  become  dim,  and  the  most  fine  gold  changed  ! 
How  has  the  Lord  covered  the  daughter  of  Zion  with  a  cloud 
in  his  anger,  and  cast  down  from  heaven  to  earth,  the  beauty 
of  Israel.' 

"It  is  no  wonder  that  this  man  of  God  should  meet  with 
enemies  and  with  great  opposition  to  his  ministry  ;  for  hell 
trembled  before  him.  It  is  no  more  than  may  be  always  ex- 
pected of  the  devil,  that  he  should  stir  up  his  servants,  to  load 
the  most  eminent  ministers  of  Christ  with  calumny  and  most 
impudent  lies  ;  and  represent  them  as  the  filth  and  oifscouring 
of  all  things.  All  this  may  be,  and  often  has  been  done,  under 
a  pretense  of  great  concern  for  the  honor  of  Christ,  and  the 
preservation  of  the  gospel  order.  When  Satan  totters  and  be- 
gins to  fall,  he  can  find  men  enough  to  cry,  '  the  charch  is  in 
danger  ;'  and  that  he  knows  is  sufficient  with  many,  to  hide 
his  cloven  foot,  and  make  him  appear  as  an  angel  of  light. 

"  Through  a  variety  of  such  labors  and  trials,  our  worthy 


MEMOIRS    OF    WHITEFIELD.  225 

friend,  and  extensively  useful  servant  of  Christ,  Mr.  Whitefield, 
passed  both  in  England  and  America  ;  but  the  Lord  was  his 
sun  to  guide  and  animate  him,  and  his  shield  to  defend  and 
help  him  unto  the  end  :  neither  did  he  count  his  own  life  dear, 
so  that  he  might  finish  his  course  with  joy,  and  the  ministry 
that  he  had  received  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  to  testify  the  gospel  of 
the  grace  of  God. 

"  The  last  sermon  that  he  preached,  though  under  the  dis- 
advantage of  a  stage  in  the  open  air,  was  delivered  with  such 
clearness,  pathos,  and  eloquence,  as  to  please  and  surprise  the 
surrounding  thousands.  And  as  he  had  been  confirmed  by  the 
grace  of  God,  many  years  before,  and  had  been  waiting  and 
hoping  for  his  hist  change,  he  then  declared,  that  he  hoped  it 
was  the  last  time  he  should  ever  preach.  Doubtless,  he  then 
had  such  clear  views  of  the  blessedness  of  open  vision,  and  the 
complete  fruition  of  God  in  Christ,  that  he  felt  the  pleasures  of 
heav^en  in  his  raptured  soul,  which  made  his  countenance  shine 
like  the  unclouded  sun."' 

The  following  lines  are  part  of  a  poem  on  "VMiitefield,  writ- 
ten by  a  negro  servant  girl,  seventeen  years  of  age,  belonging 
to  Mr.  J.  Wheatly,  of  Boston. 


"  He  prayed  that  grace  iii  every  heart  might  dwell, 

He  longed  to  see  America  excel ; 

He  charg'd  its  youth  to  let  the  grace  div^ine 

Arise,  and  in  their  future  actions  shine. 

He  offer'd  that  he  did  himself  receive, 

A  greater  gift  not  God  himself  can  give. 

He  urg'd  the  need  of  Him  to  ev'ry  one  ; 

It  was  no  less  than  God's  co-equal  Son. 

Take  Him  ye  wretched  for  your  only  good; 

Take  Him  ye  starving  souls' to  be  your  food. 

Ye  thirsty,  come  to  this  life-giving  stream  ; 

Ye  preachers,  take  him  for  your  joyful  theme. 

Take  Him,  my  dear  Americans,  he  said, 

Be  your  complaints  in  his  kind  bosom  laid. 

Take  Him,  ye  Africans,  he  longs  for  you ; 

Impartial  Savior  is  his  title  due. 

If  you  will  choose  to  walk  in  grace's  road, 

You  shall  be  sons,  and  kings,  and  priests  to  God. 

Great  countess  !  we  Americans  revere 

Thy  name,  and  thus  condole  thy  grief  sincere. 

New  England,  sure  doth  feel ;  the  orphan's  smart 

Reveals  the  true  sensations  of  his  heart. 

His  lonely  Tabernacle  sees  no  more 

A  Whitefield  landing  on  the  British  shore. 

Then  let  us  view  him  in  yon  azure  skies, 

Let  ev^ery  mind  with  this'lov'd  object  rise. 

Thou  tomb,  shall  safe  retain  thy  sacred  trust, 

Till  life  divine  re-animates  his  dust. 

The  next  sermon  was  preached  by  Dr.  Pemberton,  of  Bos- 


226  MEMOIRS  OF    WHITEFIELD. 

ton,  October  11,  1770,  upon  1  Peter  i.  4.  "Tb  an  inheritance 
reserved  in  heaven  for  youP     In  which  he  says : 

"  I  am  not  fond  of  funeral  panegyrics.  But  where  persons 
have  been  distiiiguishingly  honored  by  heaven,  and  employed 
to  do  uncommon  services  for  God's  church  upon  earth,  it  would 
be  criminal  ingratitude  to  suffer  them  to  drop  into  the  dust 
without  the  most  respectful  notice.  The  memory  of  the  just 
is  blessed !  Posterity  will  view  Mr.  Whitefield,  in  many  re- 
spects, as  one  of  the  most  extraordinary  characters  of  the  pre- 
sent age.  His  zealous,  incessant,  and  successful  labors,  in 
Europe  and  America,  are  without  a  parallel. 

'•  Devoted  early  to  God,  he  took  orders  as  soon  as  the  con- 
stitution of  the  established  church  in  England  allowed.  His 
first  appearance  in  the  work  of  the  ministry  was  attended  w^ith 
surprising  success.  The  largest  churches  in  London  were  not 
able  to  contain  the  numbers  that  perpetually  flocked  to  hear 
his  awakening  discourses.  The  crov/ds  daily  increased.  He 
was^  soon  forced  into  the  fields,  followed  by  multitudes,  who 
hung  with  silent  attention  upon  his  lips,  and  with  avidity  re- 
ceived the  word  of  life.  The  spirit  of  God  in  an  uncommon 
measure,  descended  upon  the  hearers.  The  secure  were  awaken- 
ed to  a  salutary  fear  of  divine  wrath,  and  inquiring  minds  were 
directed  to  Jesus,  the  only  Savior  of  a  revolted  world — the 
vicious  were  visibly  reclaimed ;  and  those  who  had  hitherto 
rested  in  a  form  of  godliness,  were  made  acquainted  with  the 
power  of  a  divine  life.  The  people  of  God  were  refreshed  with 
the  consolation  of  the  blessed  Spirit^  and  rejoiced  to  see  their 
exalted  Master,  going  on  from  conquering  to  conquer,  and  sin- 
ners of  all  orders  and  characters,  bowing  to  the  scepter  of  a 
crucified  Savior. 

'•  His  zeal  could  not  be  confined  within  the  British  islands. 
His  ardent  desire  for  the  welfare  of  immortal  souls,  conveyed 
him  to  the  distant  shores  of  America.  We  beheld  a  new  star 
arise  in  the  hemisphere  of  these  western  churches  ;  and  its  salu- 
tary influences  were  diffused  through  a  great  part  of  the  British 
settlements  in  these  remote  regions.  We  heard  with  pleasure, 
from  a  divine  of  the  Episcopal  communion,  those  great  doctrines 
of  the  gospel,  which  our  venerable  ancestors  brought  with 
them  from  their  native  country.  With  a  soul  elevated  above 
a  fond  attachment  to  forms  and  ceremonies,  he  inculcated  that 
pure  and  unadulterated  religion,  for  the  preservation  of  which 
our  fat?iers  banished  themselves  into  an  uncultivated  desert. 
In  his  repeated  progresses  through  the  colonies,  he  was  favored 
with  the  same  success  which  attended  him  on  the  other  side  of 
the  Atlantic.  He  preached  from  day  to  day  in  thronged  assem- 
blies ;  yet  his  hearers  never  discovered  the  least  weariness,  but 


MEMOIRS   OF    WHITEFIELD.  227 

always  followed  him  vvdth  increasing  ardor.  When  in  the  pul- 
pit, every  eye  was  fixed  upon  his  expressive  countenance  ;  every 
ear  was  charmed  with  his  melodious  voice ;  all  sorts  of  per- 
sons were  captivated  with  the  propriety  and  beauty  of  his 
address. 

"Bat  it  is  not  the  fine  speaker,  the  accomplished  orator,  that 
we  are  to  celebrate  from  the  sacred  desk  :  these  engaging  quali- 
ties, if  not  sanctified  by  divine  grace,  and  consecrated  to  the 
service  of  heaven,  are  as  the  sounding  brass,  and  the  tinkling 
cymbal.  When  misimproved,  instead  of  conveying  happiness 
to  mankind,  they  render  us  more  illustriously  miserable. 

"  The  gifts  of  nature,  the  acquisitions  of  art,  which  adorned 
the  character  of  Mr.  W^hitefield,  were  devoted  to  the  honor  of 
God,  and  the  enlargement  of  the  kingdom  of  our  divine  Re- 
deemer. While  he  preached  the  gospel,  the  Holy  Ghost  was 
sent  down  to  apply  it  to  the  consciences  of  the  hearers  ;  the  eyes 
of  the  blind  were  opened,  to  behold  the  glories  of  the  compas- 
sionate Savior ;  the  ears  of  the  deaf  were  unstopped,  to  attend 
to  the  invitations  of  incarnate  love ;  the  dead  were  animated 
with  a  divine  principle  of  life  ;  many  in  all  parts  of  the  land 
were  turned  from  darkness  to  light,  and  from  the  power  of 
Satan  unto  God. 

"  These  doctrines  which  we  had  been  instructed  in  from  our 
infancy,  by  our  faithful  pastors,  seemed  to  acquire  new  force, 
and  were  attended  witli  uncommon  success  when  delivered  by 
him.  His  discourses  were  not  trifling  speculations,  but  con- 
tained the  most  inreresting  truths  ;  they  were  not  an  empty  play 
of  wit,  but  solemn  addresses  to  the  hearts  of  men. 

'•  To  convince  sinners  that  they  were  by  nature  children  of 
wrath ;  by  practice,  transgressors  of  the  divine  law ;  and  in 
consequence  of  this,  exposed  to  the  vengeance  of  offended  hea- 
ven ;  to  display  the  transcendent  excellency  of  a  Savior,  and 
persuade  awakened  minds  to  confide  in  his  merits  and  righte- 
ousness, as  the  only  hopes  of  a  guilty  world ;  to  impress  upon 
the  professors  of  the  gospel  the  necessity,  not  only  of  an  out- 
ward reformation,  but  an  internal  chano-e,  by  the  powerful 
influences  of  the  Spirit  5  to  lead  the  faithful  to  a  zealous  practice 
of  the  various  duties  of  the  christian  life,  that  they  may  evidence 
the  sincerity  of  their  faith,  and  adorn  the  doctrine  of  God  their 
Savior.  These  were  the  reigning  subjects  of  his  pulpit  dis- 
courses. 

'•  He  was  no  contracted  bigot,  but  embraced  christians  of 
every  denomination  in  the  arms  of  his  cliarity,  and  acknow- 
ledged them  to  be  children  of  the  same  father,  servants  of  the 
same  master,  heirs  of  the  same  undefiled  inheritance. 

"  That  I  am  not  complimenting  the  dead,  but  speaking  the 


228  MEMOIRS  OF    WHTTEFIELD. 

words  of  truth  and  soberness,  I  am  persuaded  I  have  many 

witnesses  in  this  assembly. 

"  He  was  ahvays  received  by  multitudes  with  pleasure,  when 
he  favored  these  parts  with  his  labors ;  but  he  never  had  a  more 
obliging  reception  than  in  his  last  visit.  Men  of  the  first  dis- 
tinction in  the  province,  not  only  attended  his  ministry,  but 
gave  him  the  highest  marks  of  their  respect.  With  what  faith- 
fulness did  he  declare  unto  us  the  whole  counsel  of  God  ! 
AVith  what  solemnity  did  he  reprove  us  for  our  increasing  de- 
generacy !  With  what  zeal  did  he  exhort  us,  to  remember  from 
whence  we  were  fallen,  and  repent  and  do  our  first  works,  lest 
God  should  come  and  remov^e  our  candlestick  out  of  its  place  ! 

"  Animated  with  a  God-like  design  of  promoting  the  tempo- 
ral and  spiritual  happiness  of  mankind,  after  the  example  of  his 
divine  Master,  he  went  aboiU  doing  good.  In  this  he  persevered 
with  unremitting  ardor  and  assiduity,  till  death  removed  him 
to  that  rest  which  remains  for  the  people  of  God.  Perhaps  no 
man,  since  the  apostolic  age,  preached  oftener  or  with  greater 
success. 

"  If  we  view  his  private  character,  he  will  appear  in  a  most 
amiable  point  of  light.  The  polite  gentleman  ;  the  faithful 
friend  ;  the  engaging  companion  ;  above  all,  the  sincere  chris- 
tian, were  visible  in  the  whole  of  his  deportment. 

"  With  large  opportunities  of  accumulating  wealth,  he  never 
discovered  the  least  tincture  of  avarice.  What  he  received 
from  the  kindness  of  his  friends,  he  generously  employed  in  of- 
fices of  piety  and  charity.  His  benevolent  mind  was  perpetual- 
ly forming  plans  of  extensive  usefulness.  The  Orphan-house, 
which  many  years  ago  he  erected  in  Georgia,  and  the  college 
he  was  founding  in  that  province  at  the  time  of  his  death,  will 
be  lasting  monuments  of  his  care,  that  religion  and  learning 
might  be  propagated  to  future  generations. 

''  I  have  not,  m.y  brethren,  drawn  an  imaginary  portrait, 
but  described  a  character  exhibited  in  real  life.  I  have  not 
mentioned  his  natural  abilities,  which  were  vastly  above  the 
common  standard.  I  consider  him  principally  in  the  light  of 
a  christian,  and  a  minister  of  Jesus  Christ,  in  which  he  shone 
with  a  superior  luster,  as  a  star  of  the  first  magnitude. 

'•'  After  all,  I  am  not  representing  a  perfect  man  ;  there  arc 
spots  in  the  most  shining  characters  upon  earth.  But  this  mxay 
be  said  of  Mr.  W^hitefield  with  justice,  that  after  the  most  pub- 
lic appearances,  for  above  thirty  years,  and  the  most  critical 
examination  of  his  conduct,  no  other  blemish  could  be  fixed 
upon  him,  than  what  arose  from  the  common  frailties  of  human 
nature,  and  the  peculiar  circumstances  which  attended  his  first 
entrance  into  public  life. 


MEMOIRS   OF    WHITEFIELD.  229 

"  The  imprudences  of  inexperienced  youth,  he  frequently  ac- 
knowledged from  the  pulpit,  with  a  frankness  which  will  for 
ever  do  honor  to  his  memory.  He  took  care  to  prevent  any 
bad  consequences  that  might  flow  from  his  unguarded  censures 
in  the  early  days  of  his  ministry.  The  longer  he  lived,  the 
more  he  evidently  increased  in  purity  of  doctrine,  in  humanity, 
in  meekness,  prudence,  patience,  and  the  other  amiable  virtues 
of  the  christian  life." 

Another  funeral  sermon  on  Whitefield,  was  preached  by  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Ellington,  at  Savannah,  in  Georgia,  November  11, 
1770,  upon  Hebrews  xi.  26.  '•  Esteeming  the  reproach  of 
Christ  greater  riches  than  the  treasures  of  Egypt :  for  he 
had  respect  unto  the  recompense  of  the  rexoardP  In  ^diich 
are  the  following  passages  :* 

'•'  The  receiving  the  melancholy  news  of  the  much  lamented 
death  of  a  particular  friend  to  the  province,  a  person  who  was 
once  minister  of  this  church,  is  the  reason  of  this  discourse; 
and  my  choice  of  this  subject  before  us,  is  to  pay  my  grateful 
respect  to  the  memory  of  this  well  known  able  minister  of  the 
New  Testament,  and  faithful  servant  of  the  most  liigh  God, 
the  Rev.  George  Whitefield,  whose  life  was  justly  esteemed, 
and  whose  death  will  be  greatly  regretted,  by  the  sincerely 
religious  part  of  mankind  of  all  denominations,  as  long  as  there 
is  one  remaining  on  earth,  who  knew  him,  to  recollect  the  fer- 
vor of  spirit,  and  holy  zeal  with  which  he  spake,  when  preaching 
the  everlasting  gospel :  and  every  other  part  of  his  disinterested 
conduct,  consistent  with  the  ministerial  character,  in  life  atid 
conversation.  Mr.  Whitefield's  works  praise  him  loud  enough. 
I  am  not  able  to  say  any  thing  that  can  add  greater  hister  to 
them.  May  every  one  that  ministers  in  holy  things,  and  all 
who  partake  of  their  ministrations,  have  equal  right  to  the 
characteristic  in  the  text,  as  he  had. 

"  It  is  the  ruling  opinion  of  many,  that  the  oflense  of  the 
cross  is  long  since  ceased ;  and  that  whatever  evil  treatment 
some  of  a  singular  turn  may  meet  with,  it  is  only  the  fruit  of 

♦  Extract  of  a  letter  from  the  late  Rev.  Cornelius  "Winter,  to  the  Rev. 
"William  Jay. 

"  You  have  no  conception  of  the  effect  of  Mr.  Whitefield's  death  upon  iIk: 
inhabitants  of  the  province  of  Georgia.  All  the  black  cloth  in  the  stores  was 
bought  up  ;  the  pulpit  and  desks  of  the  church,  the  branches,  the  organ  loft) 
the  pews  of  the  governor  and  council,  were  covered  with  black.  The  gov- 
ernor and  coimcil,  in  deep  mourning,  convened  at  the  state  house,  and  wer.i 
in  procession  to  church,  and  were  received  by  the  organ  playing  a  funeral 
dirge.  Two  funeral  sermons  were  preached,  one  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  EUingtoA; 
the  other  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Zubly. 

"  The  same  public  marks  of  regard  were  shown  at  one  of  the  churches  in 
Philadelphia,  of  which  Mr.  Sprout  is  pastor,  which,  by  the  desire  of  the  ses- 
sion and  committee,  was  put  in  mourning.  Also,  at  their  desire  and  expense, 
the  bells  of  Christ  church,  in  that  city,  were  rung  muiBed." 

20 


230  MEMOIRS   OF    WHITEFIELD. 

their  own  doings,  and  the  reward  of  their  own  work,  whereby 
they  raise  the  resentment  of  mankind  against  them  for  uncha- 
ritable slander,  and  spiritual  abuse.  But  whoever  knoweth 
any  thing  of  the  gospel,  and  has  experienced  it  to  be  the  power 
of  God  unto  salvation,  knoweth  this  is  the  language  of  persons 
who  are  unacquainted  with  the  depravity  of  their  nature;  and 
through  the  degeneracy  of  their  hearts,  are  unwilling  to  be 
disturbed ;  therefore  are  saying  to  the  ministers  of  Christ,  pro- 
])hecy  unto  us  smooth  things.  But  the  ministers  of  the  gospel 
are  to  be  sons  of  thunder,  and  so  to  utter  their  voice,  and  con- 
duct their  lives,  as  to  prove  the  nature  of  their  work. 

'•  Our  dear  and  reverend  friend  was  highly  honored  for 
many  years,  in  being  a  happy  instrument  to  do  this  success- 
fully. With  what  a  holy  zeal  he  proceeded,  long  before  he 
was  publicly  ordained  to  the  sacred  office,  has  been  long  attest- 
ed ;  and  no  person  has  been  able  to  contradict  the  testimony. 
No  sooner  did  he  appear  in  the  work  of  the  sanctuary,  but  he 
soon  convinced  his  numerous  auditories,  that  his  Almighty 
Lord,  Avho  had  given  him  the  commission,  had  by  his  grace 
wrought  him  for  the  self-same  thing ;  and  throuirh  the  Holy 
Spirit  attending  his  endeavors,  made  him  a  workman  thatneed- 
eth  not  to  be  ashamed.  One  would  think  his  great  success  in 
lu's  public  labors,  the  frequent  opportunities  he  embraced  of 
doing  good,  by  the  relief  of  people  in  distressing  circum- 
stances, every  occasion  he  took  to  use  his  influence  for  the  good 
of  mankind,  and  the  whole  of  his  behavior  through  a  life  of 
iifty-six  years,  being,  so  far  as  the  frailty  of  our  present  state 
will  admit,  unblamable  and  unrcproachable,  should  have  ex- 
empted him  from  contempt  and  reproach.  But,  quite  the  con- 
trary :  there  was  so  near  a  resemblance  to  his  blessed  Master, 
as  obliged  him  to  bear  his  reproach.  He  has  suifered  with  njm 
on  earth,  and  he  is  noAv  glorified  with  him  in  heaven.  He 
lias  labored  abundantly,  and  he  has  been  as  liberally  reproach- 
ed and  maligned  from  every  quarter.  Clergy  and  laity  have 
whet  their  tongues  like  a  sword  against  him,  and  bent  their 
bows  to  shoot  their  arrows ;  but  the  Lord,  amongst  all,  has 
known  and  approved  his  righteous  servant.  Though  it  is 
well  known,  he  has  had  opportunity  long  since  to  enjoy  epis- 
copal emolument;  yet,  in  his  opinion,  and  it  will  be  found  he 
judged  like  a  wise  man  in  the  end,  sinners,  through  his  instru- 
mentality, being  turned  unto  the  Lord,  and  becoming  his  joy 
and  crown  of  rejoicing,  in  the  day  of  our  Lord  .Tesus,  was 
esteemed  a  greater  honor  than  any  thing  this  world  could 
afford  him.  His  longing  desire  for  the  salvation  of  immortal 
souls,  would  not  admit  of  liis  being  confined  within  the  district 
of  any  walls ;  though  it  must  be   acknowledged,   he  never 


MEMOIRS   OF    WHITEFIELD.  231 

thougtit  of  commencing  field  preacher,  till  his  invidious  ene- 
mies refused  him  church  pulpits,  with  indignation  of  spirit  un- 
becoming the  lowest  and  most  vulgar  class  of  mankind,  much 
less  men  professing  themselves  preachers  of  godliness.  Though 
he  has,  throughout  the  whole  course  of  his  ministry,  given 
sufficient  proof  of  his  inviolable  attachment  to  our  happy  esta- 
blishment, he  was  desirous  to  countenance  the  image  of  Christ 
wherever  he  saw  it,  well  knowing,  that  political  institutions,  in 
any  nation  whatever,  should  not  destroy  the  blessed  union,  or 
prevent  the  communion  which  ought  to  subsist  throughout  the 
holy  catholic  church,  between  real  and  sincere  christians  of  all 
denominations.  Some  people  may  retain  such  a  veneration  for 
apostolic  phrases,  as  to  suppose  they  ought  not  to  be  applied  to 
other  persons.  Sorry  am  1  to  observe,  that  few  deserve  the 
application  of  them.  But  of  Mr.  Whitefield  we  may  say,  with 
the  strictest  truth,  in  journeyings  often,  in  perils  of  water,  in 
perils  of  robbers,  in  perils  of  his  own  countrymen,  in  perils  in 
the  city,  in  perils  in  the  wilderness,  in  perils  in  the  sea,  in 
perils  among  false  brethren,  in  weariness  and  painfulness,  he 
hath  approved  himself  a  minister  of  God.  All  who  knew  and 
were  acquainted  with  him,  soon  discovered  in  him  every  mark 
of  good  sense  and  good  manners.  His  company  and  conver- 
sation so  enlivening  and  entertaining,  and  at  the  same  time  so 
instructive  and  edifying,  that  no  person,  with  the  least  degree 
of  common  sense,  could  behave  improperly  m  his  presence.  In 
him  met,  what  do  not  often  meet  in  one  person,  the  finished 
and  complete  gentleman,  and  the  real  and  true  christian. 
Why  then  did  he  take  pleasure  in  reproaches,  and  submit  to 
the  taunts  and  insults,  both  of  the  vulgar  and  politer  part. of 
mankind  ?  He  had  respect  to  the  recompense  of  reward. 
Though  the  believer's  work  will  never  entitle  him  to  a  reward 
of  debt,  yet  the  reward  of  grace  will  always  excite  a  lioly  desire 
to  render  something  unto  Ihe  Lord.  What  wilt  thou  have  me 
to  do  ?  is  the  incessant  inquiry  of  that  soul,  who  by  the  merits 
of  the  Redeemer's  death,  and  the  virtue  of  his  precious  blood, 
is  redeemed  from  sin,  and  made  a  partaker  of  the  inheritance 
incorruptible,  undefiled,  and  that  fadeth  not  away.  Faith 
operates  by  good  works  :  and  let  all  the  men  of  the  world  say 
to  the  contrary,  or  put  ever  so  base  a  construction  upon  our 
doctrine,  it  will  evidence  itself  by  these  good  fruits.  It  was 
from  these  principles  that  Mr.  Whitefield  acted,  and  they  were 
productive  of  the  desired  effect,  not  only  in  alms-giving,  this 
was  but  a  small  matter,  when  compared  with  the  happier  and 
more  important  attempt  which  he  made  for  the  good  of  man- 
kind, at  the  hazard  of  his  life,  and  the  expense  of  an  unblem- 
ished character.    How  he  has  preached  with  showers  of  stones. 


232  MEMOIRS   OF   WHITEFIELD. 

and  many  other  instruments  of  malice  and  revenge  about  his 
ears,  many  of  his  surviving  friends  can  witness.  But  having 
the  salvation  of  sinners  at  heart,  and  a  great  desire  to  rescue 
them  from  the  power  of  eternal  death,  he  resolved  to  spend 
.?nd  be  spent  for  the  service  of  precious  and  immortal  souls  ; 
and  spared  no  pains,  and  refused  no  labor,  so  that  he  might 
but  administer  to  their  real  and  eternal  good.  And  glory  be 
to  our  good  God,  he  hath  persevered  and  endured  to  the  end 
of  his  life,  having  respect  unto  the  recompense  of  the  reward. 
Surely  nothing  else  could  support  him  under  such  a  weight  of 
care,  and  enable  him,  amidst  it  all.  for  so  many  years,  to  bear 
it  with  so  much  cheerfulness.  The  worthy  inhabitants  of  this 
})rovince  do  not  want  my  attestation,  either  to  the  loss  the  pro- 
vince has  sustained,  or  to  the  desire  he  has  had  for  its  pros- 
perity. His  indefatigable  endeavors  to  promote  it,  and  the 
many  fervent  prayers  he  has  night  and  day  offered  for  it,  speak 
loud  enough.  Happy  omens  we  would  hope  in  favor  of  it, 
both  as  to  its  temporal  increase,  and  spiritual  prosperity.  May 
God  raise  up  some  useful  men  to  supply  his  place,  and  carry 
on  unto  perfection  what  he  hath  so  disinterestedly  begun,  that 
the  institution  he  has  founded  in  this  province,  may  be  of  pub- 
he  utility  to  the  latest  posterity ! 

'•As  to  his  death,  little  more  can  be  said  of  it,  than  has  been 
communicated  to  the  public  already.  He  died  like  a  hero,  in 
the  field  of  battle— he  has  been  fio^htinof  the  battles  of  the 
Lord  of  hosts  upwards  of  thirty  years,  against  the  world,  sin, 
and  Satan — and  he  has  been  a  conquerer — he  has  fought  suc- 
cessfully— man3^  very  many,  converted  sinners  are  the  trophies 
of  his  victory.  But  now  his  warfare  is  accomplished,  the  cap- 
tain of  his  salvation  has  granted  him  a  discharge,  he  has  entered 
into  his  everlasting  rest,  and  is  reaping  the  benefit  of  a  life 
sincerely  dedicated  to  his  service  of  the  once  crucified,  but  now 
exalted  Jesus.  He  preached  the  day  before  his  decease:  though 
his  death  was  sudden,  he  was  not  surprised.  The  morning  of 
his  departure,  not  many  hours  before  his  spirit  took  its  flight 
to  the  regions  of  bliss,  he  prayed  to  the  God  of  his  salvation,  and 
committed  his  departing  soul  into  his  hands,  as  his  faithful 
Creator,  and  all  merciful  Redeemer.  Soon  after  he  said,  '  I  am 
near  my  end' — then  fell  asleep — he  fainted  and  died — not  one 
sigh,  or  groan — the  Lord  heard  his  prayer,  and  granted  his 
request,  and  gave  him  an  easy  dismission  out  of  time  into  eter- 
nity. Sudden  death  was  his  desire  ;  and  sudden  death  w^as  to 
him  sudden  glory.  He  has  fought  the  good  fight ;  few,  if  any, 
since  the  apostles,  have  been  more  extensively  useful,  or  labor- 
ed more  abundantly.  Thousands,  I  believe,  I  may  with  pro- 
priety saj^,  in  England,  Scotland,  and  America,  have  great 


MEMOIRS  OF    WHITEFIELD.  233 

reason  to  bless  God  for  his  ministrations  ;  for  he  has  traveled 
far  and  wide,  proclaiming  the  glad  tidings  of  salvation  through 
faith  in  a  crucified  Savior.  Adorable  Emanuel,  make  thou  up 
the  loss  of  him  to  thy  church  and  people  !  Let  a  double  por- 
tion of  thy  Spirit  be  poured  out  upon  the  remaining  ministers  ! 
Let  that  holy  fire,  which  burnt  so  bright  in  thy  departed  ser- 
vant, warm  each  of  their  hearts  !  And,  O  thou  Lord  of  the 
harvest,  send  forth  more  such  true  and  faithful  laborers  into 
thy  harvest/' 

Many  funeral  discourses  were  preached  for  him  at  home  and 
abroad.  In  that  by  the  Rev.  Dr.  Edwards,  November  11,  1770. 
on  Hebrews  xi.  4,  "  By  it  he  being-  dead,  yet  speaketh,^^ — is 
given  the  character  of  Whitefield  as  follows  : 

1.  "  The  ardent  love  he  bore  to  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  was 
remarkable.  This  divine  principle  constrained  him  to  an  un- 
wearied application  in  the  service  of  the  gospel ;  and  transport- 
ed him,  at  times,  in  the  eyes  of  some,  beyond  the  bounds  of 
sober  reason.  He  was  content  to  be  a  fool  for  Christ's  sake  ; 
to  bo  despised,  so  Christ  might  be  honored  :  to  be  nothing, 
that  Jesus  might  be  all  in  all.  He  had  such  a  sense  of  the 
incomparable  excellence  of  the  person  of  Christ,  of  his  adorable 
condescension  in  ^dking  our  nature  upon  him.  and  enduring 
the  curses  of  the  holy  law  ;  his  complete  suitableness  and  suf- 
ficiency, as  the  wisdom,  righteousness,  sanctification,  and  re- 
demption of  his  people,  that  he  could  never  say  enough  of  him. 
He  was  so  convinced  of  the  happy  tendency  and  efficacy  of 
this  principle  in  his  own  mind,  that  he  made  use  of  it,  and  pro- 
posed it  to  others,  in  the  room  of  a  thousand  arguments  when- 
ever he  would  inculcate  the  most  unreserved  obedience  to  the 
whole  will  of  God,  or  stir  up  believers  to  a  holy  diligence  in 
adorning  the  doctrines  of  God  our  Savior  in  all  things.  In- 
spired by  this  principle,  nothing  frightened  or  flattered  him  from 
his  duty. 

2.  "Another  pleasing  ingredient  in  his  character,  and  a  sure 
evidence  of  the  former,  was  to  love  the  souls  of  mankind.  He 
rejoiced  in  their  prosperity  as  one  that  had  found  great  spoil ; 
and  with  St.  Paul,  was  willing  to  spend  and  be  spent  in  pro- 
moting their  happiness.  He  loved  all  who  loved  Jesus  Christ 
in  sincerity,  however  they  might  differ  in  some  circumstantials. 
He  embraced  all  opportunities  to  expose  the  malignant  leaven 
of  a  party,  and  to  remove  prejudices  and  misapprehensions, 
which  good  people  too  often  entertain  of  one  another,  when 
under  the  influence  of  sectarian  humor. 

3.  "  His  attachment  to  the  great  doctrines  of  the  gospel  was 
inflexible  ;  having  known  their  worth,  and  experienced  their 
power  in  his  own  heart,  he  plainly  saw,  that  though  they  were 

20* 


234  MEMOIRS  OF   WHITEFIELD. 

unacceptable  to  the  carnal  heart,  yet  they  bore  the  plain  im- 
press of  the  infinite  Avisdom  of  God.  Those  important  truths, 
which  tended  to  humble  the  sinner,  to  exalt  Christ,  and  pro- 
mote holiness  in  heart  and  life,  were  his  darling  subjects.  He 
did  not  disguise  gospel  truths  by  some  artful  sweetening,  to 
render  them  more  palatable  to  men  of  corrupt  minds :  he  stu- 
died to  preach  the  word  in  its  purity,  plainness,  and  simplicity. 
The  warmth  of  his  zeal  disgusted  many  who  make  a  mighty 
outcry  about  candor  and  charity,  and  are  willing  to  extend  it 
to  every  sentiment,  except  the  truths  in  which  the  apostles 
gloried.  It  was  his  love  to  the  truths  of  God,  and  the  souls  of 
men,  that  led  him  to  expose  those  who  plead  for  the  rectitude 
and  excellences  of  human  nature  ;  deny  the  proper  godhead  of 
Jesus  Christ,  justification  by  faith  in  his  righteousness  imputed, 
on  the  new  birth ;  and  the  absolute  necessity  of  the  operations 
of  the  Holy  Ghost.  Faith  and  holiness  were  ever  united  to- 
gether in  his  system,  in  opposition  to  those  who  pretend  to  faith 
without  obedience  to  the  law  of  God  as  the  rule  of  hfe.  He 
knew  errors  of  the  great  truths  of  the  gospel  are  not  indiflerent, 
but  dreadful  and  fatal ;  he  knew  it  was  not  candor  and  cha- 
rity to  say  that  errors  in  judgment  are  not  hurtful,  but  the 
greatest  unmercifulness  and  cruelty ;  therefore  he  often  reprov- 
ed such  sharply. 

"Although  he  was  so  tenacious  of  the  foundation  truths  of 
the  gospel,  yet  none  more  candid  in  things  that  are  not  essen- 
tial ;  herein  he  was  full  of  gentleness  and  forbearance.  In 
thin^^s  indifferent  he  became  all  things  to  all  men. 

4.  "  To  the  foregoing  particulars  in  Mr.  Whitefield's  charac- 
ter, I  may  add  his  zeal.  His  christian  zeal  v/as  like  the  light 
of  the  sun,  which  did  warm,  shine  and  cherish,  but  knew  not 
to  destroy  ;  full  of  generous  philanthropy  and  benevolence,  his 
zeal  made  him  exceeding  earnest  and  importunate  in  his  ad- 
dresses to  saints  and  sinners.  His  zeal  returned  blessings  for 
curses,  and  prayers  for  ill  treatment — it  kindled  in  him  a  be- 
coming indignation  against  the  errors,  follies,  and  sins  of  the 
time — it  led  him  to  weep  bitterly  over  those  who  would  not  be 
persuaded  to  fly  from  the  wrath  to  come — it  made  him  bold 
and  intrepid  in  the  cause  of  God,  and  kept  him  from  that  flat- 
ness and  deadness,  which  is  too  visible  in  some  good  ministers. 
In  those  things  he  was  an  example  to  ministers  of  every  deno- 
mination ;  and  if  the  limits  of  my  discourse  would  admit,  I 
could  mention  many  things,  as  to  his  charity  to  the  poor,  his 
humility,  <fcc." 

On  Sunday,  November  18,  1770,  the  Rev.  John  Wesley, 
preached  his  funeral  sermon  at  the  chapel  in  Tottenham  court 


MEMOIRS    OF  WHITEFIELD.  235 

road,  and  at  the  Tabernacle,*  from  Numbers  xxiii.  10.  "Z>e/ 
file  die  the  death  of  the  righteous^  and  let  my  last  end  be  like 
hisr  And  in  the  sermon,  after  giving  some  particulars  of  his 
Ufe  and  death,  Mr.  Wesley  says  : 

1.  "We  are  next  to  take  some  view  of  his  character.  A 
little  sketch  of  this  was  soon  after  his  death,  pubhshed  in  the 
Boston  Gazette,  an  extract  of  which  is  subjoined.  "Little  can 
be  said  of  him  but  what  every  friend  to  vital  Christianity,  who 
has  sat  under  his  ministry  will  assert.  In  his  public  labors  he 
has  for  many  years  astonished  the  world  with  his  eloquence 
and  devotion.  With  what  divine  pathos  did-  he  persuade  the 
impenitent  sinner  to  embrace  the  practice  of  early  piety  and 
virtue  :  filled  with  the  spirit  of  grace,  he  spoke  from  the  heart 
with  a  fervency  of  zeal  perhaps  unequalled  since  the  days  of 
the  apostles ;  adorned  the  truths  he  delivered  with  the  most 
graceful  charms  of  rhetoric  and  oratory.  From  the  pulpit  ho 
was  unrivalled  in  the  command  of  an  ever  crowded  auditory. 
Nor  was  he  less  agreeable  and  instructive  in  his  private  con- 
versation :  happy  in  a  remarkable  ease  of  address,  willing  to 
communicate,  studious  to  edify.  May  the  rising  generation 
catch  a  spark  of  that  flame  which  shone  with  such  distinguished 
luster  in  the  spirit  and  practice  of  this  faithful  servant  of  the 
most  high  God. 

2.  "  A  more  particular  and  equally  just  character  of  him  has 
appeared  in  one  of  the  English  papers,  London  Chronicle,  No- 
vember 8,  1770.  It  may  not  be  disagreeable  to  you  to  add 
the  substance  of  this  likewise.  The  character  of  this  truly 
pious  person,  must  be  deeply  impressed  on  the  heart  of  every 
friend  to  vital  religion.  In  spite  of  a  tender  and  delicate  con- 
stitution, he  continued  to  the  Itust  day  of  his  life,  preaching  with 
a  frequency  and  a  fervor,  that  seemed  to  exceed  the  natural 
strength  of  the  most  robust.  Being  called  to  the  exercise  of 
his  function  at  an  age,  when  most  young  men  are  only  begin- 
ning to  qualify  them-selves  tor  it,  he  had  not  time  to  make  a 
very  considerable  progress  in  the  learned  languages :  but  this 
defect  was  amply  supplied  by  a  lively  and  fertile  genius,  by  fer- 
vent zeal,  and  by  a  formidable  and  most  persuasive  delivery. 
And  though  in  the  pulpit  he  often  found  it  needful,  by  the  ter- 
rors of  the  Lord,  to  persuade  men,  he  had  nothing  gloomy  in 
his  nature,  being  singularly  cheerful,  as  well  as  charitable  and 

*  London  Chronicle,  November  19, 1770.  "  Yesterday  the  Rev.  John  "Wes- 
ley preached  a  funeral  sermon  on  Mr.  Whitefield's  death  in  the  morning,  at 
Tottenham  court  chapel;  and  in  the  evening,  at  the  Tabernacle;  the  inside 
of  each  place  was  lined  with  black  cloth,  and  an  escutcheon  hung  on  the  pul- 
pits. The  multitudes  that  went,  with  a  design  to  hear  the  sermon,  exceed  all 
belief.  The  chapel  and  the  Tabernacle  were  both  filled  as  soon  as  they  were 
opened." 


236  MEMOIRS  OF    WHITEFIELD. 

tender  hearted.  He  was  as  ready  to  relieve  the  bodily,  as  spiritu- 
al necessities  of  those  that  applied  to  him.  It  ought  also  to  be 
observed,  that  he  constantly  enforced  upon  his  audience  every 
moral  duty,  particularly  industry  in  their  several  callings,  and 
obedience  to  their  superiors.  He  endeavored,  by  the  most  ex- 
traordinary efforts  of  preaching  in  different  places,  and  even 
in  the  open  fields,  to  rouse  the  lower  class  of  people,  from  the 
last  degree  of  inattention  and  ignorance,  to  a  sense  of  religion. 
For  this,  and  his  other  labors,  the  name  of  George  White- 
field  will  long  be  remembered  with  esteem  and  veneration. 

3.  "  That  both  these  accounts  are  just  and  impartial,  will 
readily  be  allowed  ;  that  is,  as  far  as  they  go  :  but  they  go  little 
farther  than  the  outsides  of  his  character :  they  show  you  the 
preacher,  but  not  the  man,  the  christian,  the  saint  of  God. 
May  I  be  permitted  to  add  a  little  on  this  head,  from  a  personal 
knowledge  of  nearly  forty  years  ?  Indeed,  I  am  throughly  sensi- 
ble how  diflicult  it  is  to  speak  on  so  delicate  a  subject ;  what 
prudence  is  required  to  avoid  both  extremities,  to  say  neither 
too  little  nor  too  much  !  Nay,  I  know  it  is  impossible  to  speak 
at  all,  to  say  either  less  or  more,  without  incurring  from  some 
the  former,  from  others  the  latter  censure.  Some  will  serious- 
ly think  that  too  little  is  said :  and  others  that  it  is  too  much  : 
but  without  attending  to  this,  I  will  speak  just  what  I  know, 
before  Him  to  whom  Vv^e  are  all  to  give  an  account. 

4.  "  Mention  has  been  already  made  of  his  unparalleled 
zeal,  his  indefatigable  activity,  his  tender  heartedness  to  the 
afflicted,  and  charitableness  toward  the  poor.  But  should  we 
not  likewise  mention  his  deep  gratitude  to  all  whom  God  had 
used  as  instruments  of  good  to  him  ?  Of  whom  he  did  not 
cease  to  speak  in  the  most  respectful  manner,  even  to  his  dying 
day.  Should  we  not  mention  that  he  had  a  heart  susceptible 
of  the  most  generous  and  the  most  tender  friendship?  I  have 
freqnently  thought  that  this,  of  all  others,  was  the  distinguish- 
ing part  of  his  character.  How  few  have  we  known  of  so  kind 
a  temper,  of  such  large  and  flowing  affections.  Was  it  not 
principally  by  this,  that  the  hearts  of  others  were  so  strongly 
drawn  and  knit  to  him  ?  Can  any  thing  but  love  beget  love? 
This  shone  in  his  very  countenance,  and  continually  breathed 
in  all  his  words,  whether  in  public  or  private.  Was  it  not  this, 
which,  quick  and  penetrating  as  lightning,  flew  from  heart  to 
heart  ?  Which  gave  that  life  to  his  sermons,  his  conversation, 
his  letters  ?     Ye  are  witnesses. 

5.  "  But  away  with  the  vile  misconstruction  of  men  of  cor- 
rupt minds,  who  knew  of  no  love,  but  what  is  earthly  and 
sensual.  Be  it  remembered  at  the  same  time,  that  he  was  en- 
dued with  the  most  nice  and  unblemished  modesty.   His  office 


MEMOIRS  OP    WHITEFIELD.  237 

called  him  to  converse  very  frequently  and  largely  with  women 
as  well  as  men,  and  those  of  every  age  andjpondition.  But  his 
whole  behavior  towards  them,  was  a  practical  comment  on  that 
advice  of  St.  Paul  to  Timothy,  '  entreat  the  elder  women  as 
mothers,  the  younger  as  sisters,  with  all  purity.' 

6.  "  Mean  time,  how  suitable  to  the  friendliness  of  his  spirit, 
was  the  frankness  and  openness  of  his  conversation  ?  Although 
it  was  as  far  removed  from  rudeness  on  the  one  hand,  as  from 
guilt  and  disguise  on  the  other.  Was  not  this  frankness  at 
once  a  fruit  and  a  proof  of  his  courage  and  intrepidity  ?  Arm- 
ed with  these,  he  feared  not  the  faces  of  men,  but  used  great 
plainness  of  speech  to  persons  of  every  rank  and  condition, 
high  and  low.  rich  and  poor ;  endeavoring  only  by  manifesta- 
tion of  the  truth,  to  commend  himself  to  every  man's  con- 
science in  the  sight  of  God. 

7.  "  Neither  was  he  afraid  of  labor  or  pains,  any  more  than 
of  what  man  could  do  unto  him,  being  equally 

'  Patient  in  bearing  ill,  and  doing  well.' 

"  And  this  appeared  in  the  steadiness  wherewith  he  pursued 
whatever  he  undertook,  for  his  Master's  sake ;  witness  one  in- 
stance for  all,  the  Orphan-house  in  Georgia,  which  he  began 
and  perfected,  in  spite  of  all  discouragements.  Indeed,  in 
whatever  concerned  himself,  he  was  pliable  and  flexible.  In  this 
case  he  was  easy  to  be  entreated,  easy  to  be  either  convinced 
or  persuaded  ;  but  he  was  immovable  in  the  things  of  God,  or 
wherever  his  conscience  was  concerned.  None  could  persuade, 
any  more  than  affright  him,  to  vary  in  the  least  point  from  that 
integrity,  which  was  inseparable  from  his  whole  character,  and 
regulated  all  his  words  and  actions.     Herein  he  did 

'  Stand  as  an  iron  pillar  strong, 
And  steadfast  as  a  wall  of  brass.' 

8.  "  If  it  be  inquired,  what  was  the  foundation  of  this  in- 
tegi'ity,  or  of  his  sincerity,  courage,  patience,  and  every  other 
valuable  and  amiable  quality?  it  is  easy  to  give  the  answer.  It 
was  not  the  excellence  of  his  natural  temper  ;  not  the  strength 
of  his  understanding :  it  was  not  the  force  of  education  ;  no, 
nor  the  advice  of  his  friends.  It  was  no  other  than  faith  in  a 
believing  Lord ;  faith  of  the  operation  of  God.  It  was  a  lively 
hope  of  an  inheritance  incorruptible,  undefiled,  and  that  fadeth 
not  away.  It  was  the  love  of  God  shed  abroad  in  his  heart 
by  the  Holy  Ghost,  which  was  given  unto  him,  filling  his  soul 
with  tender,  disinterested  love  to  every  child  of  man.  From 
this  source  arose  that  torrent  of  eloquence,  which  frequently 
bore  down  all  before  it.     From  this,  that  astonishing  force  of 


238  MEMOIRS  OF    WHITEFIELD. 

persuasion,  which  the  most  hardened  sinners  could  not  resist. 
This  it  was,  which  often  made  his  head  as  waters,  and  his  eyes 
a  fountain  of  tears.  This  it  was,  which  enabled  him  to  pour 
out  his  soul  in  prayer,  in  a  manner  peculiar  to  himself,  with 
such  fullness  and  ease  united  together,  with  such  strength  and 
variety  both  of  sentiment  and  expression. 

6.  "  I  may  close  this  head  with  observing,  what  an  honor  it 
pleased  God  to  put  upon  his  faithful  servant,  by  allowing  him 
to  declare  his  everlasting  gospel  in  so  many  various  countries, 
to  such  numbers  of  people,  and  with  so  great  an  effect  on  so 
many  of  their  precious  souls  !" 

On  the  same  day,  November  18, 1770,  the  Rev.  Henry  Venn, 
A.  M.,  rector  of  Yelling,  in  Huntingdonshire,  and  chaplain  to 
the  Right  Honorable  the  earl  of  Buchan,  preached  a  sermon  at 
the  Countess  of  Huntingdon's  chapel  at  Bath,  on  Isaiah  viii. 
18.  "  Behold  /,  and  the  children  whom  the  Lord  hath  giveti 
we,  are  for  signs  and  for  ivonders  in  Israel,  from  the  Lord 
of  Hosts,  which  dwelleth  in  Mount  Zion.^^  The  following 
hymn  was  sung : 

Servant  of  God,  well  done  ! 

Thy  glorious  warfare's  past, 
The  battle's  fought,  the  race  is  won, 

And  thou  art  crowned  at  last  j 
Of  all  thy  heart's  desire. 

Triumphantly  possess'd, 
Lodg'd  by  the  ministerial  choir, 

In  thy  Redeemer's  breast. 

In  condescending  love 

Thy  ceaseless  prayer  he  heard. 
And  bade  thee  suddenly  remove 

To  thy  complete  reward  ; 
Ready  to  bring  the  peace, 

Thy  beauteous  feet  M^ere  shod, 
When  mercy  signed  thy  soul's  release, 

And  caught  thee  up  to  God. 

With  saints  en thron'd  on  high. 

Thou  dost  thy  Lard  proclaim. 
And  still  to  God  salvation  cry, 

Salvation  to  the  Lamb  ! 
O  happy,  happy  soul, 

In  ecsfasies  of  praise, 
Long  as  eternal  ages  roll, 

Thou  seest  thy  Savior's  face. 

Redeem'd  from  earth  and  pain, 

Ah  !  when  shall  we  ascend. 
And  all  in  Jesus'  presence  reign, 

With  our  translated  friend  ! 
Come  Lord,  and  quickly  come  ! 

And  when  in  thee  complete, 
Receive  thy  longing  servants  home, 

To  triumph  at  thy  feet ! 


MEMOIRS  OF    WHITEFIELD.  239 

Of  Whitefield,  Mr.  Venn  says  : — "  Though  the  children  of 
Christ  are  all  for  signs  and  for  wonders  in  Israel,  yet  do  they 
differ  as  one  star  differeth  from  another  star  in  glory.  Talents, 
grace,  and  zeal,  eminently  dignify  some,  and  draw  the  eyes  of 
men  upon  them.  In  the  foremost  of  this  rank,  doubtless,  is  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Whitefield  to  be  placed  ;  for  his  doctrine  was  the 
doctrine  of  the  Reformers,  of  the  Apostles,  and  of  Christ;  it 
was  the  doctrine  of  free  grace,  of  God's  everlasting  love. 
Through  Jesus  he  preached  the  forgiveness  of  sins,  and  perse- 
verance in  holy  living,  through  his  faithfulness  and  power  en- 
gaged to  his  people.  And  the  doctrines  which  he  preached,  ho 
eminently  adorned  by  his  zeal,  and  by  his  works.  For,  if  the 
greatness,  extent,  success,  and  disinterestedness  of  a  man's  labor, 
can  give  him  distinction  among  the  children  of  Christ,  we  are 
warranted  to  affirm,  that  scarce  any  one  of  his  ministers,  since 
the  apostles'  days,  has  exceeded  ;  scarce  any  one  has  equalled 
Mr.  Whitefield. 

"What  a  sign  and  wonder  was  this  man  of  God  in  the 
greatness  of  his  labors !  One  cannot  but  stand  amazed  that  his 
mortal  frame  could,  for  the  space  of  thirty  years,  without  inter- 
ruption, sustain  the  weight  of  them.  For  what  is  so  trying  to 
the  human  frame,  in  youth  especially,  as  long  continued,  fre- 
quent and  violent  straining  of  the  lungs?  Who,  that  knows 
their  structure,  would  think  it  possible,  that  a  person,  little 
above  the  age  of  manhood,  should  speak  in  the  compass  of  a 
single  week,  and  that  for  years,  in  general,  forty  hours,  and  in 
very  many  weeks  sixty,  and  that  to  thousands  ;  and  after  this 
labor,  instead  of  taking  any  rest,  should  be  offering  up  prayers, 
intercessions,  with  hymns  and  spiritual  songs,  as  his  manner 
was,  in  every  house  to  which  he  was  invited.  The  history 
of  the  church  of  Christ  affords  but  very  few  instances  of  men 
thus  incessantly  employing  their  whole  strength,  as  it  were, 
every  breath  they  drew,  in  the  business  of  their  sacred  func- 
tion. And  the  truth  is,  that  in  point  of  labor,  this  extraordi- 
nary servant  of  God  did  as  much  in  a  few  weeks,  as  most  of 
those  who  exert  themselves  are  able  to  do  in  the  space  of  a 
year.  Thus  laboring,  not  by  fits  or  starts,  but  with  constancy, 
perseverance,  and  ardor  unabated,  his  mortal  frame,  about  nine 
years  since,  began  to  snik  under  the  weight  of  much  work.  If 
with  the  length  and  frequency  of  Mr.  Whitefield's  preaching, 
we  consider  the  intenseness  of  voice  and  spirit  with  which  he 
spoke,  the  greatness  of  his  labors  will  appear  perfectly  astonish- 
ing. He  knew  not  how  to  speak  with  less  zeal,  in  his  whole 
manner,  than  became  the  subject  of  his  discourse.  The  total 
ruin  of  the  human  race  by  the  fall,  the  complete  recovery  of 
believers  in  Christ,  his  dying  love,  and  the  unsearchable  riches 


240  MEMOIRS  OF   WHITEFIELD. 

of  his  grace,  to  be  known  experimentally  in  this  life,  tliough 
fully  to  be  displayed  in  the  next ;  and  the  infatuation  of  sin- 
ners, led  captive  by  their  lusts,  down  to  the  chambers  of  death. 
These  grand  truths,  of  more  weight  than  words  can  paint, 
fired  his  whole  soul ;  they  transported  him  as  much  as  earthly 
spirits  are  transported  into  vehemence,  when  they  contend  per- 
sonally for  their  own  property  ;  he  cried  out  therefore,  as  his 
dear  Lord  was  wont  to  do,  with  a  voice  audible  to  an  amazing 
distance.  Hence,  in  a  thousand  instances,  where  the  cause 
of  God,  more  coolly  pleaded,  would  have  been  neglected,  he 
gained  it  a  hearing,  and  carried  the  day:  for  the  unusual 
earnestness  of  the  speaker  roused  the  most  stupid  and  lethargic  ; 
it  compelled  them  to  feel ;  the  matter  must  be  momentous,  in- 
deed, which  the  speaker  was  urging,  as  a  man  would  plead  for 
his  own  hfe.  Early  and  often  his  body  suffered  for  this  violent 
exertion  of  his  strength.  Early  and  often  his  inside  has  bled 
a  considerable  quantity,  and  cried  out,  spare  thyself;  but  pro- 
digal of  life,  in  the  best  of  causes,  he  would  give  himself  no 
rest,  expecting  very  soon  to  finish  his  course,  and  infinitely 
desirous  to  save  the  souls  condemned  to  die — he  perished. 
Though  this  may  be  blamed  as  an  excess,  it  was  an  excess  far 
above  the  reach  of  a  selfish  mind,  or  an  ordinary  faith. 

"  Equal  to  the  greatness  and  intenseness  of  his  labors,  Avas 
their  extent.  The  abilities  and  grace  of  most  teachers,  have 
full  employ  in  but  a  small  district,  nor  have  common  men 
talents  for  more.  But,  when  God  lights  up  in  the  breast,  an 
apostolic  zeal  for  his  own  glory,  an  apostolic  love  for  the  souls 
of  men,  it  seems  reasonable  to  conclude  such  an  instrument  is 
designed  for  the  most  extensive  usefulness. 

"Accordingly  the  compass  of  Mr.  Whitefield's  labors,  exceeds 
any  thing  that  others  can  pretend  to.  Not  only  in  the  south, 
the  west,  and  north  of  England,  did  he  lift  up  his  voice,  saying, 
repent,  for  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  come,  but  in  Wales,  in 
Scotland,  in  Ireland,  and  America,  from  Georgia  to  Boston, 
vast  multitudes  in  each  couiitry  were  witnesses  of  his  zeal  for 
the  salvation  of  souls. 

"And  to  crown  all,  he  was  abundantly  successful  in  his  vast 
labors,  and  disinterested  too.  The  seals  to  his  ministry,  from 
first  to  last,  I  am  persuaded,  are  more  than  could  be  credited, 
could  the  number  be  fixed.  This  is  certain,  his  amazing  popu- 
larity was  only  from  his  usefulness  ;  for  he  no  sooner  opened 
his  mouth  as  a  preacher,  than  God  commanded  an  extraordi- 
nary blessing  upon  his  word.  The  people  were  so  deeply  im- 
pressed with  the  sense  of  divine  things,  from  what  he  delivered, 
that,  to  his  own  great  surprise,  they  followed  him  from  church 
to  church,  until  the  largest  churches  in  London  could  no  longer 


MEMOIRS   OF    WHITEFIELD.  241 

contain  a  fourth  part  of  the  crowds,  which  pressed  to  hear  the 
word  of  God  from  his  hps. 

"  Should  any  one  say.  few  in  comparison,  besides  the  low, 
ignorant,  common  people,  were  his  followers,  I  would  answer, 
the  souls  of  the  poor  and  ignorant  are  to  the  full  as  precious 
as  those  of  the  rich  and  learned ;  and  the  mob  have  shown  tho 
justest  discernment,  and  have  received  the  truth  ;  whilst  men 
of  Avealth,  learning,  and  education,  have  trampled  it  under  their 
feet.  Witness  the  chief  scribes  and  pharisees,  who  rejected 
both  the  baptist  and  the  Savior,  when  the  common  people 
justified  God,  and  gave  them  both  the  honor  of  being  sent  from 
him.  Indeed,  in  every  age,  we  see  the  scripture  fulfilled — not 
many  rich,  not  many  mighty,  not  many  wise  men  after  the 
flesh  are  called ;  but  God  has  chosen  the  poor,  rich  in  faith,  and 
heirs  of  the  kingdom. 

"  However,  Avhen  the  fierceness  of  prejudice  was  worn  ofi", 
numbers,  who  at  first  despised  him,  taught  to  do  so  by  gross 
slanderers,  were  happy  under  his  ministry.  And  this  honor 
was  put  upon  him  even  to  the  last.  He  had  a  much  larger 
audience  statedly  to  hear  him,  than  any  man  in  the  wliolc^ 
kingdom,  perhaps  in  all  Christendom. 

"  And  that  this  vast  multitude  of  people  were  gathered,  ju«i 
as  the  primitive  churches  of  Christ,  by  the  truth  they  heard, 
and  the  spiritual  benefit  they  received  under  his  word,  is  evi- 
dent beyond  a  reasonable  doubt.  For,  if  you  trace  his  pro- 
gress through  the  various  cities  and  countries  where  he  preach- 
ed the  gospel,  you  will  find,  as  the  case  was  with  St.  Paul,  so 
it  was  with  this  servant  of  Christ ;  many  were  turned  by  him 
from  darkness  to  light,  from  the  power  of  Satan  unto  God, 
receiving  remission  of  their  sins,  and  an  inheritance  amoiig 
those  that  are  sanctified,  through  faith  in  Christ.  Inquire  of 
the  effects  of  his  labors,  from  the  only  proper  judges,  those  who 
live  in  the  religious  world  ;  and  they  will  aver,  that  many  with- 
in their  own  knowledge,  small  as  that  circle  must  be,  confess 
they  owe  their  ownselves  to  this  faithful  witness  for  his  LiOrd. 
Added  to  this,  that  the  letters  he  received  of  grateful  acknow- 
ledgments, from  persons  of  all  ages  and  conditions  in  life,  for 
the  spiritual  blessings  he  had  conveyed  to  them,  would  fill 
volumes.  Nay,  it  is  a  well  known  fact,  that  the  conversion  of 
men's  souls  has  been  the  fruit  of  a  single  sermon  from  his  lips; 
so  eminently  was  he  made  of  God,  a  fisher  of  men.  Bnt  h(^ 
was  not  more  successful  than  he  was  disinterested  in  his  labors ; 
for  though  a  vast  multitude,  which  must  ever  be  the  case  with 
those  whom  God  is  pleased  remarkably  to  own,  followed  him, 
he  had  still  no  ambition  to  stand  at  the  head  of  a  party.  Kis 
great  object  was  to  exalt  Christ  crucified  :  and  when  his  hear- 

31 


242  MEMOIRS    OF    WHITEFIELD. 

ers  were  broiitj^ht  to  the  knowledge  of  salvation,  his  point  was 
gained,  and  his  soul  was  satisfied.  Hence,  neither  in  his  ser- 
mons, nor  more  private  exhortations,  did  he  cast  disparaging 
reflections  upon  other  preachers  of  Christ.  No  base  sugges- 
tion dropt  from  his  mouth,  as  if  to  differ  from  him  must  be 
owing  to  blindness  in  the  judgment,  or  coldness  of  the  heart 
ibr  the  interests  of  holiness.  Truly  cordial  and  catholic  in  his 
lov^e  for  all  Ivho  appeared  to  love  the  Lord  Jesus  in  sincerity, 
he  never  desired  to  see  his  congregation  increased  by  those  who 
had  evangelical  pastors  of  their  own. 

"Further,  in  proof  of  his  disinterestedness,  consider  what 
he  gained  by  his  labors.  The  scourge  of  the  tongue  was  let 
loose  upon  him,  and  his  name  was  loaded  with  the  foulest  ca- 
lumnies; he  was  often  in  tumults,  and  miore  than  once  in  dan- 
ger of  his  life,  by  the  rage  of  the  people ;  he  wore  himself 
away  in  the  service  of  souls  ;  and  when  he  died,  he  died  ({uite 
exhausted  by  much  speaking  ;  but  in  his  death,  he  received  an 
immediate  answer  to  his  own  prayer,  '  that  if  it  were  consis- 
tent with  the  divine  will,  he  might  finish  that  day  his  Master's 
work.' 

"  For  siich  a  life,  and  such  a  death,  though  in  tears  under 
our  great  loss,  we  must  yet  thank  God.  And  though  we  are 
allowed  to  sorrow,  because  we  shall  never  see  or  hear  him 
again,  we  must  rejoice  that  millions  have  heard  him  so  long, 
so  often,  and  to  so  much  good  effect ;  that  out  of  this  mass  of 
people,  multitudes  are  gone  before  him,  we  doubt  not,  to  hail 
his  entrance  into  the  world  of  glory  ;  and  that  in  every  period 
of  life,  from  childhood  to  hoary  as^e,  many  of  his  children  in 
the  Lord  are  still  to  follow  ;  all  to  be  his  crown  of  rejoicing ; 
the  only  effectual,  everlasting  confutation  of  his  adversaries ; 
that  he  ran  not  in  vain,  nor  labored  in  vain." 

Many  more  sermons  were  preached,  on  Whitefield's  death, 
by  the  Rev.  Messrs. Whitaker  find  Smith,  of  Charleston ;  Sproutt, 
of  Philadelphia  ;  Langford,  Elliott,  and  others. 

It  appears,  from  a  paper  written  by  Whitefield,  that  if  he 
had  lived  to  finish  his  imperfect  manuscript,  sometimes  quoted 
in  these  memoirs,  the  conclusion  would  have  been,  "Reflec- 
tions upon  the  whole,  containing  arguments  to  prove  the  di- 
vinity of  the  work ;  and  answers  to  objections  against  field 
preaching — lay  preaching — irregularities — and  the  blemishes 
that  have  attended  it." 

His  death  preventing  the  execution  of  this  design,  we  could 
refer  the  reader  to  what  has  been  published  upon  the  subject, 
by  the  Rev.  Messrs.  Jonathan  Edwards,  Hobby,  Shutliff",  and 
others. 

The  Rev.  John  Newton,  late  rector  of  St.  Mary  Woolnoth, 


MEMOIRS  OF   WHITEFIELD.  243 

London,  preached  a  sermon  at  Olney,  November  11,  1770,  on 
John  V.  35,  He  teas  a  hurnbig  and  a  shining  light.  In  which 
he  speaks  of  Whitefield,  as  follows  :  "Some  ministers  are  burn- 
ing and  shining  hghts  in  a  pecuhar  and  eminent  degree.  Such 
an  one,  I  doubt  not,  was  the  servant  of  God,  whose  deatli  we 
now  lament.  I  have  had  some  opportunities  of  looking  over 
the  history  of  the  church  in  past  ages.  I  am  not  backward  to 
say,  that  I  have  not  read  or  heard  of  any  person  since  the 
aposdes'  days,  of  whom  it  may  be  more  emphatically  said,  he 
was  a  burning  and  shining  light,  than  the  late  Mr.  Whitefield, 
whether  we  consider  the  warmth  of  his  zeal,  the  greatness  of 
his  ministerial  talents,  or  the  extensive  usefulness  with  which 
the  Lord  honored  hmi.  I  do  not  mean  to  praise  the  man,  but 
the  Lord  who  furnished  him,  and  made  him  what  he  was.  He 
was  raised  up  to  shine  in  a  dark  place.  The  state  of  religion, 
when  he  first  appeared  in  public,  was  very  low  in  our  establish- 
ed church.  I  speak  the  truth,  though  to  some  it  may  be  an 
offensive  truth.  The  doctrines  of  grace  were  seldom  heard 
from  the  pulpit,  and  the  life  and  power  of  godhness  were  httle 
known.  Many  of  the  most  spiritual  among  the  dissenters, 
were  mourning  under  the  sense  of  a  great  spreading  declen- 
sion on  their  side.  What  a  change  has  taken  place  through- 
out the  land,  within  a  little  more  than  thirty  years,  that  is,  since 
the  time  when  the  first  set  of  despised  ministers  came  to  Ox- 
ford !  And  how  much  of  this  change  has  been  owing  to  God's 
blessing  on  Mr.  Whitefield's  labors,  is  well  known  to  many  who 
have  lived  through  this  period  ;  and  can  hardly  be  denied  by 
those  who  are  least  willing  to  allow  it. 

"First — He  was  a  burning  light.  He  had  an  ardent  zeal  for 
God,  an  inflamed  desire  for  the  salvation  of  sinners  ;  so  that 
no  labors  could  weary  him,  no  difticulties  or  opposition  dis- 
couraged him,  hardly  any  limits  could  confine  him  ;  not  con- 
tent with  the  bounds  of  a  country,  or  a  kingdom,  this  messen- 
ger of  good  tidings  preached  the  everlasting  gospel  in  almost 
every  considerable  place  in  England,  Scotland,  and  Ireland, 
and  throughout  the  British  empire  in  America,  whicli  is  an 
extent  of  more  than  one  thousand  miles.  Most  of  these  places 
he  visited  again  and  again  ;  nor  did  he  confine  his  attention  to 
places  of  note,  but  in  the  former  part  of  his  ministry,  wns 
ready  to  preach  to  few,  as  well  as  to  many,  wherever  a  door 
was  opened  ;  though  in  the  latter  part  of  his  life,  his  frequent 
illness,  and  the  necessity  of  his  more  immediate  charge,  con- 
fined him  more  at  home.  In  some  of  his  most  early  excursions, 
the  good  providence  of  God  led  him  here :  and  many,  I  trust, 
were  made  willing  to  rejoice  in  his  light,  and  have  reason  to 
bless  God,  that  ever  they  saw  and  heard  him. 


244  MEMOIRS  OF  WHITEFIELD. 

"  Secondly — He  was  a  shining  light.  His  zeal  was  not  like 
wild  fire,  but  directed  by  sound  principles,  and  a  sound  judg- 
ment. In  this  part  of  his  character  I  would  observe — 1st. 
Tliough  he  was  very  young  when  he  came  out,  the  Lord  soon 
gave  him  a  very  clear  view  of  the  gospel.  In  the  sermons  he 
published,  soon  after  his  first  appearance,  there  is  the  same 
evangelical  strain  observable,  as  in  those  which  he  preached  in 
his  advanced  years.  Time  and  observation,  what  he  felt,  and 
what  he  saw,  enlarged  his  experience,  and  gave  his  preaching 
an  increasing  ripeness  and  savor,  as  he  grew  older  in  the  work ; 
but  from  first  to  last  he  preached  the  same  gospel,  and  was 
determined  to  know  nothing  but  Jesus  Christ,  and  him  cruci- 
fied. 2d.  His  steadiness  and  perseverance  in  the  truth  was  the 
more  remarkable,  considering  the  difficulties  and  snares  he  was 
sometimes  beset  with.  But  the  Lord  kept  him  steady,  so  that^ 
neitlier  the  example,  nor  friendship,  nor  importunity  of  those 
he  deariy  loved,  were  capable  of  moving  him.  3d.  The  Lord 
gave  him  a  manner  of  preaching,  which  was  peculiarly  his 
own.  He  copied  from  none,  and  I  never  met  any  one  who 
could  imitate  him  with  success.  They  who  attempted,  gene- 
rally made  them.selves  disagreeable.  His  familiar  address^ 
the  power  of  his  action,  his  marvelous  talent  in  fixing  the 
attention  even  of  the  most  careless,  I  need  not  describe  to  those 
who  have  heard  him,  and  to  those  who  have  not,  the  attempt 
would  be  vain.  Other  ministers  could  preach  the  gospel  as 
clearly,  and  in  general  say  the  same  things  ;  but,  I  believe,  no 
man  living  could  say  them  in  his  way.  Here  I  always  thought 
him  unequaled  ;  and  I  hardly  expect  to  see  his  equal  while  I 
live.  4th.  But  that  which  finished  his  character,  as  a  shining 
light,  and  is  now  his  crown  of  rejoicing,  was  the  singular  suc- 
cess which  the  Lord  was  pleased  to  give  him  in  winning  souls. 
What  numbers  entered  the  kingdom  of  glory  before  him,  and 
what  numbers  are  now  lamenting  his  loss,  who  were  awakened 
by  his  ministry  !  It  seemed  as  if  he  never  preached  m  vain. 
Perhaps  thei'e  is  hardly  a  place,  in  all  the  extensive  compass  of 
his  labors,  where  some  may  not  be  found,  who  thankfully 
acknowledge  him  for  their  spiritual  father.  Nor  was  he  an 
awakening  preacher  only  ;  wherever  he  came,  if  he  preached 
but  a  single  discourse,  l\e  usually  brought  a  season  of  refresh- 
ment and  revival  with  him,  to  those  who  had  already  received 
the  truth.  Great  as  his  immediate  and  personal  usefulness 
was,  his  occasional  usefulness,  if  I  may  so  call  it,  was,  per- 
haps, much  greater.  Many  have  cause  to  be  thankful  for  him, 
who  never  saw  or  heard  him.  I  have  always  observed,  that 
there  was  a  something  peculiar  to  his  manner  of  preachino-,  in 
which  no  person  of  sound  judgment  would  venture  to  imitate 


MEMOIRS  OF  WHITEFIELD.  245 

him.  But,  notwithstanding  this,  he  was  in  other  respects,  a 
sit^nal  and  happy  pattern  and  model  for  preachers.  He  intro- 
duced a  way  of  close  and  lively  application  to  the  conscience, 
for  which,  I  believe,  many  of  the  most  admired  and  eminent 
preachers  now  living,  will  not  be  ashamed,  or  unwilling  to  ac- 
knowledge themselves  his  debtor." 

How  highly  the  Rev.  William  Romaine  thought  of  White- 
field,  his  own  account  of  his  death  will  best  tell. 

"  Look  at  the  public  loss  !  O  what  has  the  church  suffered 
in  the  setting  of  that  bright  star,  which  had  shone  so  gloriously 
in  our  hemisphere.  Mr,  Whitefield's  preaching  is  over — now 
he  is  praising.  We  have  none  left  to  succeed  him :  none  of 
his  gifts  ;  none  any  thing  like  him  in  usefulness." 

The  Rev.  Samuel  Brewer,  of  Stepney,  near  London,  also 
preached  a  sermon  on  the  occasion,  which  his  modesty  would 
not  permit  him  to  print.  And  many  ministers,  both  in  and  out 
of  the  establishment,  amongst  whom  were  the  Rev.  William 
Romaine,  the  Rev.  Martin  Madan,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Gibbons,  and 
the  Rev.  Dr.  Trotter,  who,  in  their  preaching  and  prayers, 
lamented  the  loss  of  so  eminently  faithful,  and  uncommonly 
successful  a  servant  of  God. 

These  sermons  are  so  many  testimonies  to  the  extraordinary 
and  unexampled  effects,  wrought  by  this  wonderful  man  of 
God,  in  both  hemispheres ;  and  in  the  act  of  acknowledging, 
they  pay  in  the  purest  and  scarcest  coin,  the  debt  of  gratitude 
due  to  this  spiritual  soldier,  for  his  heroic  and  self-sacrificing 
perseverance  in  breaking  up  that  sensual  spell,  in  which  the 
people  had  been  fast  bound,  whose  purified  lives  were  the  seals 
of  his  ministry,  the  crown  of  his  rejoicing,  and  the  earnest  of 
their  own  salvation.  They  were  the  spontaneous,  unsought 
expressions  of  grief  at  the  loss  of  one,  who  had  been  to  them, 
under  God,  the  conductor  of  Spiritual  Life.  Few  men  have 
made  themselves  felt  so  sensibly  and  widely  during  their  own 
lives  ;  and  still  fewer  have  been  privileged  to  fill  a  space  so 
large,  that  their  death  seems  to  leave,  through  a  whole  people, 
a  mournful  and  irreparable  void.  Even  among  this  small  band, 
it  is  seldom  that  any  have  their  graves  watered  with  tears, 
flowing  from  that  fount  of  affection,  which  supplies  itself  from 
the  enduring  and  immortal  within  us. 

That  devout  and  affectionate  veneration,  which  would  have 
led  throngs  to  bathe  Whitefield's  feet  in  their  tears,  never 
exists  for  any  merely  earthly  hero.  The  same  power  of  touch- 
ing the  truest  and  deepest  chords  within  us,  which  made  his 
memory  and  worth  so  much  eulogized  after  death,  also  awak- 
ened a  love  and  admiration  which  irresistibly  spoke  themselves 
out  before  the  living  man.     So  effectual  was  the  impression 

21* 


21G  MEMOIRS   OF    WHITEFIELD. 

made  by  him  wherever  he  went,  that  formal  commendatory 
discourses  were  often  pronounced  upon  him,  in  his  younger 
days,  the  tone  of  which  precisely  accords  with  the  eulogies 
after  his  death.  This  is  proof  that  his  fame  was  not  accidental 
or  temporary,  but  rested  on  the  fixed  basis  of  intrinsic  worth 
and  pre-eminence.  A  specimen  of  these  demonstrations  of 
the  respect  deferred  to  him.  may  be  found  in  the  following  ser- 
mon. It  was  preached  by  the  Rev.  Josiah  Smith,  of  Charles- 
ton, when  Whitefield  was  but  twenty-six  years  of  age,  and  was 
published  in  Boston,  with  a  recommendatory  preface  by  the 
Rev.  Dr.  Coleman,  and  the  Rev.  Mr.  Cooper,  in  the  year  1740. 
The  sermon  is  as  follows: 

Job  xxxiii.  27.  I  said,  I  will  answer  my  part,  I  also  will 
show  my  opinion. 

My  design  from  this  text  is,  to  show  my  impartial  opinion 
of  that  son  of  Thunder,  who  has  lately  s^raced  and  warmed 
this  desk  ;  and  would  have  been  an  ornament,  I  think,  to  the 
best  pulpit  in  the  province.  Happy  shall  I  think  myself,  if  I 
can  only  clinch  the  nails,  this  great  master  of  assemblies*  has 
already  fastened.  Like  Elihu,  the  gallant  youth  before  us,  "I 
am  now  full  of  matter  ;  the  spirit  within  me  constraineth  me  ; 
my  belly  is  as  wine  which  hath  no  vent,  it  is  ready  to  burst 
like  new  bottles,  I  will  speak  that  I  may  be  refreshed.''  Others 
have  freely  spoken  their  sentiments  of  the  wondrous  man  be- 
fore me ;  and  I  have  heard  the  defaming,  as  well  as  the  ap- 
plause of  many.  "  I  said,  therefore,  I  will  answer  also  my 
part,  I  will  also  show  my  opinion."  In  this  I  design  no  offence, 
nor  would  I  give  flattering  titles  to  any  man,  lest  my  Ma.ker 
should  take  me  away. 

The  scheme  proposed  is, 

I.  To  show  my  opinion  of  the  doctrines  he  insisted  upon, 
£ind  well  established. 

II.  To  speak  something  of  the  manner  of  his  preaching. 

III.  To  offer  my  sentiments  upon  his  personal  character. 
Lastly,  to  give  my  thoughts,  of  what  Providence  seems  to 

have  in  view,  in  raising  up  men  of  this  stamp  in  our  day, 
almost  every  where  spoken  against,  yet  crowded  after  and  just- 
ly admired. 

I.  I  shall  give  you  my  opinions  of  the  doctrines  he  insisted 
upon  among  us. 

To  speak  more  generally,  they  were  doctrines,  I  am  of  opin- 
ion, agreeable  to  the  dictates  of  reason  ;  evidently  founded 
upon  scripture  ;  exactly  correspondent  with  the  articles  of  the 
establishment ;  of  great  use  and  necessity  in  forming  the 

*  That  ministers  of  the  gospel  are  called  masters  of  assemblies,  See  Paul's 
Annotations  on  Eccl.  xii.  11. 


MEMOIRS  OF    WHITEFIELD.  247. 

christian  life  ;  which  I  had  early  imbibed  from  the  best  writers 
and  systems  ;  from  which  I  had  never  yet  seen  reason  to  re- 
cede, and  which  therefore  you  are  witnesses,  I  have  not  failed 
to  introduce  and  inculcate,  in  the  course  of  my  ministry 
among  you. 

To  be  more  particular  : 

One  of  the  doctrines,  which  he  has  hardly  passed  over  in 
silence,  in  any  single  d'.scourse,  is  that  of  original  sin.  A  truth 
so  manifest  in  scripture,  that  I  am  almost  of  opinion,  it  is  im- 
possible any  sincere,  diligent  and  unprejudiced  inquirer  should 
miss  it ;  for  it  is  written  in  sun  beams,  that  a  man  may  run 
and  read. 

By  original  sin  I  mean  nothing  less  than  the  imputation  of 
Adam's  first  sin  to  all  his  posterity  by  ordinary  generation  ; 
which  imputation  is  the  result  of  his  being  constituted  to  act 
for  them  in  the  extensive  capacity  of  legal' representative  ;  the 
consequence  of  which  is,  that  inherent  corruption  of  nature,  and 
those  sinful  propensities,  we  are  now  born  with  into  the  world. 
As  to  the  point  of  imputation,  it  is  a  doctrine,  it  must  be  con- 
fessed, of  more  intricacy ;  about  which,  it  is  therefore  possible,  a 
well  meaning  man  may  labor  under  some  scruples,  while  per- 
haps he  allows  of  the  depravity  of  human  nature.  Though  I 
must  beg  leave  to  express  my  surprise,  that  any  person  of 
judgment  should  maintain  this  depravity,  and  not  immediately 
discover  its  neccessary  connection  with  the  imputation,  and 
how  impossible  it  is  to  secure  the  justice  of  God,  witliout  hav- 
ing recourse  to  it :  for,  certainly,  the  corruption  of  human  na- 
ture, so  universal  and  inseparable,  is  one  of  the  greatest  punish- 
ments that  could  be  inflicted  upon  the  species ;  and  that  it  is 
inflicted,  appears  from  hence,  that  God  made  man  at  first  up- 
right. Now,  if  there  be  no  previous  imputation,  to  lay  a  legal 
foundation  for  this  punishment,  then  God  has  inflicted  an 
evident  punishment  upon  a  race  of  men,  perfectly  innocent, 
and  which  had  neither  sinned  personally,  nor  yet  by  imputa- 
tion ;  and  thus,  while  we  imagine  we  honor  the  justice  of  God 
by  renouncing  imputation,  we  in  fact  pour  the  highest  dishonor 
upon  that  sacred  attribute.  This,  I  fear,  is  the  grand  reason, 
why  the  adversaries  of  original  sin  labor  so  hard  to  explode  the 
depravity  of  nature ;  for  should  they  once  admit  that,  they  are 
conscious  they  must  admit  imputation  too.  I  say,  I  fear  this 
is  the  grand  reason.  How  else  is  it  possible  a  man  should  ques- 
tion a  truth,  written  in  capitals  upon  the  moral  world  ?  A  truth, 
we  feel  in  ev^ery  power  of  our  soul  !  what  we  read  upon  our 
own  hearts  ;  and  is  indeed  stamped  upon  universal  nature,  with- 
in our  horizon  ;  and  which,  the  more  righteous  any  man  is,  the 
more  he  feels  and  groans  under.     We  need  not  wonder  then, 


248  MEMOIRS   OF    TTHITEFIELD. 

our  late  incomparable  preacher  should  insist  upon  orisrinal 
sin.  when  wo  consider,  not  only  in  what  an  incontestable  man- 
ner he  proved  it.  but  of  what  vast  importance  it  must  b^.  For 
to  give  my  opinion  freely  :  I  cannot  think.  I  cannot  see.  how  the 
christian  scheme  can  be  consistent  with  itself,  or  supported  with 
honor,  without  this  basis.  I  look  upon  it.  not  merely  as  a  doc- 
trine of  the  scriptures,  the  srreat  fountain  of  tnuh.  but  a  very 
iimdamental  one  :  from  which.  I  hope.  God  will  suiier  none  of 
you  to  be  enticed,  by  any  sophistry-  of  the  subtle  disputers  of  tliis 
worlds  or  charms  of  language. 

But  to  proceed. 

Another  doctrine  we  have  lately  had  in  the  warmest  languas^e 
impressed  upon  us,  is  that  Pauline  one  of  justification  by  faith 
alone.  And  here  you  will  remember,  how  the  preacher  vindi- 
cated himself  from  all  suspicions  of  Antinomian  error,  and  open- 
ing a  door  to  licentious  manners :  for  while  on  the  one  hand, 
he  earnestly  contended  for  our  justification,  as  the  free  eift  of 
God.  by  faith  alone  in  the  blood  of  Christ,  an  article  ol  faitli 
dehvered  to  the  saints  of  old  ;  so  on  the  other  hand,  he  took 
special  care  to  guard  against  the  licentious  abuse  of  it.  and 
would  not  make  void  the  law.  when  he  asserted  that  g^ood 
works  were  the  •  -  -:.n'  fruits  and  evidences  of  true  faitli; 
telling  us  plai:.  with  the  clearest  distinction,  that  a 

man  was  justiiied  tiiese  three  ways  :  meritoriously  by  Christ, 
instrumentally  by  faith  alone,  declaratively  by  good  works. 
Aiid  b-elieve  me.  my  brethren,  this  is  the  true  gospel  of  Jesus 
Christ,  and  the  writings  of  the  apostles.  For  when  Abraham 
believed  God.  was  not  it  (his  faith)  imputed  to  him  for  righte- 
ousness ?  And  yet.  was  not  Abraham  our  father  justified  by 
works,  when  he  had  offered  Isaac  his  son  upon  the  altar  )  How 
shall  we  then  reconcile  this  .-  \Miy  ven*'  easily.  The  act  of 
this  faith  justified  him  through  Christ,  and  the  oflering  of  Isaac 
justified  that  faith  :  the  first  in  the  sis'ht  of  God.  the  other  in 
the  sieht  of  man.  In  justification  faith  precedes,  works  follow 
after  :  for  if  works  precede,  or  had  any  casual  influence  in  our 
justification,  we  might  seem  to  have  whereof  to  glon'  before  God. 
But  here,  it  is  the  free  gift  of  God.  and  boasting  for  ever  exclud- 
ed. God-  when  he  justifies  a  man.  never  finds,  but  makes  him 
holy ;  without  any  previous  merit,  of  which  there  can  be  no 
shadow  in  an  apostate  creature.  Xo  :  Bi/  sroce  ye  are  saved, 
through  faith  :  and  that  not  of  yourselves,  it  is  the  gift  of 
God.  And.  could  I  live  the  most  exact  hfe  ever  man  hved; 
could  I  even  excel  the  virmes  of  the  pious  preacher  himself; 
could  I  produce  as  many  good  works  as  the  saints  in  all  ages 
collected  together :  I  would  not  for  ten  thousand  worlds,  put 
my  justification  upon  them :  I  would  only  consider  them,  as 


MEMOIRS  OF   WHITEFIELD.      ^  249 

bright  and  pleasant  evidences  of  the  truth  of  my  faith  in  Christ. 
Good  works  are  vakiable  things ;  God  forbid  we  should  lisp  a 
word  against  them,  in  their  proper  place  ;  we  plead  for  them, 
we  press  the  practice  of  them,  as  incumbent  upon  all  chris- 
tians ;  but  we  cannot  allow  them  any  share  in  our  justification 
before  God.  They  may  prove  we  are  justified ;  but  they  can- 
not justify  us.  No,  verily :  Not  hy  works  of  righteousness 
v^hich  ive  have  dojie,  but  of  his  own  mercy,  God  saveth  us. 
Hitherto  then,  our  preacher  is  orthodox  in  his  doctrine,  which 
both  excludes  licentiousness,  establishes  the  law,  and  exalts 
free  grace  ;  the  evident  design  and  language  of  the  gospel,  and 
which.  I  am  of  opinion,  every  minister  of  Christ  should  ear- 
nestly contend  for  ;  because  the  sinner  must  first  see  himself 
naked,  before  he  will  come  to  Christ  for  his  white  raiment ; 
the  pure  and  fine  linen,  which  is  the  righteousness  of  the  saints, 
and  which  I  counsel  you  all  to  buy  of  him. 

Regeneration  was  another  great  doctrine,  which  the  excel- 
lent man  much  insisted  upon  ;  hardly  a  single  sermon,  but  he 
mentioned  it,  sometimes  more  than  twice;  and  one,  and  perhaps 
the  best  of  his  discourses,  was  ex  jirofesso  upon  this  subject. 
Nor  can  any  man  be  surprised,  that  a  minister  of  the  New  Tes- 
tament should  so  heartily  espouse  a  principle,  which  our  Lord 
himself  began  to  speak,  and  asserted  as  a  fundamental  point  of 
Christianity,  indispensably  requisite  to  eternal  life  ;  and  this 
with  so  much  veliemency,  and  earnest  repetition.  Verily^ 
verily,  I  say  unto  thee,  except  a  man  he  born  again,  [from 
above,)  he  cannot  see  the  kingdom  of  God.  He  assures  us, 
We  must  be  born  of  icater  and  of  the  Spirit.  Our  regenera- 
tion results,  in  its  necessity,  from  original  sin.  They  that  are 
shapen  in  iniquity,  and  conceived  in  sin,  must  be  washed  and 
cleansed.  By  which  is  not  meant  the  mere  forms  and  rites  of 
baptism;  not  the  washing  away  the  filth  of  the  flesh,  as  the 
corrupt  Pharisees  might  wash  their  hands  and  the  outside  of 
the  cup ;  but  the  answer  of  a  good  conscience  towards  God, 
purged  by  the  blood  of  Christ.  For  we  can  only  be  saved  hy 
the  washing  of  regeneration,  and  renewing  of  the  Holy 
Ghost:  the  infusion  of  a  new  life,  a  divine,  heavenly,  and  pro- 
lific principle.  As  we  are  by  nature  dead  in  trespasses  and 
sins,  God  must  quicken  us  by  his  Spirit,  and  through  that  we 
must  mortify  the  deeds  of  the  body,  and  crucify  the  flesh  vnth 
its  lusts  and  affections.  For  until  we  know  (until  we  feel  the 
exceeding  greatness  of)  the  power  of  Christ's  resurrection,  we 
have  no  part  in  him :  we  cannot  enter  into  heaven  ;  or  if  we 
should,  our  first  petition  \rould  be,  to  be  discharged  as  soon  as 
possible.  Pleasure  is  the  result  of  harmony ;  the  nature  must 
agree  with  the  object :   tl^ere  must  be  a  great  change  upon 


250  MEMOIRS  OF    WHITEFIELD. 

the  nature,  to  make  us  susceptive  of  the  pleasures  of  God's 
presence. 

Cavilers  and  scoffers,  I  know,  there  are  enough,  in  these  last 
days  against  this  doctrine.  Some  master  of  Israel  may  ask, 
Hov)  COM  these  things  he  1  Can  a  man  v)hen  he  is  old  enter 
a  second  time  into  his  mother^ s  womb,  and  be  horii  7  Who 
ever  said  he  could  ?  Or  what  would  it  avail,  if  he  should  ? 
But  I  hope  there  may  be  such  a  thing  as  a  spiritual  birth,  sub- 
sequent to  the  natural.  May  we  not  be  again  begotten  to  a 
lively  hope  ?  May  not  God  of  his  own  will  do  it  by  his  word 
and  spirit  ?  And  may  we  not  then  become  as  little  children 
and  neio  borii  babes.  Born  not  of  blood,  nor  of  the  will  of 
man,  nor  of  the  will  of  the  flesh,  but  of  God  ?  Are  we  not 
told,  in  the  most  express  language, — that  which  is  horn  of  the 
flesh  is  flesh,  and  that  wJiicJi  is  horn  of  the  Spirit  is  sjririt  ? 
Are  not  here  two  births,  one  natural,  the  other  spiritual?  I  am 
really  astonished,  any  man  should  read  his  Bible  and  his  own 
heart,  and  be  a  stranger  to  this  doctrine  of  the  new  birth  : 
without  which  all  our  boasted  morality,  and  ethical  virtues, 
however  splendid  and  rhetoricated  upon,  can  never  adorn  us 
in  the  sight  of  God,  nor  qualify  us  for  his  redeeming  love. 

True  religion  is  an  inward  thing,  a  thing  of  the  heart ;  it 
chiefly  resides  there,  and  consists  in  a  right  disposition  and 
sanctified  temper  of  the  will  and  affections ;  and  as  we  have 
been  lately  told,  in  righteousness,  jjeace,  and  joy  in  the  Holy 
Ghost.  Which  naturally  introduces  another  doctrine,  nearly 
allied  to  this,  and  wliicli  was  very  strongly  insisted  cm,  viz : 

The  impressions,  or  (which  was  the  preacher's  own  phrase) 
inward  feelings  of  the  spirit.  And  here  you  remember,  how 
he  guarded  against  the  invidious  censure,  of  assuming  the 
character  of  an  apostle. 

He  renounced  all  pretensions  to  the  extraordinary  powers 
and  signs  of  apostleship,  gifts  of  healing,  speaking  with  tongues, 
the  faith  of  miracles  ;  things,  peculiar  to  the  age  of  inspiration, 
and  extinct  with  them.  He  also  allowed  these  feelings  of  the 
spirit  were  not  in  every  person,  or  at  all  times,  in  the  same 
degree ;  and  that  though  a  full  assurance  were  attainable,  and 
what  every  one  should  labor  to  attain,  yet  not  of  absolute  ne- 
cessity to  the  being  of  a  christian.  Only  he  asserted  that  we 
might  feel  the  spirit  of  God,  in  his  sanctifying  and  saving  im- 
pressions, and  witnessing  with  our  own  spirits.  And  what  is 
there  in  all  this  repugnant  to  reason  !  What  is  there  in  it,  but 
what  is  perfectly  agreeable  to  Scripture  !  How  can  we  be  led 
by  the  spirit,  or  have  joy  in  the  Holy  Ghost,  without  some 
sensible  perceptions  of  it !  Can  I  at  any  time  feel  my  soul  in 
sacred  raptures,  burning  with  the  love  of  God,  and  of  Christ, 


MEMOIRS    OF  WHITEFIELD.  251 

and  all  my  best  passions  alive  ?  Can  I  feel  a  secret  pleasure  in 
the  word,  ordinances,  and  communion  of  God  ?  Can  I  taste 
the  powers  of  the  world  to  come  7  Can  I  feel  the  threatenings 
of  God  impressed  upon  my  conscience,  or  promises  of  paradise 
working  upon  my  hopes  !  Can  I  groan  under  the  burden  of 
my  corruptions,  or  exult  in  the  liberty  of  spirit,  I  may  some- 
times have,  in  a  calm  and  retired  hour,  in  the  meditation  of 
my  pardon,  and  the  contemplation  of  heaven  and  immortality? 
I  say,  can  I  have  all  these  things  in  me,  and  do  I  feel  them 
upon  my  soul,  and  yet  this  doctrine  of  feeling  the  spirit  be  bur- 
lesqued and  ridiculed,  in  an  age  of  infideUty,  and  of  men  who 
love  to  speak  evil  of  the  things  which  they  know  not  ?  Indeed 
a  sinful  and  adulterous  generation  may  seek  after  a  sign.  But 
what  siofu  can  we  give  them  of  things  that  must  be  known  by 
being  felt  ?  Or  what  ideas  can  I  convey  of  light  to  the  blind, 
and  of  harmony  to  the  deaf?  Let  God  touch  their  hearts  as 
he  has  done  ours,  and  they  shall  feel  wliat  we  feel ;  and  what 
I  would  not  but  feel  for  millions  of  worlds.  But  till  then  it  is 
impossible  in  nature  to  represent  it,  in  a  full,  adequate  light  to 
them  ;  and  they  may  as  well  ask  for  mathematical  demonstra- 
tions in  a  point  of  pure  morality.  This  is  a  doctrine,  I  have 
been  acquainted  with  these  many  years  ;  it  is  not  new  or  sur- 
prising to  me  ;  you  have  heard  me  preach  it  scores  of  times, 
thouo^h  perhaps,  clothed  in  other  expressions  as  the  influences 
of  the  spirit,  the  impressions  of  grace.  And  however  derided 
by  some,  who  set  up  and  caress  a  system  of  rational  religion, 
I  hope  to  have  always  enthusiasm  enough  to  maintain  thai  the 
spirit  of  God  may  be  felt.  To  conclude  this  head,  all  the  doc- 
trines now  mentioned;  are  primitiv^e,  protestant,  puritanic  ones; 
which  our  good  fithers,  conformists  and  dissenters,  have  filled 
their  writings  with  ;  and  as  Dr.  Watts  has  well  observed, 
"  They  fill  heaven  apace,  for  God  was  with  them." 

Yet  all  that  vast  reverence,  with  which  I  heard  these  doc- 
trines from  the  mouth  of  our  famous  preacher,  could  not  win 
my  applause  or  approbation  of  some  few  harsher  epithets  and 
expressions  (you  know  what  I  mean)  which  dropt  from  his  lips. 
These,  in  my  opinion,  may  be  pronounced  failings  ;  but  such 
as  often  attend  a  warm  zeal  for  orthodoxy,  in  the  points  of  the 
last  importance,  arise  from  a  principle  of  conscience,  and  are 
found  interwoven  with  the  brightest  characters ;  and  he  that 
has  none,  let  him  cast  the  first  stone. 

II.  I  shall  next  give  you  my  opinion  of  the  manner  of  his 
preaching. 

And  here  I  need  not  say,  nor  can  my  pen  describe  his  action 
and  gesture,  in  all  their  strength  and  decencies.  He  is  certain- 
ly a  finished  preacher,  and  a  great  master  of  pulpit  oratory  and 


252  MEMOIRS    OF    WHITEFIELD. 

elocution,  while  a  noble  negligence  ran  through  his  style.  Yet 
his  discourses  were  very  extraordinary  when  we  consider  how 
little  they  were  premeditated,  and  how  many  of  them  he  gave 
us,  the  Jittle  time  he  was  with  us.  Many,  I  trust,  have  felt,  and 
will  long. feel  the  impressions  of  his  zeal  and  fire,  the  passion 
and  flame  of  his  expressions :  which  were  such,  that  I  cannot 
think  my  public  character  of  him,  in  the  least  exceeds  the 
bounds  of  truth  and  strict  verity  ;  only  making  that  allowance 
for  figures  of  speech,  which  is  always  expected,  upon  extraor- 
dinary occasions,  and  in  the  portraiture  of  great  characters. 

He  appeared  to  me,  in  all  his  discourses,  very  deeply  affect- 
ed and  impressed  in  his  own  heart.  How  did  that  burn  and 
boil  within  him,  when  he  spake  of  the  things  he  had  made, 
touching  the  King  ?  How  was  his  tongue  like  the  pen  of  a 
ready  writer  ?  Touched  as  with  a  coal  from  the  altar  !  With 
what  a  flow  of  words,  what  a  ready  profusion  of  language, 
did  he  speak  to  us  upon  the  great  concerns  of  our  souls  ?  In 
what  a  flaming  light  -did  he  set  our  eternity  before  us  ?  How 
earnestly  did  he  press  Christ  upon  us  ?  How  did  he  move  our 
passions  with  the  constraining  love  of  such  a  Redeemer?  The 
awe,  the  silence,  the  attention,  which  sat  upon  the  face  of  so 
great  an  audience,  was  an  argument,  how  he  could  reign  over 
all  their  powers.  Many  thought.  He  sj^ake  as  never  man  spake 
before  him.  So  charmed  were  people  with  his  manner  of  ad- 
dress, that  they  shut  up  their  shops,  forgot  their  secular  busi- 
ness, and  laid  aside  their  schemes  for  the  world  ;  and  the 
oftener  he  preached,  the  keener  edge  he  seemed  to  put  upon 
their  desires  of  hearing  him  again  !  How  awfully,  with  what 
thunder  and  sound  did  he  discharge  the  artillery  of  Heaven 
upon  us  ?  And  yet,  how  could  he  soften  and  melt  even  a  sol- 
dier of  Ulysses,  with  the  love  and  mercy  of  God  !  How  close, 
strong  and  pungent  were  his  applications  to  the  conscience  ; 
mingling  light  and  heat,  pointing  the  arrows  of  the  Almighty 
at  the  hearts  of  sinners,  v/hile  he  poured  in  the  balm  upon 
wounds  of  the  contrite,  and  made  broken  bones  rejoice  ?  Eter- 
nal themes,  the  tremendous  solemnities  of  our  religion,  were 
all  alive  upon  his  tongue  !  So  methinks  (if  you  v/ill  forgive 
the  figure)  St.  Paul  would  look  and  speak  in  a  pulpit,  and  in 
some  such  manner,  I  have  been  tempted  to  conceive  of  a  seraph, 
were  he  sent  down  to  preach  among  us,  and  to  tell  us  what 
things  he  had  seen  and  heard  above !  How  bold  and  cour- 
ageous did  he  look?  He  was  no  flatterer,  would  not  suffer 
men  to  settle  upon  their  lees  ;  did  not  prophesy  smooth  things 
nor  sow  pillows.  He  taught  the  way  of  God  in  truths  and 
regarded  not  the  person  of  tnen.  The  politest,  the  most 
modish  of  our  vices  he  struck  at,  the  most  fashionable  enter- 


MEMOIRS   OF    WHITEFIELD.  253 

tainments ;  regardless  of  every  one's  presence,  but  his  in  wliose 
name  he  spoke,  with  authority.  He  dehvered  his  own  soul, 
very  sharply  rebuked  our  balls  and  midnight  assemblies,  that 
bane  of  all  that  is  serious  and  religious ;  and  I  dare  warrant, 
if  none  would  go  to  these  diversions,  till  they  have  answered 
the  solemn  questions  he  put  to  their  consciences,  our  theater 
would  soon  sink  and  perish. 

You  may  be  sure  I  v/as  not  displeased  with  this  part  of  his 
conduct,  when  I  have  so  often  myself  mentioned  these  things, 
as  of  pernicious  tendency  to  our  morals,  religion,  and  prosperity. 
And  who  can  blame  a  minister's  freedom  and  zeal :  what  hard 
measures,  what  cruel  treatment  would  it  be  to  censure  our 
plainness  of  speech ;  when  our  very  commission  requires  us  to 
lift  up  our  voice  like  a  trumpet,  to  cry  aloud,  and  spare  not,  to 
show  people  their  transgressions  ;  and  when  the  blood  of  your 
souls,  the  most  insupportable  thing  in  the  world,  must  be  re- 
quired at  our  hands,  if  we  be  afraid  to  warn  !  I  am  sure,  would 
people  consider  this,  and  that  we  cannot  possibly  propose  any 
temporal  advantage  to  ourselves,  by  striking  at  the  right  eye, 
they  would  applaud,  and  not  censure,  our  warmth  and  freedom. 
I  nuist  tell  you,  over  and  over  again,  such  things  are  danger- 
ous to  your  souls  ;  this  cannot  consist  with  your  christian  pro- 
fession and  baptism  ;  they  tend  to  dev^our  the  seeds  and  weak- 
en all  the  young  springs  of  virtue,  and  to  erase  the  most  pious 
impressions. 

IBut  if  the  voice  of  ministers  cannot  be  heard,  at  least  let  the 
circumstances  of  our  country,  and  the  louder  roarings  of  Provi- 
dence, awe  and  restrain  us  ;  for  sure  I  am  it  is  now  a  time  to 
mourn,  and  not  to  dance  :  and  the  Scripture  severely  threatens 
a  people,  that  disregarded  the  operations  of  God's  hands. 

III.  I  now  proceed  to  show  my  opinion  of  our  preacher  in 
his  personal  character  and  behavior. 

Here  I  may  take  courage,  and  challenge  his  worst  enemies 
to  lay  any  thing  to  the  charge  of  his  morals,  or  to  arraign  his 
sincerity,  so  visible  in  his  whole  deportment. 

While  he  preaches  up  faith  alone,  in  our  justification  before 
God,  yet  he  is  careful  to  maintain  good  works,  and  denying 
ungodliness  and  worldly  lusts,  to  live  soberly,  righteously,  and 
godly.  These  things  the  grace  of  God  teaches'us ;  and  liow 
much  of  this  doctrine  has  he  transcribed  into  his  life  ?  How 
rich  has  he  been  in  all  good  works  ?  What  an  eminent  pat- 
tern of  piety  towards  God  ?  How  holy  and  unblamable  in  ail 
conversation  and  godliness?  How  seasoned,  how  much  to 
the  use  of  edifying,  all  his  discourses  1  How  naturally  does  he 
turn  tliem  to  religion  ?  How  much  is  he  given  to  meditation 
himself,  and  how  does  he  labor  to  excite  it  in  others  ? 

22 


254  MEMOIRS  OF    WHITEFIELD. 

It  is  indisputable  with  me,  that  he  affects  no  partjr  iri  rehgion^ 
nor  sets  himself  at  the  head  of  any  :  had  this  been  his  aim, 
no  man  living  has  had  fairer  occasions  offered  ;  but  he  abhors 
the  spirit,  he  endeavors  to  suppress  it.  He  is  always  careful  to 
time  his  Sabbath  discourses,  so  as  not  to  interfere  with  the 
stated  hours  of  worship,  in  that  church,  of  which  he  is  a  pro- 
fessed member  and  minister,  and  in  the  opinion  of  many  peo- 
ple a  very  bright  ornament ;  because,  as  he  told  us,  he  Avould 
not  tempt  away  hearers  from  their  proper  and  respective  pas- 
tors. And  is  not  this  a  noble  and  generous,  a  catholic  and 
christian  spirit  ?  He  is  not  bigoted  to  the  modalities  and  lesser 
rites  and  forms  of  religion,  while  zealous  enough  and  very 
warm  and  jealous  in  all  its  essentials,  especially  in  the  divine 
honors  and  godhead  of  his  Savior.  He  professed  love  to  good 
men  of  every  denomination,  and  told  us,  that  the  kingdom  of 
heaven  consists  not  of  meats  and  drinks.  He  appears  to  me 
a  man  full  of  the  Holy  Ghost  and  of  faith.  Though  his  pray- 
ers, in  this  pulpit,  were  all  extempore,  yet  how  copious,  how 
ardent,  with  what  compass  of  thought !  The  spirit  of  grace 
and  supplication  seemed  to  be  poured  out  upon  him  in  plenty, 
and  to  kindle  and  animate  his  devotions.  He  prays  in  public, 
with  that  spirit,  variety,  and  fluency,  which  could  only  be 
expected  from  a  man,  who  was  no  stranger  to  the  sacred  duty 
in  private.  He  lives  much  by  faith,  and  above  the  world ; 
despises  preferments  and  riches  ;  of  which  last  I  am  told,  he 
lias  had  great  ofters  in  Europe.  His  heart  seems  set  upon 
doing  good.  He  goes  about  his  great  Master's  work,  with  dili- 
gence and  application  ;  and  with  such  cheerfulness,  as  would 
make  one  in  love  with  a  life  of  religion,  which  has  so  many 
inward  springs  of  the  best  comforts,  and  is  not  that  gloomy, 
melancholy  thing,  which  prejudice  and  imagination  make  it. 
He  is  proof  against  reproach  and  invective.  "When  he  is  re- 
viled, he  revileth  not  again,  but  prays  heartily  for  all  his  ene- 
mies, and  that  such  as  oppose  the  truth,  may  be  converted  to 
it.  He  professes  himself  to  lay  down  his  life  for  Christ,  and 
to  spend  and  be  spent  in  the  service  of  souls.  Such  a  man  has 
all  imaginable  claim  to  our  highest  love  and  honor.  I  freely 
own  he  has  taken  my  heart,  and  I  feel  his  reproaches.  God 
seems  to  be  with  him  of  a  truth  ;  has  set  his  seal  upon  him  : 
his  rod  has  budded,  and  he  has  many  to  whom  he  can  say, 
Ye  are  my  epistle.  Wherever  he  has  preached,  he  has  been 
thronged,  and  many  have  come  to  him  pricked  in  their  hearts, 
saying,  What  shall  we  do  to  he  saved !  He  has  put  a  new  face 
upon  religion,  my  letters  inform  me,  in  some  populous  cities 
and  parts  of  our  neighboring  continent ;  given  new  life  to 
ministers  and  people  ;  made  sermons,  once  a  drug,  a  vendible 


MEMOIRS  OF   AVHITEFIELD.  255 

commodity  among  them  ;  evening  and  weekly  lectures  are  set 
up,  and  always  crowded  with  persons  of  different  persuasions  ; 
while  he  has  put  a  damp  upon  their  polite  diversions,  which 
always  dwindle  as  Christianity  revives.  Surely,  no  man  could 
do  these  things,  I  had  almost  said,  these  miracles,  unless  God 
were  with  him,  who  gives  the  increase,  even  when  Paid  plants^ 
and  Apollos  ivaters.  Had  ecclesiastical  perferment  been  his 
idol,  fame  and  reputation  his  motive,  as  he  has  taken  a  prepos- 
terous way  to  acquire  them,  so  I  can  never  suffer  myself  to 
think  God  would  have  owned  him  so  visibly,  or  2:iven  him  so 
many  seals  of  his  ministry.  Our  Savior  himself  makes  good 
fruits  the  general  characteristic  of  good  ministers.  Ye  shall 
knoio  them  by  their  fruits.  Either  the  fruits  and  success  of 
their  ministry,  the  design  and  tendency  of  their  doctrines,  or 
the  fruits  of  the  Spirit  in  their  lives.  And  which  of  these  have 
been  wanting  in  this  extraordinary  man  .^  Who  can  object 
against  the  tendency  of  his  doctrines  ?  And  for  success,  his 
enemies  know  it  to  their  own  confusion.  And  who  can  say 
his  life  is  unfruitful,  or  that  he  has  appeared  like  an  immoral 
man?  He  renders  to  all  their  due.  While  zealous  for  the 
things  of  God,  he  is  a  friend  to  Ca3sar ;  a  loyal  subject  to  King 
George,  heartily  prays  for  him  and  his  royal  .house ;  "  May 
it  abide  before  Godf  A  prayer,  to  which,  I  doubt  not,  you  are 
all  ready  to  say  Amen. 

But  to  proceed  with  oiir  character  of  the  preacher,  whom 
hath  he  wronged  or  defrauded  l  Whose  ox  or  lohose  ass  hath 
he  taken  ?  Say,  if  any  man  hath  found  aught  in  his  hands  ; 
so  far  from  it,  that  he  seems  to  live,  not  by  bread  alone,  but  by 
the  word  and  promise  of  God  ;  without  taking  thought  for  the 
morrow,  7vhat  he  shall  eat,  or  drink,  or  pvt  on. 

And  for  charity,  as  it  consists  in  compassion  and  acts  of 
beneficence,  we  have  iew  men  like  minded.  In  this  grand 
circle  of  practical  religion,  he  seems  to  be  a  second  Job,  as 
well  as  for  patience  ;  and  deserves  a  good  report  of  all  men, 
and  of  the  truth  itself  Had  he  been  under  any  criminal  in- 
fluence of  a  mercenary,  covetous  temper,  had  he  collected 
money  for  himself,  in  his  journeyings  often,  and  itinerating 
preachings,  under  the  pretext  of  doing  it  for  the  poor,  as  he 
was  slanderously  reported,  he  had  certainly  a  fair  opportunity 
to  enrich  himself  But  we  hav^e  seen  a  plain  fact  cannot  be 
denied,  that  he  cast  all  into  the  treasury,  and  serves  the  table 
of  the  poor  with  it.  Strolling  and  vagabond  orphans,  poor 
and  helpless,  without  father,  without  mother,  without  purse, 
and  without  friend,  he  seeks  out,  picks  up,  and  adopts  into  his 
family.  He  is  now  building  accommodations,  and  laying  the 
best  foundation  for  their  support  and  religious  instruction,  with- 


256  MEMOIRS  OF  TV'IIITEFIELD. 

out  any  visible  fund ;  encoura2:ed  to  go  on  in  faith,  from  the 
shining  example  of  the  great  professor  in  Germany,  who  began 
a  like  pions  \vork  with  almost  nothing- ;  and  raised  it  to  such 
perfection,  as  is  the  wonder  and  astonishment  of  all  that  hear 
it.  This  is  a  sacrifice  well  pleasing  to  God  !  The  loins  of  the 
poor  will  bless  him,  the  blessing  of  him  that  was  ready  to 
perish,  shall  come  upon  him  I  He  hath  dispersed  abroad,  he 
hath  given  to  the  poor;  his  righteousness  ongbt  to  endure,  and 
be  celebrated  among  us.  After  this,  let  none  call  him  an  un- 
charitable man  ;  for  what  brighter  evidence  of  pure  religion 
than  this,  to  visit  the  fatherless  in  their  affliction. 

And  permit  me  here,  to  join  in  my  thanks  to  you,  and  the 
other  charitably  disposed  christians,  who  have  shown  their 
bowels  of  mercy  in  the  late  very  large  collection*  for  the  Or- 
phan-house in  Georgia.  This  is  an  honor  to  our  whole  town. 
And,  believe  me,  3'ou  will  never  be  a  penny  the  poorer,  for 
Jielping  the  poor  ;  Them  we  have  always  with  us.  and  inas- 
much as  we  have  done  it  unto  them,  we  have  done  it  unto 
Christ,  and  cannot  fail  of  a  reward  ;  at  least  the  reflection  we 
make  upon  it,  on  our  last  bed,  will  give  us  more  satisfaction, 
than  what  we  contribute  to  the  support  of  balls  and  assemblies 
of  music,  to  the  pride  and  luxuries  of  life  ;  nor  can  it  fail  to 
occasion  many  thanksgivings  unto  God. 

I  now  proceed,  under  the  last  head,  to  give  my  opinion,  what 
views  Providence  may  have  in  raising  up  men  of  this  stamp, 
now  among  us. 

And  this  I  desire  to  do  with  all  humility  and  modesty. 

I  pretend  to  no  spirit  of  prophecy,  and  can  only  conjecture, 
and  offer  the  result  of  observation,  reason,  and  the  usual  ten- 
dencies of  things,  corroborated  by  the  great  promises  scattered 
up  and  dovv^i  in  our  Bibles,  wherein  glorious  things  are  spoken 
of  thee,  thou,  city  of  our  God  !  The  prophecies  are  usually 
too  dark  and  mystic  to  be  fully  understood  :  the  seals  of  that 
book  are  seldom  broken,  until  the  several  periods  of  accom- 
plishment, which  makes  time  the  best  and  surest  expositor. 
But  certainly,  if  we  can  discern  the  face  of  the  sky  in  the 
morning,  we  might  make  some  humble  and  faint  conjectures  at 
the  times  and  seasons,  which  the  Father  keeps  in  his  ovm 
power.  Now  we  are  none  of  us  ignorant,  how  far  the  primi- 
tive spirit  of  Christianity  has  sunk  into  a  mere  form  of  godli- 
ness. Irreligion  has  been  rushing  in,  even  upon  the  Protestant 
world  like  a  flood  :  the  dearest  and  most  obvious  doctrines  of 
the  Bible  have  fallen  into  low  contempt ;  the  principles  and 
systems  of  our  good  and  pious  fathers  have  been  more  and 

*  Six  hundred  pounds. 


MEMOIRS  OF    WHITEFIELD.  257 

more  exploded.  And  now  behold  !  God  seems  to  have  revived 
the  ancient  spirit  and  doctrines.  He  is  raising  up  our  young 
men,  with  zeal  and  courage  to  stem  the  torrent.  They  have 
been  in  labor  more  abundant ;  they  have  preached  with  such 
fire,  assiduity,  and  success ;  such  a  solemn  awe  have  they 
struck  upon  their  hearers ;  so  unaccountably  have  they  con- 
quered the  prejudices  of  many  persons  ;  such  deep  convictions 
have  their  sermons  produced  ;  so  much  have  they  roused  and 
kindled  the  zeal  of  ministers  and  people  ;  so  intrepidly  do  they 
push  through  all  opposition,  that  my  soul  overflows  with  joy, 
and  my  heart  is  too  full  to  express  my  hopes.  It  looks  as  if 
some  happy  period  were  opening,  to  bless  the  world  with 
another  reformation.  Some  great  things  seem  to  be  upon  the 
anvil,  some  big  prophecy  at  the  birth :  God  give  it  strength  to 
bring  forth  !  May  he  especially  water  the  good  seed  his  ser- 
vant has  plentifully  sown  among  us  ;  may  we  remember  how 
we  have  heard,  and  hold  fast ;  may  we  cherish  conviction  ;  be 
fixed  and  rooted  in  our  christian  faith;  not  rebeL against  the 
light,  nor  make  shipwreck  at  last,  by  the  various  winds  of  doc- 
trine which  are  blowing  upon  us ! 

Thus  have  I  answered  for  my  part,  and  shown  my  opinion : 
I  have  done  it  in  the  integrity  of  my  heart ;  I  have  designed 
no  offence  ;  only  supported  the  doctrines  and  character  of  a 
preacher,  which  love  and  duty  constrain  me  to  honor  and  de- 
fend :  while  I  preclude  no  man  from  showing  his  opinion,  who 
shall  do  it  with  the  same  impartiahty. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

An  examination  of  Whitefield'^s  character  as  an  Orator,  Preacher, 
and  Christian.* 

In  the  preceding  memoir,  the  main  facts  of  interest  in  Mr. 
Whitefield's  pubhc  career  have  been  narrated  in  detail,  and 
while  they  prove  and  illustrate  the  influence  of  extraordinary 
elements  in  the  formation  of  his  character,  they  are  yet  far 
from  stating,  or  holding  forth  in  distinct  view,  what  these  ele- 
ments were.  It  cannot  be  otherwise  than  profitable  to  unravel 
as  far  as  possible,  the  secret  of  this  man's  almost  super-human 
power,  that  we  may  know  in  what  respects  he  ought  to  be  our 
model,  and  in  the  light  of  his  excellencies  and  defects,  rightly 
appreciate,  adjust,  and  attemper  our  own  characters.  A  gene- 
ral review  of  his  pubhc  course,  illustrated  by  Some  of  those 

♦  For  a  description  of  his  person  see  page  23. 
22* 


258  MEMOIRS  OF   WHITEFIELD. 

incidents  of  every-day  life,  in  which  character  is  nakedly  and 
spontaneously  spoken  out,  will  be  most  likely  to  set  forth  dis- 
tinctly those  gifts,  in  which  he  was  "  imitating  none  and  inim- 
itable by  any."  In  terminating  this  memoir,  therefore,  we  shall 
endeavor  to  give  a  more  decisive  expression  and  meaning  to 
the  wondrous  incidents  already  detailed,  by  illustrating  them 
in  the  light  of  the  principles  and  constitutional  peculiarities, 
in  which  they  had  their  origin.  For  the  more  perfect  ac- 
complishment of  this  aim,  recourse  will  be  had  to  those  authors 
who  have  been  most  successful  in  their  attempts  to  define  and 
delineate  his  real  character. 

In  reviewing  the  life  of  this  extraordinary  man,  the  fo]«'ow- 
ing  particulars  appear  very  remarkable. 

First — We  are  struck  with  his  unwearied  dihgence  in  the 
offices  of  rehgion,  and  his  conscientious  improvement  of  every 
portion  of  his  time.  Early  in  the  mornino^  he  rose  to  his  Mas- 
ter's work,  and  all  the  day  long  was  employed  in  a  continual 
succession  of  diiferent  duties.  Take  a  view  of  his  public  con- 
duct; here  he  is  engaged  either  in  preaching  the  gospel,  in 
visiting  and  giving  counsel  to  the  afflicted,  in  instructing  the 
ignorant,  or  in  celebrating  the  praises  of  God.  Observe  his 
behavior  in  private  company;  there  you  hear  him  introducing, 
upon  all  occasions,  and  among  all  sorts  of  people,  discourse 
that  tended  to  edification.  And  if  you  follow  him  to  his  retire- 
ments, you  see  him  writing  devout  meditations  upon  the  oc- 
currences of  the  da}^,  or  letters  to  his  christian  acquaintance, 
full  of  piety  and  zeal.  What  a  gloomy  idea  must  a  stranger 
to  vital  piety  entertain  of  a  life  spent  in  this  manner  !  He  will 
think  it  must  have  been  not  only  joyless  and  disgusting,  but 
intolerably  burdensome.  Far  otherwise  did  it  appear  in  the 
experience  of  this  servant  of  Christ.  He  felt  the  greatest  en- 
joyment when  engaged  in  a  constant  round  of  social  and  reli- 
gious duties.  In  these,  whole  weeks  passed  away  like  one  day. 
And  when  he  was  visited  with  any  distress  or  afiliction,  preach- 
ing, as  he  tells  us  himself,  was  his  catholicon,  and  prayer  his 
antidote  against  every  trial.  The  pleasure  of  a  man  of  busi- 
ness, in  successfully  pushing  his  trade,  or  of  a  philosopher, 
when  pursuing  his  favorite  studies,  may  give  us  some  faint 
conception  of  the  joys  which  he  felt.  Yet  so  ardent  were  his 
desires  after  the  heavenly  happiness,  that  he  often  longed  to 
finish  his  work,  and  to  go  home  to  his  Savior.  "  Blessed  be 
God,"  says  he,  "  the  prospect  of  death  is  pleasant  to  my  soul. 
I  would  not  live  here  always.  I  want  to  be  gone.  Sometimes 
it  arises  from'a  fear  of  falling.  Sometimes  from  a  prospect  of 
future  labors  and  sufferings.  But  there  are  times  when  my 
soul  has  such  foretastes  of  God,  that  I  long  more  eagerly  to  be 


MEMOIRS  OP    WHITEFIELD. 


259 


with  him  ;  and  the  prospect  of  the  happiness  which  the  spirits 
of  just  men  made  perfect,  now  enjoy,  often  carries  me,  as  it 
were,  into  another  world." 

Again,  Ave  are  justly  surprised  at  his  frequent  and  fervent 
preaching,  under  all  the  disadvantages  of  a  sickly  constitution, 
and  the  many  fits  of  illness  with  which  he  was  suddenly  seiz- 
ed. It  must,  indeed,  be  confessed,  that  change  of  air,  frequent 
traveling  on  horseback,  and  the  many  voyages  he  made,  might 
contribute  to  the  preservation  of  his  health  and  vigor ;  but 
when  we  consider  what  exertion  of  voice  was  necessary  to 
reach  his  large  congregations ;  that  he  preached  generally  two 
or  three  times  a  day,*  and  often  four  times  on  the  Lord's  day ; 
but  above  all,  after  what  waste  of  strength  and  spirits  every 
sermon  must  have  cost  him,  through  the  earnestness  of  his  de- 
livery, it  is  truly  astonishing,  how  his  constitution  could  hold 
out  so  long.  He  says,  "  I  preach  till  I  sweat  through  and 
through."  But  there  is  another  circumstance  not  less  remark- 
able than  either  of  the  former ;  which  is,  the  uncommon  desire 


♦  "  As  a  specimen  of  his  indefatigable  labors  in  the  work  of  the  ministry, 
we  take  the  following  account  of  the  sermons  he  preached  after  his  arrival  at 
Newport,  Rhode  Island,  to  the  time  of  his  death.  He  sailed  from  New  York. 
Tuesday,  July  31,  P.  M.,  arrived  at  Newport,  Friday,  August  3,  A.  M.,  and 
preached, 


Aug.  4,  at  Newport, 

5,  do. 

6,  do. 

7,  do. 

8,  do. 

9,  at  Providence, 

10,  do. 

11,  do. 

12,  do. 

13,  at  Attleborough, 

14,  at  Wrentham, 

15,  at  Boston, 

16,  do. 

17,  do. 

18,  do. 

19,  at  Maiden, 

20,  at  Boston, 

21,  do. 

22,  do. 

23,  do. 

"  From  the  13th  of  Sept.  to  the 
by  a  severe  indisposition.     When 
Sept.  17,  at  Boston, 
18,  do. 

"  The  21st  of  September,  he  de] 
ward,  pretty  much  indisposed.     B 
Sept.  23,  at  Portsmouth. 

24,  do. 

25,  do. 

26,  at  Kitiery, 


Aug.  24,  at  Boston, 

25,  do. 

26,  at  Medford, 

27,  at  Charlestown, 

28,  at  Cambridge, 

29,  at  Boston, 

30,  do. 

31,  at  Roxbury  Plain, 
Sept.    1,  at  Milton, 

2,  at  Roxbury, 

3,  at  Boston, 

5,  at  Salem, 

6,  at  Marblehead, 

7,  at  Salem, 

8,  at  Cape  Ann, 

9,  at  Ipswich, 

10,  at  Newburypcrt, 

11,  do. 

12,  at  Rowley, 

13,  do. 

17th,  he  was  detained  from  public  service 
recovered,  he  preached, 

I         Sept.  19,  at  Boston, 

I  20,  at  Newton, 

mrted  from  Boston,  upon  a  tour  to  the  east- 
ut  on  the  23d  he  preached. 
Sept.  27,  at  York, 

28,  at  Portsmouth, 

29,  at  Exeter. 


260  MEMOIRS  OP   WHITEFIELD. 

that  all  sorts  of  people  expressed  to  attend  his  preaching,  and 
that  not  upon  the  first  or  second  visit  only,  but  at  every  suc- 
ceeding opportunity.  Wherever  he  went,  prodigious  numbers 
flocked  to  hear  him.  His  congregations  often  consisted  of 
about  four  or  five  thousand  ;  in  populous  places  they  swelled 
to  ten  thousand ;  sometimes  fourteen  thousand ;  and  upon 
some  occasions,  the  concourse  was  so  great,  that  they  have 
been  computed  to  amount  from  twenty  to  thirty  thousand. 

It  is  wonderful  to  think,  how  he  commanded  the  attention 
of  such  multitudes  ;  with  wliat  composure  they  listened  when 
he  began  to  speak  ;  how  they  hung  upon  his  lips,  and  were 
often  dissolved  in  tears ;  and  this  was  the  case  with  persons 
of  the  most  hardy  and  rugged,  as  well  as  those  of  the  softer 
tempers. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  he  encountered  severe  trials  and 
opposition  on  his  first  entrance  into  Scotland,  because  he  re- 
fused assent  to  certain  notions  of  church  discipline.  While 
the  dignitaries  were  denouncing  him  as  fanatical,  he  rode  tri- 
umphantly through  all  opposition.  His  amenity  and  warmth 
of  disposition,  aided  by  his  mighty  eloquence,  enabled  him  to 
rise  before  auditories  that  had  just  heard  him  reviled,  and 
silence  his  detractors  by  the  emphatic  rebuke  implied  in  an 
admiring  audience.  The  following  account,  chiefly  in  his 
own  language,  is  a  true  record  of  his  triumphs,  and  will  con- 
duct us  at  once  to  consider  their  origin — his  unparalleled 
eloquence. 

Coming  as  a  stranger  into  Scotland,  and  being  free  from  all 
local  prejudice  and  passion  upon  the  subject,  Whitefield  saw 
the  folly  and  the  mischief  of  the  schisms  in  which  his  new 
acquaintance  were  engaged.  They  spared  no  pains  to  win 
him  over  to  their  side.  '•  I  find,"  said  he,  "  Satan  now  turns 
himself  into  an  angel  of  light,  and  stirs  up  God's  children  to 
tempt  me  to  come  over  to  some  particular  party."  To  one  of 
his  correspondents  he  replies,  "  I  wish  you  would  not  trouble 
yourself  or  me  in  writing  about  the  corruption  of  the  Church 
of  England.  I  believe  there  is  no  church  perfect  under  heaven  ; 
but  as  God,  by  his  providence,  is  pleased  to  send  me  forth 
simply  to  preach  the  gospel  to  all,  I  think  there  is  no  need  of 
castins:  myself  out."  He  was  invited  to  Aberdeen  by  the  min- 
ister of  one  of  the  Jiirks  in  that  city  ;  but  the  minister's  co-pastor 
had  prepossessed  the  magistrates  against  him,  so  that  when  he 
arrived,  they  refused  to  let  him  preach  in  the  kirk-yard.  They 
had,  however,  suflicient  curiosity  to  attend  when  he  officiated 
in  his  friend's  pulpit ;  the  congregation  was  very  large,  and, 
in  Whitefield's  own  words,  "light  and  life  fled  all  around." 
In  the  afternoon  it  was  the  other  pastor's  turn :  he  began  his 


MEMOIRS  OF   T7HITEFIELD.  261 

prayers  as  usual ;  but,  in  the  midst  of  them,  he  named  Wliite- 
field  personally,  whom  he  knew  to  be  then  present,  and  entreat- 
ed the  Lord  to  forgive  the  dishonor  that  had  been  put  upon 
him,  when  that  man  was  suffered  to  preach  in  that  pulpit. 
Not  satisfied  with  this,  he  renewed  the  attack  in  his  sermon, 
reminded  his  congregation  that  this  person  was  a  curate  of 
the  Church  of  England,  and  quoted  some  passages  from  his 
first  printed  discourses,  which  he  said  were  grossly  Arminian. 
"  Most  of  the  congregation,"  says  Whitefield,  "  seemed  surprised 
and  chagrined,  especially  the  good  natured  colleague ;  who, 
immediately  after  sermon,  without  consulting  me  in  the  least, 
stood  up,  and  gave  notice  that  Mr.  Whitefield  would  preach 
in  about  half  an  hour.  The  interval  being  so  short,  the  ma- 
gistrates returned  into  the  session  house,  and  the  congregation 
patiently  waited,  big  with  expectation  of  hearing  my  resent- 
ment. At  the  time  appointed,  I  went  up,  and  took  no  other 
notice  of  the  good  man's  ill-timed  zeal,  than  to  observe,  in  some 
part  of  my  discourse,  that  if  the  good  old  gentleman  had  seen 
some  of  my  later  writings,  wherein  I  had  corrected  several  of 
my  former  mistakes,  he  would  not  have  expressed  himself  in 
such  strong  terms.  The  people,  being  thus  diverted  from  con- 
troversy with  man,  were  deeply  impressed  with  what  they 
heard  from  the  \Yord  of  God.  All  was  hushed,  and  more  than 
solemn.  And  on  the  morrow  the  magistrates  sent  for  me,  ex- 
pressed themselves  quite  concerned  at  the  treatment  I  had  met 
with,  and  begged  I  would  accept  of  the  freedom  of  the  city." 

This  triumph  Whitefield  obtained,  as  much  by  that  perfect 
self  command,  which  he  always  possessed  in  public,  as  by  his 
surprisins:  oratory.  But  wherever  he  could  obtain  a  hearing, 
his  preaching  was  triumphant,  and  his  success  in  Scotland 
was,  in  some  respects,  greater  than  it  had  yet  been  in  England. 
"  Glory  be  to  God,"  he  says,  '•  he  is  doing  great  things  here.  I 
walk  in  the  continual  sunshine  of  his  countenance.  Congrega- 
tions consist  of  many  thousands.  Never  did  I  see  so  many 
Bibles,  nor  people  look  into  them,  when  1  am  expounding,  with 
such  attention.  Plenty  of  tears  flow  from  the  hearers'  eyes.  I 
preach  twice  daily,  and  expound  at  private  houses  at  night ; 
and  am  employed  in  speaking  to  souls  under  distress  great  part 
of  the  day.  Every  morning  I  have  a  constant  levee  of  wound- 
ed souls,  many  of  whom  are  qnite  slain  by  the  law.  At  seven 
in  the  morning  (this  was  at  Edinburgh)  we  have  a  lecture  in 
the  fields,  attended  not  only  by  the  common  people,  but  per- 
sons of  great  rank.  I  have  reason  to  think  several  of  the  lat- 
ter sort  are  coming  to  Jesus.  I  am  only  afraid  lest  people 
should  idohze  the  instrument,  and  not  look  enough  to  the  glo- 
rious Jesus,  in  whom  alone  I  desire  to  glory.     I  walk  continu- 


262  MEMOIRS  OF    WHITEFIELD. 

ally  in  the  comfort  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  The  love  of  Christ 
quite  strikes  me  dumb.  O  grace,  grace  !  let  that  be  my  song." 
In  Scotland  it  was  that  he  first  found  access  to  people  of 
rank.  "  Saints,"  says  he,  "  have  been  stirred  up  and  edified  ; 
and  many  others,  I  believe,  are  translated  from  darkness  to 
light,  and  from  the  kingdom  of  Satan  to  the  kingdom  of  God. 
The  good  that  has  been  done  is  inexpressible.  I  am  intimate 
with  three  noblemen  and  several  ladies  of  quality,  who  have  a 
great  liking  for  the  things  of  God.  I  am  now  writing  in  an 
earl's  house,  surrounded  with  fine  furniture ;  but,  glory  be  to 
free  grace,  my  soul  is  in  love  only  with  Jesus." 

His  exertions  increased  with  his  success.  "Yesterday,"  he 
says,  ^'  I  preached  three  times,  and  lectured  at  night.  This 
day  Jesus  has  enabled  me  to  preach  seven  times  ;  once  in  the 
church,  twice  at  the  girl's  hospital,  once  in  the  park,  once  at 
the  old  people's  hospital,  and  afterwards  twice  at  a  private 
house  ;  notwithstanding,  I  am  now  as  fresh  as  when  T  arose  in 
the  morning.  '  They  that  wait  upon  the  Lord  shall  renew 
their  strength  ;  they  shall  mount  on  wings  like  eagles.'  It 
would  delight  your  soul  to  see  the  effects  of  the  power  of 
God.  Both  in  the  church  and  park  the  Lord  was  with  us. 
The  girls  in  the  hospital  were  exceedingly  affected,  and  so 
were  the  standers  by.  One  of  the  mistresses  told  me,  she  is 
now  awakened  in  the  morning  by  the  voice  of  prayer  and 
praise  ;  and  the  master  of  the  boys  says,  that  they  meet  to- 
gether every  night  to  sing  and  pray ;  and  when  he  goes  to 
their  rooms  at  night,  to  see  if  all  be  safe,  he  generally  disturbs 
them  at  their  devotions.  The  presence  of  God  at  the  old  peo- 
ple's hospital,  w^as  really  very  wonderful.  The  Holy  Spirit 
seemed  to  come  down  like  a  mighty  rushing  wind.  The 
mourning  of  the  people  was  like  the  weeping  in  the  valley  of 
Hadad-Rimmon.  They  appear  more  and  more  hungry.  Eve- 
ry day  I  hear  of  some  fresh  good  wroug;ht  by  the  power  of 
God.     I  scarce  know  how  to  leave  Scotland." 

The  representation  thus  given  by  this  remarkable  man,  of 
the  effect  which  his  preaching  produced  upon  all  ranks  and 
descriptions  of  people,  is  not  exaggerated.  Dr.  Franklin  has 
justly  observed,  that  it  would  have  been  fortunate  for  his  repu- 
tation if  he  had  left  no  written  works  ;  his  talents  would  then 
have  been  estimated  by  the  effect  which  they  are  known  to 
have  produced;  for,  on  this  point,  there  is  the  evidence  of 
witnesses  whose  credibility  cannot  be  disputed.  Whitefield's 
writings  afford  merely  the  measure  of  his  knowledge  and  of 
his  intellect,  but  not  of  his  genius  as  a  preacher.  His  printed 
sermons,  instead  of  being,  as  is  usual,  the  most  elaborate  and 
finished  discourses  of  their  author,  have  indeed,  the  disadvan- 


MEMOIRS  OF    WHITEFIELD.  263 

tage  of  being  precisely  those  upon  which  the  least  care  had 
been  bestowed.     This  may  be  easily  explained. 

"By  hearing  him  often,"  says  Franklin,  "I  came  to  distin- 
guish easily  between  sermons  newly  composed,  and  those  which 
he  had  often  preached  in  the  course  of  his  travels.  His  deli- 
very of  the  latter  was  so  improved  by  frequent  repetition,  that 
every  accent,  every  emphasis,  every  modulation  of  voice,  was 
so  perfectly  well  turned,  and  well  placed,  that,  without  being 
interested  in  the  subject,  one  could  not  help  being  pleased  with 
the  discourse :  a  pleasure  of  much  the  same  kind  with  that 
received  from  an  excellent  piece  of  music.  This  is  an  advan- 
tage itinerant  preachei-s  have  over  those  who  are  stationary,  as 
the  latter  cannot  well  improve  their  delivery  of  a  sermon  by  so 
many  rehearsals."  It  was  a  great  advantage,  but  it  was  not 
the  only  one,  nor  the  greatest  vvdiich  he  derived  from  repeating 
his  discourses,  and  reciting  instead  of  reading  them.  Had  they 
been  delivered  from  a  written  copy,  one  delivery  would  liave 
been  like  the  last ;  the  paper  would  have  operated  like  a  spell, 
from  which  he  could  not  depart — invention  sleeping,  wliile  the 
utterance  followed  the  eye.  But  when  he  had  nothing  before 
him  except  the  audience  whom  he  was  addressing,  the  judg- 
ment and  the  imagination,  as  well  as  the  memory,  were  called 
forth.  Those  parts  were  omitted  which  had  been  felt  to  come 
feebly  from  the  tongue,  and  fall  heavily  upon  the  ear,  and  their 
place  was  supplied  by  matter  newly  laid  in  in  the  course  of  his 
studies,  or  fresh  from  the  feeling  of  the  moment.  They  who 
lived  with  him,  could  trace  him  in  his  sermons  to  the  book 
which  he  had  last  been  reading,  or  the  subject  which  had  re- 
cently taken  his  attention.  But  the  salient  points  of  liis  ora- 
tory were  not  prepared  passages, — they  were  bursts  of  passion, 
like  jets  from  a  Geyser,  when  the  spring  is  in  full  play. 

The  theatrical  talent  which  he  displayed  in  boyhood,  mani- 
fested itself  strongly  in  his  oratory.  When  he  was  about  to 
preach,  whether  it  was  from  a  pulpit,  or  a  table  in  the  streets, 
or  a  rising  ground,  he  appeared  with  a  solemnity  of  manner, 
and  an  anxious  expression  of  countenance,  that  seemed  to  show 
how  deeply  he  was  possessed  with  a  sense  of  the  importance 
of  what  he  was  about  to  say.  His  elocution  was  perfect. 
They  who  heard  him  most  frequently,  could  not  remember 
that  he  ever  stumbled  at  a  word,  or  hesitated  for  want  of 
one.  He  never  faltered,  unless  when  the  feeling  to  which  he 
had  wrought  himself  overcame  him,  and  then  his  speech  was 
interrupted  by  a  flow  of  tears.  Sometimes  he  would  appear  to 
lose  all  self-command,  and  weep  exceedingly,  and  stamp  loudly 
and  passionately  ;  and  sometimes  the  emotion  of  his  mind  ex- 
hausted him,  and  the  beholders  felt  a  momentary  apprehension 


264  MEMOIRS  OF    WHITEFIELD. 

even  for  his  life.  And,  indeed,  it  is  said,  that  the  effect  of  his 
-  vehemence  upon  his  bodily  frame  was  tremendous  ;  that  he 
usually  vomited  after  he  had  preached,  and  sometimes  dis- 
charged, in  this  manner,  a  considerable  quantity  of  blood.  But 
this  was  when  the  effort  was  over,  and  nature  was  left  at  lei- 
sure to  relieve  herself  While  he  Wcis  on  duty,  he  controlled 
all  sense  of  infirmity  or  pain,  and  made  his  advantage  of  the 
passion  to  which  he  had  given  way.  "You  blame  me  for 
weeping,"  he  would  say,  "  but  how  can  I  help  it,  when  you 
will  not  weep  for  yourselves,  though  your  immortal  souls  are 
upon  the  verge  of  destruction,  and,  for  aught  I  know,  you  are 
hearing  your  last  sermon,  and  may  never  more  have  an  oppor- 
tunity to  have  Christ  offered  to  you  !" 

Sometimes  he  woul(J  set  before  his  congregation  the  agony 
of  our  Savior,  as  though  the  scene  was  actually  before  them. 
"  Look  yonder  !"  he  would  say,  stretching  out  his  hand,  and 
pointing  as  he  spoke,  "  what  is  that  I  see  7  It  is  my  agonizing 
Lord  !  Hark,  hark  !  do  you  not  hear  ? — O  my  Father,  if  it  be 
possible,  let  this  cup  pass  from  me  !  nevertheless,  not  my  will, 
but  thine  be  done  !"  This  he  introduced  frequently  in  his  ser- 
mons ;  and  one  who  lived  with  him  says,  the  effect  was  not 
destroyed  by  repetition ;  even  to  those  who  knew  what  was 
coming,  it  came  as  forcibly  as  if  they  had  never  heard  it  before. 
In  this  respect  it  was  like  tine  stage  acting  ;  and  indeed  White- 
field  indulged  in  a  histrionic  manner  of  preaching,  which  would 
have  been  offensive  if  it  had  not  been  rendered  admirable  by 
his  natural  gracefulness  and  inimitable  power.  Sometimes,  at 
the  close  of  a  sermon,  he  would  personate  a  judge  about  to  per- 
form the  last  awful  part  of  his  office.  With  his  eyes  full  of 
tears,  and  an  emotion  that  made  his  speech  falter,  after  a  pause 
which  kept  the  whole  audience  in  breathless  expectation  of 
what  was  to  qome,  he  would  say,  "  I  am  now  going  to  put  on 
my  condemning  cap.  Sinner,  I  must  do  it :  I  must  pronounce 
sentence  upon  you  !"  and  then,  in  a  tremendous  strain  of  elo- 
quence, describing  the  eternal  punishment  of  the  wicked,  he 
recited  the  words  of  Christ,  "  Depart  from  me  ye  cursed,  into 
everlasting  fire,  prepared  for  the  devil  and  his  angels."  When 
he  spoke  of  St.  Peter,  how,  after  the  cock  crew,  he  went  out 
and  wept  bitterly,  he  had  a  fold  of  his  gown  ready,  in  which 
he  hid  his  face. 

Perfect  as  it  was,  histrionism  like  this  would  have  produced 
no  lasting  effect  upon  the  mind,  had  it  not  been  for  the  unaf- 
fected earnestness,  and  the  indubitable  sincerity  of  the  preach- 
er, which  equally  characterized  his  manner,  whether  he  rose 
to  the  height  of  passion  in  his  discourse,  or  won  the  attention 
of  the  motley  crowd  by  the  introduction  of  familiar  stories  and 


MEMOIRS  OF    WHITEFIELD.  265 

illustrations,  adapted  to  the  meanest*  capacity.  To  such  di- 
gressions his  disposition  led  him,  which  was  naturally  inclined 
to  a  comic  playfulness.  Minds  of  a  certain  power  wull  some- 
times express  their  strons^est  feelings  with  a  levity  at  which 
formalists  are  shocked,  and  which  dull  men  are  wholly  unable 
to  understand.  But  language,  which,  when  coldly  repeated, 
might  seem  to  border  upon  irreverence  and  burlesque,  has  its 
effect  in  popular  preaching,  when  the  intention  of  the  preacher 
is  perfectly  understood ;  it  is  suited  to  the  great  mass  of  the 
people,  it  is  felt  by  them  when  better  things  would  have  pro- 
duced no  impression,  and  it  is  borne  away  when  wiser  argu- 
ments would  have  been  forgotten.  There  was  another,  and 
more  uncommon  w^ay  in  which  VVhitefield's  peculiar  talent 
sometimes  was  indulged ;  he  could  direct  his  discourse  towards 
an  individual  so  skillfully,  that  the  congregation  had  no  suspi- 
cion of  any  particular  purport  in  that  part  of  the  sermon 
while  the  person  at  whom  it  was  aimed,  felt  it,  as  it  was  direct- 
ed, in  its  full  force.  There  was  sometimes  a  degree  of  sport- 
ivenesSjt  almost  akin  to  mischief  in  his  humor. 

Remarkable  cases  are  related  of  the  manner  in  which  he 
impressed  his  hearers.  The  man  at  Exetert  is  an  instance, 
who  stood  with  stones  in  his  pocket,  and  one  in  his  hand,  ready 
to  throw  at  him ;  but  he  dropped  it  before  the  sermon  was  far 
advanced,  and  going  up  to  him,  after  the  preaching  was  over, 
he  said,  "  Sir,  I  came  to  hear  you  with  an  intention  to  break 
your  head  ;  but  Gdd,  through  your  ministry,  has  given  me  a 
broken  heart."  A  ship  builder  was  once  asked,  what  he  thought 
of  him.     "  Think  !"  he  replied,  "  I  tell  you,  sir,  every  Sunday 

-  *  Wesley  says  of  him  in  his  Journal,  "how  wise  is  God  in  giving  different 
talents  to  different  preachers  !  Even  the  little  improprieties,  both  of  his  lan- 
guage and  manner,  were  a  means  of  profiting  many  who  would  not  have  been 
touched  by  a  more  correct  discourse,  or  a  more  calm  and  regular  manner  of 
speaking."  St.  Augustine  somewhere  says,  that  is  the  best  key  which  opens 
the  door :  quid  enim  prodest  clavis  aurea  si  aperire  quod  volumus  non  potent  ? 
aut  quod  obest  lignea,  si  hoc  prodest,  quando  nihil  quarimus  nisi  patere  quod  dav^ 
sum  est  7 

t  Mr.  Winter  relates  a  curious  anecdote  of  his  preaching  at  a  maid  servant, 
who  had  displeased  him  by  some  negligence  in  the  morning.  "  In  the  even- 
ing," says  the  writer,  "  before  the  family  retired  to  rest,  I  found  her  under 
great  dejection,  the  reason  of  which  I  did  not  apprehend ;  for  it  did  not  strike 
me  that,  in  exemplifying  a  conduct  inconsistent  with  the  christian's  professed 
fidelity  to  his  Redeemer,  he  was  drawing  it  from  remissness  of  duty  in  a  living 
character ;  but  she  felt  it  so  sensibly,  as  to  be  greatly  distressed  by  it,  until  he 
relieved  her  mind  by  his  usually  amiable  deportment.  The  next  day,  being 
about  to  leave  town,  he  called  out  to  her,  '  farewell :'  she  did  not  make  her 
appearance,  which  he  remarked  to  a  female  friend  at  dinner,  who  replied, 
'  Sir,  you  have  exceedingly  wounded  poor  Betty.'  This  excited  in  him  a 
hearty  laugh  :  and  when  I  shut  the  coach  door  upon  him,  he  said,  '  Be  sure 
and  remember  me  to  Betty ;  tell  her  the  account  is  settled,  and  that  I  have 
nothing  more  against  her.'  " 
X  See  p.  122. 

23 


266 


MEMOIRS  OF    WHITEFIELD. 


that  I  go  to  iny  parish  church,  I  can  build  a  ship  from  stem  to 
stern  under  the  sermon  ;  but  were  it  to  save  my  soul,  under 
Mr.  Whitefield,  I  could  not  lay  a  single  plank."  Hume  pro- 
nounced him  the  most  ingenious  preacher  he  had  ever  heard ; 
raid  said,  it  was  worth  while  to  go  twenty  miles  to  hear  him. 
But,  perhaps,  the  greatest  proof  of  his  persuasive  powers  was, 
when  he  drew  from  Franklin's  pocket  the  money  which  that 
clear,  cool  reasoner  had  determined  not  to  give :  it  was  for  the 
Orphan-house  at  Savannah.  "I  did  not,"  says  the  philosopher, 
'•  disapprove  of  the  design  ;  but  as  Georgia  was  then  destitute 
of  materials  and  workmen,  and  it  was  proposed  to  send  them 
from  Philadelphia,  at  a  great  expense,  I  thought  it  would  have 
been  better  to  have  built  the  house  at  Philadelphia,  and  brought 
the  children  to  it.  This  1  advised  ;  but  he  was  resolute  in  his 
first  project,  rejected  my  coimci],  and  I  therefore  refused  to  con- 
tribute. I  happened,  soon  after,  to  attended  one  of  his  sermons, 
in  the  course  of  which  I  perceived  he  intended  to  finish  with 
a  collection,  and  I  silently  resolved  he  should  get  nothing  from 
me.  I  had  in  my  pocket,  a  handful  of  copper  money,  three  or 
four  silver  dollars,  and  five  pistoles  in  gold.  As  he  proceeded, 
I  began  to  soften,  and  concluded  to  give  the  copper  ;  another 
stroke  of  his  oratory  made  me  ashamed  of  that,  and  deter- 
mined me  to  giv^e  the  silver ;  and  he  finished  so  admirably, 
that  I  emptied  my  pocket  into  the  collector's  dish,  gold  and 
all."* 

The  manner  in  which  he  once  turned  a  thunder  storm  to 
his  purpose,  has  been  thus  narrated.  Before  he  commenced 
his  sermon,  long,  darkening  columns  crowded  the  bright,  sunny 
sky  of  the  morning,  and  swept  their  dull  shadows  over  the 
building,  in  fearful  augury  of  the  storm. 

His  text  was,  "  Strive  to  enter  in  at  the  strait  gate  ;  for  many, 
I  say  unto  you,  shall  seek  to  enter  in,  and  shall  not  be  able.*^ 
"  See  that  emblem  of  human  life,"  said  he,  pointing  to  a  shadow 
that  was  flitting  across  the  floor,  "  It  passed  for  a  moment, 
and  concealed  the  brightness  of  heaven  from  our  view ; — but 
it  was  gone.  And  where  will  ye  be,  my  hearers,  when  your 
lives  have  passed  away  like  that  dark  cloud  ?  Oh.  my  dear 
friends,  I  see  thousands  sitting  attentive,  with  their  eyes  fixed 

♦  "  At  this  sermon,"  continues  Franklin,  "  there  was  also  one  of  our  club, 
who,  being  of  ray  sentiments  respecting  the  building  in  Georgia,  and  suspect- 
ing a  collection  might  be  intended,  had,  by  precaution,  emptied  bis  pockets  be- 
fore he  came  from  home  :  towards  the  conclusion  of  the  discourse,  however, 
he  felt  a  strong  inclination  to  give,  and  applied  to  a  neighbor,  who  stood  near 
him,  to  lend  him  some  money  for  the  purf  ose.  The  request  was  fortunately 
made  to  perhaps  the  cnly  man  in  the  company  who  had  the  firmness  not  to  be 
affected  by  the  preacher.  His  answer  was,  '  At  any  other  time,  friend  Hop- 
kinson,  I  would  lend  to  thee  freely,  but  not  now,  for  thee  seems  to  me  to  be 
out  of  thy  right  senses.'  " 


MEMOIRS    OF  Vv'IIITEFIELD.  267 

on  the  poor,  unworthy  preacher.  In  a  few  days,  we  shall  all 
meet  at  the  judgment  seat  of  Christ.  We  shall  form  a  part  of 
that  vast  assembly  that  will  gather  before  the  throne  ;  and 
every  eye  will  behold  the  Judge.  With  a  voice  whose  call  you 
must  abide  and  answer,  he  Avill  inquire  whether  on  earth  ye 
strove  to  enter  in  at  the  strait  gate ;  whether  you  were  su- 
premely devoted  to  God ;  whether  your  hearts  were  absorbed 
in  him.  My  blood  runs  cold  when  I  think  how  many  of  you 
will  then  seek  to  enter  in,  and  shall  not  be  able.  Oh,  what 
plea  can  you  make  before  the  Judge  of  the  whole  earth  ?  Can 
you  say  it  has  been  yoiu'  whole  endeavor  to  mortify  the  flesh, 
with  its  affections  and  lusts  ?  that  your  life  has  been  one  long 
effort  to  do  the  will  of  God  ?  No  !  you  must  answer,  I  made 
myself  easy  in  the  world  by  flattering  myself  tliat  all  would 
end  well ;  but  I  have  deceived  my  own  soul,  and  am  lost. 

'•  You,  O  false  and  hollow  christian,  of  what  avail  will  it  be 
that  you  have  done  many  things  ;  that  you  have  read  much 
in  the  sacred  word  ;  that  you  have  made  long  prayers ;  that 
you  have  attended  religious  duties,  and  appeared  holy  in  the 
eyes  of  men  ?  What  will  all  this  be,  if,  instead  of  loving  Him 
supremely,  you  have  been  supposing  you  should  exalt  yourself 
in  heaven  by  acts  really  polluted  and  unholy? 

"And  you,  rich  man,  wherefore  do  you  hoard  your  silver? 
wherefore  count  the  price  you  have  received  for  him  whom 
you  every  day  crucify  in  your  love  of  gain?  Why,  that,  when 
you  are  too  poor  to  buy  a  drop  of  cold  water,  your  beloved  son 
may  be  rolled  to  hell  in  his  chariot,  pillowed  and  cushioned 
around  him." 

His  eye  gradually  lighted  up,  as  he  proceeded,  till,  towards 
the  close,  it  seemed  to  sparkle  with  celestial  fire. 

"Oh,  sinners  !"  he  exclaimed,  "  by  all  your  hopes  of  happi- 
ness, I  beseech  you  to  repent.  Let  not  the  wrath  of  God  be 
awakened.  Let  not  the  fires  of  eternity  be  kindled  against 
you.  See  there  !"  said  he,  pointing  to  the  lightning,  which 
played  on  the  corner  of  the  pulpit — "  'Tis  a  glance  from  the 
angry  eye  of  Jehovah  !  Hark  !"  continued  he,  raising  his  fin- 
ger in  a  listening  attitude,  as  the  distant  thunder  grew  louder 
and  louder,  and  broke  in  one  tremendous  crash  over  tlie  build- 
ing. "  It  was  the  voice  of  the  Almighty  as  he  passed  by  in 
his  anger  !" 

As  the  sound  died  away,  he  covered  his  face  with  his  hands, 
and  knelt  beside  his  pulpit,  apparently  lost  in  inward  and  in- 
tense prayer.  The  storm  passed  rapidly  away,  and  the  sun, 
bursting  forth  in  his  might,  threw  across  the  heavens  a  mag- 
nificent arch  of  peace.  Rising,  and  pointing  to  the  beautiful 
object,  he  exclaimed,  "Look  upon  the  rainbow,  and  praise  him 


266  MEMOIRS    OF   WHITEFIELD. 

that  made  it.  Very  beautiful  it  is  in  the  brightness  thereof.  It 
compasseth  the  heavens  about  with  glory  ;  and  the  hands  of 
the  Most  High  have  bended  it." 

No  wonder  that  such  a  preacher  should  be  admired  and  fol- 
io wed  in  a  country  where  the  habits  of  the  people  were  devo- 
tional. On  his  second  visit  to  Scotland,  he  was  met  on  the 
shore  at  Leith  by  multitudes,  weeping  and  blessing  him,  and 
they  followed  his  coach  to  Edinburgh,  pressing  to  welcome 
him  when  he  alighted,  and  to  hold  him  in  their  arms.  Seats, 
with  awnings,  were  erected  in  the  park,  in  the  form  of  an  am- 
phitheater, for  his  preaching.  Several  youths  left  their  parents 
'and  masters  to  follow  him,  as  his  servants  and  children  in  the 
gospel ;  but  he  was  wise  enough  to  show  them  their  error,  and 
send  them  back.  The  effect  which  he  produced  was  over- 
whelming. At  Cambuslang  it  exceeded  any  thing  which  he 
had  ever  witnessed  in  his  career.  "  I  preached  at  two,-'  he 
says,  "  to  a  vast  collection  of  people,  and  at  six  in  the  evenings 
and  again  at  nine.  Such  a  commotion,  surely,  never  was  heard 
of,  especially  at  eleven  at  night.  For  about  an  hour  and  a 
half  there  was  such  weeping,  so  many  falling  into  deep  distres&y 
and  expressing  it  various  ways,  as  is  inexpressible.  The  peo- 
ple seem  to  be  slain  by  scores.  They  are  carried  off,  and 
come  into  the  house,  like  soldiers  Avounded  in  and  carried  off 
from  a  field  of  battle.  Their  cries  and  agonies  are  exceedingly 
affecting.  Mr.  M.  preached,  after  I  had  ended,  till  past  one  in 
the  morning,  and  then  could  scarcely  persuade  them  to  depart. 
All  night,  in  the  fields,  might  be  heard  the  voice  of  prayer  and 
praise.  Some  young  ladies  were  found  by  a  gentlewoman 
praising  God  at  break  of  day :  she  went  and  joined  with  them." 
Soon  afterwards  he  returned  there,  to  assist  at  the  sacrament. 
"  Scarce  ever,"  he  says,  "  was  such  a  night  seen  in  Scotland. 
There  were,  undoubtedly,  upwards  of  twenty  thousand  .per- 
sons. Two  tents  were  set  up,  and  the  holy  sacrament  was 
administered  in  the  fields.  When  I  began  to  serv^e  a  table,  the 
power  of  God  was  felt  by  numbers  ;  but  the  people  crowded 
so  upon  me,  that  I  was  obliged  to  desist,  and  go  to  preach  at 
one  of  the  tents,  while  the  ministers  served  the  rest  of  the  ta- 
bles. God  was  with  them  and  with  his  people.  There  was 
preaching  all  day,  by  one  or  another  ;  and  in  the  evening, 
when  the  sacrament  was  over,  at  the  request  of  the  ministers, 
I  preached  to  the  whole  congregation.  I  preached  about  an 
hour  and  a  half  Surely  it  was  a  time  much  to  be  remembered. 
On  Monday  morning  I  preached  again  to  near  as  many ;  but 
such  a  universal  stir  I  never  saw  before.  The  motion  fled  as 
swift  as  lightning  from  one  end  of  the  auditory  to  another. 
You  might"  have  seen  thousands  bathed  in  tears  :  some  at  the 


MEMOIRS  OF    WHITEFIELD.  269 

same  time  wringing-  their  hands,  others  almost  swoonins^,  and 
others  crying  out  and  mourning  over  a  pierced  Savior." 

All  this,  if  we  are  to  confide  in  the  testimony  of  eye-wit- 
nesses, conveys  but  a  faint  and  inadequate  impression  of  the  as- 
tounding power  which  accompanied  his  eloquence.  Through 
it  all,  we  discover  a  lively  imagination,  which  made  people 
think  they  saw  what  he  described  ;  an  action  still  more  lively, 
if  possible,  by  which,  while  every  accent  of  his  voice  spoke  to 
the  ear,  every  feature  of  his  face,  every  motion  of  his  hands, 
and  every  gesture,  spoke  to  the  eye  ;  so  that  the  most  dissipated 
and  thoughtless  found  their  attention  involuntarily  fixed,  and 
the  dullest  and  most  ignorant  could  not  but  understand.  He 
had  likewise  a  certain  elevation  of  character  which  raised  him 
equally  above  praise  and  censure,  and  added  great  authority 
to  whatever  he  said.  The  natural  language  of  this  christian 
fortitude,  we  have  in  one  of  his  letters — "  the  Lord  only  knows 
how  he  will  be  pleased  to  dispose  of  me — great  afflictions  I  am 
sure  of  having — and  a  sudden  death,  blessed  be  God,  will  not  be 
terrible — I  know  that  my  Redeemer  liveth.  I  every  day  long 
to  see  him,  that  I  may  be  free  from  the  remainder  of  sin,  and 
enjoy  him  without  interruption  for  ever." 

But  what  was,  perhaps,  the  most  important  of  all,  he  had  a 
heart  deeply  exercised  in  all  the  social,  as  well  as  the  pious  and 
religious  affections,  and  was  at  the  same  time  most  remarkably 
communicative,  by  which  means  he  was  peculiarly  fitted  to 
awaken  like  feelings  in  others,  and  to  sympathize  with  every 
one  that  had  them. 

This  last,  some  have  thought,  was  the  distinguishing  part 
of  his  character.  It  was  certainly  a  distinguishing  trait  in  it. 
In  his  journals  and  letters,  an  impartial  reader  will  find  in- 
stances of  it  almost  in  every  page  ;  such  as  lively  gratitude  to 
God  in  the  first  place,  and  to  all  whom  God  had  used  as  instru- 
ments of  good  to  him  ;  sincere  love  in  dealing  so  plainly  with 
his  correspondents  about  the  interests  of  their  souls  ;  frequent 
and  particular  intercession  for  his  friends,  his  enemies,  and  all 
mankind  ;  great  delight  in  the  society  of  christian  acquaint- 
ances ;  many  very  sorrowful  partings,  and  joyful  meetings  witli 
his  friends  ;  tender-heartedness  to  the  afflicted  ;  his  pleasure  in 
procuring  and  administering  a  seasonable  supply  to  the  indi- 
gent; and  condescension  to  people  of  the  lowest  rank,  to  instruct 
and  converse  with  them  for  their  good,  in  as  kind  and  sociable 
a  manner  as  if  he  had  been  their  brother  or  intimate  friend. 
These  are  manifest  proofs  that  he  had  a  heart  easily  susceptible 
of  every  humane,  tender,  and  compassionate  feeling.  And  this 
was  certainly  a  great  mean  of  enabling  him  so  strongly  to  af- 
fect the  hearts  of  others. 

23* 


^0  mejMoirs  of  whitefield. 

Had  his  natural  talents  for  oratory  been  employed  in  secular 
affairs,  and  been  somewhat  more  improved  by  the  refinements 
of  art,  and  the  embellishment  of  erudition,  it  is  probable  they 
would  soon  have  advanced  him  to  distinguished  wealth  and 
renown.  But  his  sole  ambition  was  to  serve  a  crucified  Savior, 
in  the  ministry  of  the  gospel.  And  being  early  convinced  of 
the  great  injury  that  has  been  done  to  Christianity,  by  a  bigoted 
spirit,  he  insisted  not  upon  the  pecuhar  tenets  of  a  party  ;  '-for," 
says  he,  in  one  of  his  letters,  ^'  I  love  all  that  love  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ."  In  another,  "  Oh  !  how  do  I  long  to  see  bigotry 
and  party  zeal  taken  away,  and  all  the  Lord's  servants  more 
knit  together  !"  Again,  "I  wish  all  names  among  the  saints  of 
God,  were  swallowed  up  in  that  one  of  christian  !"  But 
upon  the  universally  interesting  doctrines  of  holy  scripture, 
concerning  the  ruin  of  mankind  by  sin,  and  their  recovery  by 
divine  grace  ;  doctrines,  the  truth  of  which,  he  himself  had 
deeply  felt ;  to  make  men  sensible  of  the  misery  of  their  aliena- 
tion from  God,  and  of  the  necessity  of  justification  by  faith  in 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ ;  of  regeneration  by  the  Holy  Spirit  ; 
and  of  a  life  of  devotedness  to  God,  was  the  principal  scope  of 
all  his  discourses.  "  The  only  Methodism,  I  desire  to  know," 
says  he,  "  is  a  holy  method  of  dying  to  ourselves,  and  living 
to  God."  By  this  description  he  was  far  from  intending  to 
confine  true  religion  to  the  exercises  of  devotion.  By  "  living 
to  God,"  he  meant  a  constant  endeavor  after  conformity  to  the 
divine  will  in  all  things.  "  For,"  says  he,  in  another  place, 
''  it  is  a  great  mistake  to  suppose  religion  consists  only  in  say- 
ing our  prayers.  Every  christian  lies  under  the  necessity  to 
have  some  particular  calling,  whereby  he  may  be  a  useful  mem- 
ber of  the  society  to  which  he  belongs.  A  man  is  no  farther 
holy,  than  he  is  relatively  holy,  and  he  only  will  adorn  the  gos- 
pel of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  in  all  things,  who  is  careful  to 
perform  all  the  civil  offices  of  life,  with  a  single  eye  to  God's 

§lory,  and  from  a  principle  of  lively  faith  in  Jesus  Christ  our 
avior.  This  is  the  morality  which  we  preach.  He  used  also 
to  give  this  definition  of  true  religion,  "  That  it  is  a  universal 
morality  founded  upon  the  love  of  God,  and  faith  in  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ."  Licentiousness  and  luxury,  and  all  sorts  of  time 
wasting  and  dissipating  amusements,  how  fashionable  soever, 
he  constantly  inveighed  against.  These  were  the  topics  on 
which  he  employed  his  eloquence. 

But  not  to  dwell  any  longer  on  his  accomplishments  as  an 
orator,  and  the  excellent  purposes  to  which,  through  the  grace 
of  God,  he  devoted  them ;  one  thing  remains  to  be  mentioned, 
of  an  infinitely  higher  order  than  any  human  powers  whatever: 
and  that  is,  the  power  of  God,  which  so  remarkably  accompa- 


MEMOIRS  OF  WHITEFIELD.  271 

nied  the  labors  of  his  servant,  and  without  which,  both  scrip- 
ture and  experience  teach  us,  that  all  external  means,  how- 
ever excellent,  are  ineffectual  and  vain.  It  is  here  Whitefield 
is  much  to  be  envied,  were  it  lawful  to  envy  any  man.  When 
we  consider  the  multitudes  that  were  not  only  awakened,  but 
brought  under  lasting  religious  impressions  by  his  ministry  ! 
and  the  multitudes  that  were  wrought  upon  in  the  same  man- 
ner by  the  ministry  of  others,  excited  by  his  example,  both  in 
Great  Britain  and  America,  we  are  naturally  led  into  the  same 
sentiments  with  Mr.  Wesley,  in  his  funeral  sermon;  "What 
an  honor  has  it  pleased  God  to  put  upon  his  faithful  servant ! 
Have  we  read  or  heard  of  any  person  since  the  apostles,  who 
testified  the  gospel  of  the  grace  of  God,  through  so  widely  ex- 
tended a  space,  through  so  large  a  part  of  the  habitable  world  ? 
Have  we  read,  or  heard  of  any  person,  who  called  so  many 
thousands,  so  man}^  myriads  of  sinners  to  repentance  ?  Above 
all,  have  we  read,  or  heard  of  any,  who  has  been  a  blessed 
instrument  in  his  hand,  of  bringing  so  many  sinners  from 
darkness  to  light,  and  from  the  power  of  Satan  unto  God?" 

This  excellent  character,  joined  to  talents  so  extraordina- 
ry, and  to  labors,  which  God  was  pleased  to  bless  with  almost 
unequaled  success,  was  shaded  with  some  infirmities.  And 
what  else  could  be  expected  in  the  present  condition  of  hu- 
manity ?  These  have  been  sufficiently  laid  open  in  the  prece- 
ding narrative  of  his  life.  And  it  ought  to  be  observed,  that  as 
there  was  something  very  amiable  in  the  frankness  and  unre- 
servedness  which  prevented  his  concealing  them  ;  so  through 
his  openness  to  conviction,  his  teachableness  to  confess  and 
correct  his  mistakes,  they  became  still  fewer  and  smaller,  and 
decreased  continually,  as  he  advanced  in  knowledge  and  ex- 
perience. 

In  his  letters,  we  find  the  following  remarkable  passages : 
"May  God  reward  you  for  watching  over  my  soul.  It  is  diffi- 
cult, I  believe,  to  go  through  the  fiery  trial  of  popularity  and 
applause,  untainted.  When  I  am  unwilling  to  be  told  of  my 
faults,  correspond  with  me  no  more.  If  I  know  any  thing  of 
my  heart,  I  love  those  most  who  are  most  faithful  to  me  in 
this  respect ;  henceforward,  dear  sir,  I  beseech  you,  by  the 
mercit^s  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus,  spare  me  not.  We  must  be 
helps  to  each  other  on  this  side  eternity.  Nothing  ^ives  me 
more  comfort,  next  to  the  assurance  of  the  eternal  continu- 
ance of  God's  love,  than  the  pleasing  reflection  of  having  so 
many  christian  friends  to  watch  with  my  soul.  I  wish  they 
would  smite  me  friendly,  and  reprove  me  oftener  than  they  do. 
I  rejoice  that  you  begin  to  know  yourself  If  possible,  Satan 
will  make  us  thinlc  more  highly  of  ourselves  than  we  ought  to 


272  MEMOIRS  OF    WHITEFIELD. 

think.  I  can  tell  this  by  fatal  experience.  It  is  not  sudden 
flashes  of  joy,  but  having  the  humility  of  Jesus  Christ,  that 
must  denominate  us  christians.  If  we  hate  reproof,  we  are 
so  far  from  being  true  followers  of  the  Lamb  of  God,  that  in 
the  opinion  of  the  wisest  of  men  we  are  brutish.  O  my  dear 
brother,  still  continue  faithful  to  my  soul — do  not  hate  me  in 
your  heart — in  any  wise  reprove  me.  You  need  no  apology 
for  your  plain  dealing.  I  love  those  best,  who  deal  most  siur 
cei:ely  with  me.  Whatever  errors  I  have  been,  or  shall  be 
guilty  of  in  my  ministry,  I  hope  the  Lord  will  show  me,  and 
give  me  grace  to  amend." 

It  would  be  unjust  to  his  memory  not  to  take  notice,  upon 
this  occasion,  of  that  uniformity  of  sentiment,  which  runs 
through  all  his  sermons  and  writings,  after  he  was  thoroughly 
enlightened  in  the  truth.  Indeed,  when  he  first  set  out  in  the 
ministry,  his  youth  and  inexperience  led  him  into  many  ex- 
pressions which  were  contrary  to  sound  doctrine,  and  which 
made  many  of  the  sermons  he  first  printed,  jnstly  exception- 
able :  but  reading,  experience,  and  a  deeper  knowledge  of  his 
own  heart,  convinced  him  of  his  errors,  and  upon  all  occasions 
he  avowed  his  adherence  to  the  thirty-nine  articles  of  the 
Church  of  England,  and  the  standards  of  the  Church  of  Scot- 
land, as  expressly  founded  on  the  word  of  God.  He  loved  his 
friend,  but  he  would  not  part  with  a  grain  of  sacred  truth  for 
the  brother  of  his  heart.  Thus  we  see  him  constrained  to 
write  and  print  against  the  Arminian  tenets  of  Wesley,  whom 
he  loved  in  the  bowels  of  Christ.  And  it  appears  from  several 
other  tracts  in  his  works,  that  he  neglected  no  opportunity  of 
steppins:  forth  as  a  bold  champion,  in  defence  of  that  faith  which 
was  once  delivered  to  the  saints. 

"  He  who  engages  himself  to  fight  the  battles  of  the  Lord," 
says  a  minister  of  the  gospel,  '•  has  need  of  uncommon  strength 
and  irresistible  arms  ;  and  if  he  be  destitute  of  one  or  the  other, 
he  vainly  expects  to  stand  in  the  evil  day."  Whitefield  was 
exposed  to  a  vast  variety  of  dangers,  and  beset  with  innumer- 
able enemies.  His  whole  life  was  one  continued  scene  of  war- 
fare, in  which  he  wrestled  sometimes  with  visible,  and  at  other 
times  with  invisible  adversaries.  He  saw  it  to  be  absolutely 
necessary  to  be  furnished  Avith  weapons  of  celestial  temper  in 
this  spiritual  warfare  ;  and  he  put  on  "  the  whole  armor  of 
God,"  with  a  determined  resolution  never  to  put  it  off,  till  his 
last  conflict  should  be  decided.  This  sacred  panoply  enabled 
him  to  grapple  with  his  strongest  enemies  ;  and  made  him  truly 
invincible  in  the  cause  of  godliness. 

It  becomes  all  who  are  called  to  the  sacred  offic©  of  the 
ministry,  to  be  faithful  in  the  discharge  of  that  work  commit- 


MEMOIRS  OF   WHITEFIELD.  273 

ted  to  them.  They  are  not  to  be  as  "  sullen  lamps,  enlighten- 
ing only  themselves ;"  but  as  conspicuous  suns,  enlightening 
and  animating  all  around  them.  Whitefield  entered  upon  the 
duties  of  his  vocation  with  an  extraordinary  degree  of  earnest- 
ness and  zeal.  He  saw  the  difficulties  of  his  situation,  and  the 
reproaches  to  which  he  should  be  exposed,  by  a  conscientious 
discharge  of  his  duty ;  but,  persuaded  of  the  importance  of 
his  charge,  and  concerned  for  the  welfare  of  immortal  souls 
upon  the  very  verge  of  destruction,  he  set  his  face  like  a  flint 
against  all  who  might  oppose  the  truth  or  grace  of  God.  What- 
ever his  hand  found  to  do,  in  any  part  of  the  sacred  vineyard, 
it  may  be  truly  said,  that  he  did  it  with  all  his  might.  As  a 
steward  of  the  manifold  grace  of  God,  he  faithfully  dispensed 
the  word  of  life,  according  as  every  man  had  need.  He  was  a 
laborious  workman  in  his  Lord's  vineyard.  Instant  in  season 
and  out  of  season,  he  diligently  performed  the  work  of  an 
evangelist,  and  lost  no  opportunity  of  declaring  the  truths  of 
the  gospel.  It  appears  from  a  littie  memorandum  book,  where- 
in he  minuted  the  times  and  places  of  his  ministerial  labors, 
that  he  preached  upwards  of  eighteen  thousand  sermons  in 
the  course  of  his  ministry,  which  included  thirty-four  years 
and  XI  quarter  ;  which  was  somewhat  more  than  Jfive  hundred 
sermons  a  year.  The  day  preceding  his  death,  he  expressed 
a  great  desire  to  enter  his  eternal  rest ;  at  the  same  time  say- 
ing, "  Lord,  thou  knowest  I  am  not  weary  of  thy  work,  though 
I  am  weary  in  it !"  Every  duty  of  his  sacred  vocation,  this 
apostolic  man  performed,  with  an  earnestness  and  zeal,  of  which 
but  a  very  imperfect  idea  can  be  given.  Never  weary  of  well 
doing,  he  counted  it  his  greatest  privilege  "  to  spend  and  be 
spent"  in  ministering  to  the  church  of  God,  and  in  the  service 
of  which  he  sacrificed  his  strength,  his  health,  and  his  life. 

He  was  "  a  burning  and  shining  light" — a  Boanerges,  and 
yet  a  Barnabas  in  the  church  of  God.  Whether  the  enemies 
of  God  appeared  in  the  splendor  of  riches,  or  in  the  meanness 
of  poverty ;  whether  they  were  distinguished  by  their  erudi- 
tion, or  despicable  by  their  ignorance,  he  marshaled  against 
them  the  most  terrible  denunciations  of  the  Almighty's  wrath. 
Unawed  either  by  the  majesty  of  kings,  or  the  madness  of  the 
people,  he  was  equally  fitted  to  appear  with  Moses  at  an  impious 
court,  or  to  stand  with  Stephen  in  a  turbulent  assembly.  The 
fidelity  with  which  he  performed  this  part  of  his  duty,  is  worthy 
of  admiration. 

But  while  he  was  faithful,  in  proclaiming  "  the  day  of  ven- 
geance" to  the  wickedi  le  neglected  not  "  to  proclaim  liberty 
to  the  captives,  and  the  opening  of  the  prison  to  them  that  were 
bound."    La  the  discharge  of  this  favorite  part  of  his  office,  he 


274  MEMOIRS   OF   WHITEFIELD. 

was  equally  faithful  as  in  tlie  former.  He  shunned  not  to  de- 
clare the  whole  counsel  of  God.  He  made  Jesus  the  Alpha 
and  Omega,  the  beginning  and  ending  of  all  his  ministrations. 
He  explored  the  intricate  mazes,  and  unlocked  the  secret  re- 
cesses of  the  human  heart.  He  was  solicitously  concerned  to 
have  his  hearers  thoroughly  convinced  that  they  were  sinful, 
lost  creatures,  exposed  to  the  everlasting  vengeance  of  a  right- 
eous God.  He  displayed  the  infinitely  tender  love,  and  free 
grace  of  Jesus,  in  dying  for  apostate  man.  He  pointed  the  sin- 
ner to  the  Lamb  of  God,  whose  blood  clean seth  from  all  sin ; 
whose  merits  are  infinite,  and  able  to  save  to  the  uttermost ; 
and  whose  righteousness  is  sufficient  to  justify  the  ungodly. 
Thus,  with  all  possible  plainness  and  fidelity,  this  apostolic 
preacher  administered  the  word  of  God,  in  his  day  and  gene- 
ration, whether  it  was  a  word  of  threatening  to  the  careless 
and  impenitent,  or  a  word  of  consolation  to  the  fearful  and 
afflicted. 

The  inexpressible  concern  which  he  felt  for  the  enlargement 
of  the  kingdom  of  Christ,  and  the  salvation  of  immortal  souls 
induced  him  to  go  forth  into  the  highways  and  hedges,  to  pub- 
lish the  gospel ;  and  anxious  to  do  "the  work  of  an  evangelist" 
with  all  possible  fidelity,  he  was  not  ashamed,  that  every  hour 
and  every  place  should  bear  testimony  to  the  affectionate  zeal, 
with  which  he  exhorted  the  ignorant,  the  careless,  and  the 
abandoned,  to  "flee  from  the  wrath  to  come."  Considering 
himself  as  a  minister  of  the  church  of  Christ,  he  complained 
of  no  hardships,  nor  thought  any  difficulty  too  great  to  be  en- 
countered, in  winning  souls  to  Christ.  He  was  careful  to  act, 
in  every  instance,  consistently  with  his  high  profession.  He 
preferred  the  path  of  duty  before  the  lap  of  repose ;  he  listen- 
ed not  to  the  suggestion  of  fear,  nor  regarded  the  dictates  of 
worldly  prudence ;  and  he  counted  neither  ease,  nor  interest, 
nor*reputation,  nor  even  life  itself,  dear  to  him.  He  strove  to 
"  finish  his  course  with  joy." 

Such  was  this  favored  servant  of  God.  Well  may  he  be  our 
exemplar.  And,  as  a  well  nigh  apostolic  unction,  fervor,  and 
enercry  possessed  him,  so  may  his  mantle  fall  on  many,  who 
shalf  behold  his  character  reflected  through  these  records. 


AN    APPENDIX 

To  the  Life  of  Whitefeld,  containing'  some  additional  documents  of 
interest  concerning  his  life,  character^  and  death. 

The  following  extract  of  a  letter  appeared  in  the  Georgia 
Gazette,  soon  after  Mr.  AVhitefield's  death  :  "  The  considera- 
tion of  public  calamities  is  never  out  of  season  ;  and  if  pro- 
perly attended  to,  as  they  ought  to  be,  will  afford  matter  of 
great  improvement  to  the  mind,  that  views  them  as  happening 
by  the  permission  of  an  unerring  divine  Providence.  And  as 
the  loss  of  eminent  and  public  spirited  persons,  who  have  sig- 
nally distinguished  themselves  by  serving  their  country  in  a 
free,  disinterested,  and  generous  manner,  is  none  of  the  least, 
so  it  deserveth  a  particular  regard. 

"  In  this  light,  I  look  upon  the  very  much  lamented  death 
of  the  late  Rev.  Geor^-e  Whitefield,  especially  in  respect  to 
Georgia  ;  for  which  he  has  demonstrated,  by  every  means  in 
his  power,  a  most  uncommonly  warm,  affectionate,  and  una- 
bating  resjard,  for  near  thirty-three  years  past ;  I  say,  by  every 
means  in  his  power,  because  it  is  well  known  that,  until  within 
a  few  years  past,  he  has  been  constantly  loaded  with  a  heavy 
debt  to  support  and  carry  on  his  benevolent  institution,  the 
Orphan-house,  which  he  frequently  felt  so  severely,  that  had 
not  that  God,  whom  he  faithfully  served,  supported  him,  he 
must  have  sunk  under  the  burden  :  notwithstanding  he  was  at 
the  same  time  maligned,  traduced,  and  persecuted  with  unre- 
lenting virulence,  as  a  cheat,  an  impostor,  and  a  public  robber, 
who,  under  the  specious  pretence  of  promoting  a  charitable 
design,  was  amassing  great  v/ealth  to  himself;  all  which  he 
bore  with  an  uncommon  degree  of  patience  :  and  never  to  my 
knowledge  said  more,  at  these  unmerited  reproaches,  than  that 
the  great  day  would  show  his  accusers  their  mistake. 

"  When  he  wa5  the  stated  minister  of  this  parish,  which 
was  before  the  Orphan-house  was  settled,  his  liberal  heart  de- 
vised liberal  things ;  and  the  then  inhabitants  of  Savannah, 
of  the  villages  of  Highgate  and  Hampstead,  and  of  the  other 
adjacent  places  ;  the  Saltzburghers  of  Ebenezer,  the  inhabi- 
tants of  Darien  and  Frederica,  who  were  at  that  time  not  in- 
considerable in  number,  all  partook  of  his  unbounded  bounty 
to  a  very  large  amount ;  although  he  then  almost  denied  him- 


276  APPENDIX. 

self  the  necessaries  of  life,  with  which  I  was  intimately  ac- 
quainted. In  short,  it  was  his  whole  study,  in  imitation  of  his 
great  Master,  to  do  good  to  the  bodies,  as  well  as  to  the  souls, 
of  all  about  him. 

"  He  constantly  performed  divine  service  publicly  very  early 
every  morning,  and  at  the  close  of  the  day  every  evening, 
throughout  the  year,  that  he  might  not  interrupt  the  new  colo- 
nists in  their  labor  in  the  day  time,  when  he  always  expounded 
part  of  the  first  or  second  lesson.  Every  Sunday  he  adminis- 
tered the  holy  communion;' and  had  public  service  four  times, 
and  his  congregations  were  very  numerous,  in  comparison  of 
the  number  of  people  in  his  parish ;  for  though  there  were 
many  dissenters,  there  were  few  absentees  ;  besides,  he  made  it 
his  daily  practice  to  visit  in  rotation  from  house  to  house,  with- 
out any  regard  to  religious  denominations,  or  party  distinc- 
tions, Avhich  he  often  told  me,  he  thought  a  very  important  and 
indispensable  part  of  a  minister's  duty,  as  by  that  means  he 
had  an  opportunity  of  frequently  dropping  a  word  in  season, 
as  well  as  of  being  better  acquainted  with  the  spiritual  and 
temporal  circumstances  of  his  parishioners  ;  and  thereby,  as 
far  as  in  his  power,  of  assisting  them  in  both.  Thus  he  acted 
as  a  parish  minister,  considering  himself  as  the  steward  of  God, 
and  accountable  for  every  moment  of  time,  which  he  had 
solemnly  dedicated  to  his  service.  And  it  is  no  wonder,  when, 
by  a  series  of  divine  providences,  his  sphere  of  action  became 
more  enlarged  and  unconfined,  that  his  zeal  and  activity  were 
proportioned. 

"  These  facts,  of  which  there  are  some  now  living,  besides 
myself,  who  can  witness  to  the  truth  of  them,  I  think  it  my 
honor  and  indispensable  duty  to  communicate  to  the  public,  in 
memory  of  my  very  dear  deceased  friend. 

"  I  could  with  great  truth  say  much  more,  but  I  purposely 
confine  my  observations  to  his  conduct  in  Georgia,  where  his 
memory  appears  to  be  deeply  engraven  on  the  hearts  of  its 
grateful  inhabitants. 

"  The  very  honorable  and  truly  respectful  notice  the  legisla- 
ture have  publicly  shown  to  it,  by  causing  the  parish  church 
in  this  town  to  be  so  decently  and  handsomely  hung  in  mourn- 
ing, and  their  attending  as  a  body  last  Sunday  on  divine  ser- 
vice, strongly  mark  their  real  concern  for  their  loss.  The  rec- 
tor, the  Rev.  Samuel  Frink,  gave  a  very  suitable  discourse  in 
the  morning,  from  Philippians  i.  23,  24 ;  and  the  Rev.  Edward 
Ellington,  another  in  the  afternoon,  from  Hebrews  ii.  26.  Both 
of  them  affectionately  remarked  the  many  amiable  qualifica- 
tions of  the  deceased,  as  a  christian,  a  divine,  and  a  gentle- 
man ;  and  especially  his  hberality  to  this  province ;  as  likewise 


APPENDIX.  277 

did  the  Rev.  Mr.  Zubly,  in  his  meeting,  which  was  also  in 
mourning,  from  Daniel  xii.  ^. 

''  An  old  and  real  friend  to  the  deceased^ 
and  to  Georgia^ 

The  following  extract  of  a  letter  was  published  in  the  Gos- 
pel Mao;azine,  for  February,  1771 : 

"My  very  dear  Sir, 

"  A  great  man  is  fallen  in  our  Israel  — the  Rev.  Mr.  White- 
field  is  no  more  !  he  has  left  his  charge,  his  flock,  and  gone  to 
mansions  of  blessedness. 

"  I  may  safely  say,  a  great  man,  a  great  christian,  a  humble 
follower  of  the  divine  Redeemer,  and  a  zealous  defender  of  the 
doctrines  of  grac3  died,  when  Whitefield  closed  his  eyes. 
That  voice  which  was  lifted  up  like  a  trumpet,  and  flew  around 
the  sacred  roof,  proclaiming  salvation  through  the  dying  Jesus, 
teaching  a  sinful  world  the  Savior's  name,  is  now  lost  in  per- 
petual silence  !  That  man,  whose  labors  in  the  cause  of  God, 
have  been  so  abundant,  has  ceased  from  his  work.  That  emi- 
nent ministerjof  the  New  Testament,  that  son  of  thunder  to 
the  careless  and  secure,  that  cheerino^  son  of  consolation  to  the 
weary  and  heavy  laden,  who  has  been  distinguished  as  the 
happy  instrument  of  bringing  strayed  sheep  to  the  fold  of  God, 
is  gone  to  experience  the  truth  of  his  doctrine  ;  and  will  one 
day  appear,  with  all  those  who  have  been  savingly  brought  to 
the  knowledge  of  Jesus  by  his  means,  at  the  right  hand  of 
God,  to  give  an  account  of  the  ministry  he  received  from  him; 
and  in  the  presence  of  a  surrounding  world,  say,  '  Lord,  here 
am  I,  and  the  children  thou  hast  given  me.' 

"  It  is  an  afilictive,  awful,  and  alarming  providence  to  the 
church  of  God.  A  great  light  extinguished,  a  bright  star  set, 
and  a  numerous  people  deprived  of  their  pastor.  Who  shall 
supply  his  place?  Who  shall,  with  that  pathetic  language, 
strength  of  argument,  and  force  of  persuasion,  compel  sinners 
to  partake  of  the  gospel  feast  ?  Who  shall  animate  our  associ- 
ations, and  diffuse  a  spirit  of  candor,  charity,  and  moderation, 
throughout  our  assemblies  ?  Who  shall  declare  the  glories, 
the  riches,  the  freeness,  the  fulness  of  that  complete  salvation 
which  Messiah  finished  ?  Who  shall  exhort,  by  precept  and 
example,  to  that  steady,  uniform,  constant  character,  which 
adorns  the  profession  of  the  gospel  ?  AVho  shall  reconmiend 
a  life  of  fellowship  and  communion  with  the  Father,  Son,  and 
Spirit,  as  the  most  desirable  blessing,  and  build  up  the  saints  in 
their  most  holy  faith  ?  Who  shall  ! — I  am  stopped  by  the 
mouth  of  him  who  says,  '  Shall  I  not  do  what  I  will  with  my 

24 


278 


APPENDIX. 


own  ?  Is  it  not  my  prerogative  to  take  and  leave  as  seemeth 
me  good?  I  demand  the  liberty  of  disposing  my  servants  at 
my  own  pleasure — he  has  not  slept  as  others  do — it  is  your's  to 
wait  and  trust,  mine  to  dispose  and  govern — on  me  be  the  care 
of  ministers  and  churches — with  nie  is  the  residue  of  the  spirit 
— I  set  my  laborers  to  work,  and  when  I  please,  I  take  them  to 
the  rest  I  have  appointed  for  them — my  power  is  not  dimin- 
ished, my  arm  not  shortened,  my  love  not  abated,  and  my  faith- 
fulness still  the  same — I  know  my  sheep,  and  they  shall  not 
stray  into  forbidden  pastures,  for  want  of  a  shepherd  to  feed 
them  with  knowledge  and  understanding.' 

"  With  these  thoughts  my  passions  subside,  my  mind  is  soft- 
ened and  satisfied.  But  now  for  the  wings  of  faith  and  divine 
contemplation,  to  view  him  among  the  celestial  throng,  par- 
taking of  the  happiness,  sharing  the  joys  of  yonder  blissful 
regions — ascribing  salvation  to  him  who  loved  and  washed 
him  in  his  blood — having  on  that  perfect  robe  of  immaculate 
righteousness,  wrought  out  by  the  dear  Redeemer — having  on 
his  head  a  crown  of  never  fading  glory,  and  palms  of  eternal 
victory  in  his  hands — drinking  at  the  fountain  head  of  bless- 
edness, and  refreshing  himself  continually  at  that  river  which 
flows  in  sweet  murmurs  from  the  right  hand  of  the  Majesty  on 
high — forever  out  of  the  reach  of  scandal  and  reproach — 
where  calumny  can  never  penetrate,  and  the  wicked  cease 
from  troubling — where  God,  even  his  own  God,  wipes  away 
all  tears  from  his  eyes — where  he  will  for  ever  bask  in  the 
boundless  fruition  of  eternal  love,  continually  receiving  out  of 
the  divine  fulness,  fresh  supplies  of  glory  for  glory,  from  which 
on  earth,  he  had  communication  of  grace  for  grace — sees  the 
King  in  his  beauty,  rejoices  in  the  beatific  vision,  follows  the 
Lamb  wheresoever  he  goes — and  with  those  who  are  redeemed 
from  among  men,  rests  in  the  closest  embraces  of  his  Lord. 

'  And  now  his  voice  is  lost  in  death, 

Praise  will  employ  his  noblest  pow'rs, 
"While  life,  or  thought,  or  being  last, 

Or  immortality  endures !' 

"  Here  we  must  take  our  leave  of  the  dear  departed  saint, 
till  the  happy  time  takes  place,  when  we  shall  put  off  t^his 
body,  and  enter  the  confines  of  unmolested  joy.  And  O  !  in 
what  elevation  of  happiness,  and  refinement  of  felicity,  shall 
we  awake  up  in  the  likeness  and  express  image  of  that  God, 
who  has  loved  us,  and  called  us  with  a  holy  calling.  Yet  let 
us  be  persuaded  of  this,  that  when  the  important  period  com- 
mences, when  the  surprising  signs,  and  descending  inhabitants 
of  heaven  proclaim  the  second  coming  of  our  glorious  Im- 


APPENDIX.  279 

maniiel — when  the  heavtnis  open  and  disclose  his  radiant 
glory,  the  archangel's  trump  shall  sound,  the  Lord  himself 
descend  with  a  shout,  and  the  dead  in  Christ  arise  glorious  and 
immortal — leave  corruption,  weakness,  and  dishonor  behind 
them — we  shall  with  him,  and  all  the  ransomed  race,  ascend 
to  mansions  of  glory,  bliss,  and  immortality,  and  join  that  uni- 
versal chorus : 

*  Saj--,  live  forever,  glorious  King ! 

Born  to  redeem,  and  strong  to  save : 
Then  ask  the  monster,  where's  thy  sting  1 

And  where's  thy  victory  boasting  grave  V 

"  But  my  dear  sir,  this  aw^iil  dispensation  demands  a  suit- 
able improvement.  The  death  of  ministers,  and  mankind  in 
general,  are  so  many  mementos;  be  ye  also  ready,  is  their 
solemn  lancruage.  Come  then,  O  my  soul,  examine  with  im- 
partiality thy  state.  Nothing  but  an  interest  in  the  j)erfectly 
finished,  infinitely  glorious,  and  everlastingly  sufficient,  salva- 
tion of  Jehovah  Jesus,  can  be  of  any  avail,  can  be  any  real 
ground  of  consolation,  when  the  grim  tyrant  stares  thee  in  the 
face.  May  thy  evidence  be  clear,  thy  faith  strong,  and  thy 
hope  on  tiptoe  ;  that  when  the  bridegroom  comes,  and  sum- 
mons thy  attendance,  thou  mayest  with  joy  answer,  Lord,  I 
come. 

"  Should  not  the  death  of  one  and  another  of  God's  people, 
give  fresh  wings  to  our  souls,  make  life  less  pleasant,  and 
heaven  more  desirable  ;  wean  our  affections  from  the  beggarly 
enjoyments  of  time  and  sense,  and  make  us  long  to  dwell 
where  Jesus  reveals  his  beauties,  glories,  and  matchless  excel- 
lence, face  to  face  ?  Here  on  earth  we  have  some  faint  glim- 
merings, and  O  !  how  ouglit  we  to  prize  them,  as  they  are 
drops  from  the  ocean  !  but  the  ravishing  blaze  is  reserved  for 
the  upper  and  better  world. 

*  O  glorious  hour,  O  bless'd  abode! 
I  shall  be  near,  and  like  my  God ; 
And  flesh  and  sense  no  more  control 
The  sacred  pleasures  of  the  soul.' 

"  Though  our  interviews  in  the  church  militant  are  very 
sweet,  yet  they  are  very  short.  The  world's  ten  thousand  baits, 
the  devil's  ensnaring  wiles,  but  above  all,  the  flesh  with  its 
legions  of  corruptions,  enslave  the  soul,  and  deaden  our  relish 
for  divine  things.  O  happy  day  !  O  blessed  hour !  when 
Christ  shall  have  all  enemies  under  his  feet,  and  death  itself 
be  swallowed  up  of  life  ;  when  we  shall  get  within  the  enclo- 
sures of  the  New  Jerusalem,  and  go  out  no  more  for  ever  ! 


280  APPENDIX. 

"If  faithful  ministers  are  so  soon  removed  from  us,  how 
should  we  prize  them  while  we  have  them  !  O  let  us  never 
give  ear  to,  much  less  be  the  means  of  promoting  the  malevo- 
lent whispers  of  slander ;  but  esteem  them  very  highly  in  love 
for  their  work's  sake  !  Should  it  not  be  our  constant  care,  and 
studious  concern,  through  divine  grace,  to  improve  by  every 
sermon  we  hear,  that  the  end  of  all  ordinances  ma^  be  obtained, 
even  an  increase  in  love  to  Jesus,  and  fellowship  with  him  / 
That  this  desirable  end  may  be  answered,  let  us  be  earnest  and 
frequent  in  our  address  to  the  throne  of  grace,  for  ministers  and 
people,  that  God  may  be  glorified  by  bringing  home  sinners  to 
himself,  and  in  the  edification  of  saints  ;  that*  each  stone  in  the 
spiritual  fabric  may  be  edified  and  built  up  upon  the  foundation, 
Christ  Jesus,  till  the  top-stone  is  brought  forth  with  shoutings, 
grace,  grace,  unto  it ! 

"  The  clock  strikes  twelve,  and  tells  me  to  conclude.  But 
how  can  I  do  it,  without  commending  you  to  that  God,  whose 
power  alone  is  able  to  keep  you  from  falling,  and  at  last  pre- 
sent you  faultless  before  the  presence  of  his  glory  with  exceed- 
^^S  joy  ^  May  he  give  you  continual  assurances  of  his  grace, 
mercy  and  love,  in  his  lower  courts,  thereby  making  them  a , 
heaven  upon  earth  ;  and  cause  you  at  last  to  join  the  general 
assembly  and  church  of  the  first-born,  whose  names  are  writ- 
ten in  heaven.  This  is  the  hearty,  unfeigned,  and  constant 
prayer  of  him,  who  is  with  great  esteem  and  affection, 

"  Your's  sincerely." 

The  following  is  the  substance  of  a  letter  addressed  to  the 
Rev.  William  Jay,  of  Bath,  by  the  late  venerable  Cornelius 
Winter,  minister  of  the  gospel  at  Painswick  in  Gloucestershire. 
Mr.  AVinter  was  one  of  Whitefield's  most  faithful  fellow  labor- 
ers ;  he  accompanied  him  several  times  to  America,  and  regu- 
larly supplied  the  chapels  in  Whitefield's  connection.  On  his 
first  going  to  the  Tabernacle,  he  was  particularly  struck  with 
the  largeness  of  the  congregation  ;  the  solemnity  that  sat  upon 
it ;  the  melody  of  the  singing ;  Whitefield's  striking  appear- 
ance, and  his  earnestness  in  preaching.  From  this  time  pre- 
judice had  no  more  place  in  his  breast ;  and  he  embraced 
every  opportunity  to  hear  him.  Yet  he  had  no  knowledge  of 
the  evil  of  sin,  and  the  depravity  of  his  nature.  On  the  Uth  of 
April,  1760,  being  Wednesday  in  Easter-week,  and  the  close 
of  the  holiday,  as  he  was  playing  at  cards  with  some  of  his 
companions  in  iniquity  ;  recollecting  he  might  that  evening 
hear  V7hitefield.  he  broke  ofi"  in  the  midst  of  the  game,  which 
much  discomposed  and  enraged  his  companions,  who  suspected 
where  he  was  going.     It  was  a  night  much  to  remembered. 


I 


APPENDIX.  2S1 

The  scales  of  ignorance  then  fell  from  his  eyes,  a  sense  of  his 
misery  opened  gradually  to  him,  and  he  diligently  inquired 
what  he  should  do  to  be  saved.  He  never  more  played  a  game 
afterwards.  Whitefield's  text  was  1  Cor.  xv.  5i,  52.  "The 
introduction  to  the  sermon,  "  Come  my  brethren,  we  have  from 
Sunday  till  yesterday  been  meditating  upon  the  resurrection 
of  our  Lord,  it  is  now  time  that  we  should  think  about  our 
own."  "  Could  I  recite  the  whole  sermon,"  says  Mr.  Winter, 
"and  it  would  read  acceptably,  it  would  want  the  energy,  viva 
voce^  which  was  so  very  peculiar  to  the  preacher,  tJiat  a  resem- 
blance is  no  where  to  be  found.  But  it  was  God  in  the  preach- 
er that  made  the  word  efficacious  ;  to  him  be  the  glory.  It  is 
a  mercy  he  is  not  confined  to  the  abilities  of  men  whose  talents 
are  superior  to  those  of  their  brethren.  Much  good  was  done 
at  that  time  by  the  instrumentality  of  men  whose  gifts  were 
very  inconsiderable  ;  and  the  Lord  could  have  wrought  upon 
my  soul  by  an  inferior  preacher.  It  is  '  not  by  might,  nor  by 
power ;'  which  is  but  to  say,  it  is  not  by  human  eloquence,  but 
by  the  spirit  of  the  Lord,  that  work  is  wrought  upon  the  soul 
which  is  essential  to  salvation." 

"  The  time  he  set  apart  for  preparation  for  the  pulpit,  during 
my  connection  with  him,  was  not  to  be  distinguished  n'om  the 
time  he  appropriated  to  other  business.  If  he  wanted  to  write 
a  pamphlet  upon  any  occasion,  he  was  closeted ;  nor  would  he 
allow  access  to  him,  but  on  an  emergency,  while  he  was  en- 
ofaofed  in  the  work.  But  I  never  knew  him  ens^aored  in  the 
composition  of  a  sermon  until  he  was  on  board  ship,  when  he 
employed  himself  partly  in  the  composition  of  sermons,  and 
reading  very  attentively  the  history  of  England,  written  by 
different  authors.  He  had  formed  a  design  of  writing  the  his- 
tory of  Methodism,  but  never  entered  upon  it.  He  was  never 
more  in  retirement  on  a  Saturday  than  on  another  day  ;  nor 
sequestered  at  any  particular  time  for  a  longer  period  than  he 
used  for  his  ordinary  devotions.  I  never  met  with  any  thing 
like  the  form  of  a  skeleton  of  a  sermon  among  his  papers,  with 
which  I  was  permitted  to  be  very  familar,  nor  did  he  ever  give 
me  any  idea  of  the  importance  of  being  habituated  to  the  plan- 
ning of  a  sermon.  It  is  not  injustice  to  his  great  character  to 
say,  I  believe,  he  knew  nothing  about  such  a  kind  of  exercise. 

"  Usually  for  an  hour  or  two  before  he  went  into  the  pulpit, 
he  claimed  retirement :  and  on  a  Sabbath  day  morning,  more 
particularly,  he  was  accustomed  to  have  Clarke's  Bible,  Matthew 
Henry's  Comment,  and  Cruden's  Concordance  within  his  reach ; 
his  frame  at  that  time  was  more  than  ordinarily  devotional. 
I  say  more  than  ordinarily,  because,  though  there  was  a  vast 
vein  of  pleasantry  usually  in  bim,  the  intervals  of  con  versa- 

24* 


282  APPENDIX. 

tion  evidently  appeared  to  be  filled  up  with  private  ejaculation 
connected  with  praise.  His  rest  was  much  interrupted,  and 
his  thoughts  were  much  engaged  with  God  in  the  night.  He 
has  often  said  at  the  close  of  a  very  warm  address,  '  this  ser- 
mon I  got  when  most  of  you  who  now  hear  me  were  fast 
asleep.'  He  made  very  minute  observations,  and  was  much 
disposed  to  be  conversant  with  life,  from  the  lowest  mechanic 
to  the  first  characters  in  the  land.  He  let  nothing  escape  him, 
but  turned  all  into  gold  that  admitted  of  improvement,  and,  in 
one  way  or  other,  the  occurrence  of  the  week  or  the  day,  fur- 
nished him  with  matter  for  the  pulpit.  A  specimen — when  an 
extraordinary  trial  was  going  forward,  he  would  be  present ; 
and  on  observinsf  the  formality  of  the  judge  putting  on  his 
black  cap  to  pronounce  sentence,  I  have  known  him  avail  him- 
self of  it  in  the  close  of  a  sermon.* 

"He  had  a  most  peculiar  art  of  speaking  personally  to  you, 
in  a  congregation  of  four  thousand  people,  Avhen  no  one  would 
suspect  his  object.  The  famous  comedian,  Shuter,  who  had  a 
great  partiality  for  Mr.  Whitefield,  showed  him  friendship,  and 
often  attended  his  ministry.  At  one  period  of  his  popularity, 
he  was  acting  in  a  drama  under  the  character  of  Ramble. 
During  the  run  of  the  performance,  he  attended  service  on 
Sabbath  mornings  at  Tottenham  court  chapel,  and  was  seated 
in  the  pew  exactly  opposite  to  the  pulpit,  and  while  Mr.  White- 
field  was  giving  full  sally  to  his  soul,  and  in  his  energetic  ad- 
dress, was  inviting  sinners  to  the  Savior,  he  fixed  himself  full 
against  Shuter,  and  with  his  eyes  upon  him,  adding,  to  what 
lie  had  previously  said,  '  and  thou,  poor  rambler,  who  hast 
long  rambled  from  him,  come  you  also.  O  end  your  rambling 
by  coming  to  Jesus.'  Shuter  was  exceedingly  struck,  and 
comins:  to  Mr.  Whitefield,  said,  '  I  thought  1  should  have  faint- 
ed, how  could  you  serve  me  so?'  It  was  truly  impressive  to 
see  him  ascend  the  pulpit.  My  intimate  knowledge  of  him 
admits  of  my  acquitting  him  of  the  charge  of  affectation. 

•'  Professed  orators  miorlit  object  to  his  hands  being  lifted  up 
too  high,  and  it  is  to  be  lamented  that  in  that  attitude,  rather 
than  in  any  other,  he  is  represented  in  print.  His  own  reflec- 
tions upon  that  print  were,  when  it  was  first  put  into  hiwS 
hands,  '  Sure  I  do  not  look  such  a  sour  creature  as  this  sets 
me  forth  ;  if  I  thought  I  did,  I  should  hate  myself  It  is  neces- 
sary to  remark,  that  tlie  altitude  was  very  transient,  and  always 
accompanied  by  some  expressions  which  would  justify  it. 

"  You  may  be  sure,  from  what  has  been  said,  that  when  he 
treated  upon  the  sulferings  of  our  Savior,  it  was  not  without 

♦  See  p.  264. 


APPENDIX.  283 

great  pathos.  He  was  very  ready  at  that  kind  of  paintinof, 
which  frequently  answered  the  end  of  real  scenery.  As  though 
Gethsemene  were  within  sight,  he  would  say,  stretching  out 
his  hand — '  Look  yonder*.  What  is  that  I  see  ?  It  is  my 
agonizing  Lord  !'  And,  as  though  it  were  no  difficult  matter 
to  catch  the  sound  of  the  Savior  praying,  he  would  exclaim, 
'  Hark  !  Hark  !  Do  you  not  hear  him  ?'  You  may  suppose 
that  as  this  occurred  frequently,  the  efficacy  of  it  was  destroyed : 
but  no :  though  we  often  knew  what  was  coming,  it  was  as 
new  to  us  as  though  we  had  never  heard  it  before. 

'•  That  beautiful  apostrophe,  used  by  the  prophet  Jeremiah, 
'  O  earth,  earth,  earth,  hear  the  words  of  the  Lord,'  was  very 
subservient  to  him,  and  never  used  impertinently. 

"He  abounded  with  anecdotes,  which,  though  not  always 
recited  verbatim,  were  very  just  as  to  the  matter  of  them.  One, 
for  instance,  I  remember,  tending  to  illustrate  the  efficacy  of 
prayer,  though  I  have  not  been  able  to  meet  with  it  in  English 
history.  It  was  the  case  of  the  London  apprentices  before 
Henry  VIII.,  pleading  his  pardon  of  their  insurrection.  The 
monarch,  moved  by  their  sight,  and  their  plea,  'Mercy !  Mercy !' 
cried,  '  Take  them  away,  I  cannot  bear  it.'  The  application, 
you  may  suppose,  was,  that  if  an  earthly  monarch  of  Henry's 
description,  could  be  so  moved,  how  forcible  is  the  sinner's  plea 
in  the  ears  of  Jesus  Christ.  The  case  of  two  Scotchmen,  in 
the  convulsion  of  the  state,  at  the  time  of  Charles  II.,  subserved 
his  design  ;  who,  unavoidably  obliged  to  pass  some  of  the  troops, 
were  conceiving  of  their  danger,  and  meditating  what  method 
was  to  be  adopted  to  come  off  safe.  One  proposed  the  wearing 
of  a  skull-cap  ;  the  other,  supposing  that  would  imply  distrust  of 
the  providence  of  God,  determined  to  proceed  bare  headed. 
The  latter,  being  first  laid  hold  of,  and  being  interrogated, 
'  Are  you  for  the  covenant  V  replied, '  Yes  ;'  and  being  further 
asked,  'What  covenant?'  answered,  'The  covenant  of  grace;' 
by  which  reply,  eluding  further  inquiry,  he  was  let  pass ;  the 
other,  not  answering  satisfactorily,  received  a  blow  with  the 
sabre,  which,  penetratins^  through  the  cap,  struck  him  dead. 
In  the  ap])lication,  Mr.  Whitefield,  warning  against  vain  confi- 
dence, cried,  'Beware  of  your  skull-caps.'  But  here  likewise 
the  description  upon  paper,  wanting  the  reality,  as  exemplified 
by  him  with  voice  and  motion,  conveys  but  a  very  faint  idea. 
However,  it  is  a  disadvantage  which  must  be  submitted  to, 
especially  as  coming  from  my  pen. 

"  The  difference  of  the  times  in  which  Mr.  Whitefield  made 
his  public  appearance,  materially  determined  the  matter  of  his 
sermons,  and,  in  some  measure,  the  manner  of  his  address. 
He  dealt  far  more  in  the  explanatory  and  a  doctrinal  mode  of 


284  APPENDIX. 

preaching  on  a  Sabbath  day  morning,  than  perhaps  at  any 
other  time  ;  and  sometimes  made  a  little,  but  by  no  means  im- 
proper show  of  learning.  If  he  had  read  upon  astronomy  in 
the  course  of  the  week,  you  would  be  sure  to  discovier  it.  He 
knew  how  to  convert  the  centripetal  motion  of  the  heavenly 
bodies  to  the  disposition  of  the  christian  toward  Christ,  and 
the  fatal  attraction  of  the  world,  would  be  very  properly  repre- 
sented by  a  reference  to  the  centrifugal.  VYha'cCver  the  world 
might  think  of  him,  he  had  his  charms  for  the  learned  as  well 
as  the  unlearned  ;  and  as  he  held  himself  to  be  a  debtor  both 
to  the  wise  and  to  the  unwise,  each  received  his  due  at  such 
times.     The  peer  and  the  peasant  alike  went  away  satisfied. 

"  As  thouorfi  he  heard  the  voice  of  God  ever  soundingr  in  his 
ears  the  important  admonition, '  work  while  it  is  called  to-day ;' 
this  was  his  work  in  London  at  one  period  of  his  life.  After 
administering  the  LiOrd's  supper  to  several  hundred  communi- 
cants, at  half  an  hour  after  six  in  the  morning ;  reading  the 
first  and  second  service  in  the  desk,  which  he  did  with  the 
greatest  propriety,  and  preaching  full  an  hour,  he  read  prayers 
and  preached  in  the  afternoon,  previous  to  the  evening  service, 
at  half  an  hour  after  five  ;  and  afterwards  addressed  a  large 
society  in  public.  His  afternoon  sermon  used  to  be  more  gen- 
eral and  exhortatory.  In  the  evening  he  drcAv  his  bow  at  a 
venture,  vindicated  the  doctrines  of  grace,  fenced  them  with 
articles  and  homilies,  referred  to  the  martyrs'  zeal,  and  exem- 
plified the  power  of  divine  grace  in  their  sufferings,  by  quota- 
tions from  the  venerable  Fox.  Sinners  were  then  closely  plied, 
numbers  of  whom  from  curiosity  coming  to  hear  a  sentence  or 
two,  were  often  compelled  to  hear  the  whole  sermon.  How 
many  in  the  judgment  day  will  rise  to  prove  that  they  heard 
to  the  salvation  of  the  soul. 

"  Perhaps  Mr.  Whitefield  never  preached  greater  sermons  than 
at  six  in  the  morning,  for  at  that  hour  he  did  preach,  winter  and 
summer,  on  Mondays,  Tuesdays,  Wednesdays,  and  Thursdays. 
At  these  times  his  congregations  were  of  the  select  description, 
and  young  men  received  admonitions  similar  with  what  were 
given  in  the  society  ;*  and  were  cautioned,  while  they  neglected 
the  duty  required  from  them  under  the  bond  of  an  indenture,  not 
to  anticipate  the  pleasures  and  advantages  of  future  life. 

♦  This  society,  consisting  of  several  hundreds  of  widows,  married  people, 
young  men,  and  spinsters,  placed  separately  in  the  area  of  the  Tabernacle, 
used,  after  sermon,  to  receive  from  Mr.  Whitefield,  in  the  colloquial  sfyle,  va- 
rious exhortations,  comprised  in  short  sentences,  and  suitable  to  their  various 
stations.  The  practice  of  Christianity  in  all  its  branches,  was  then  usually 
inculcated,  not  without  some  pertinent  anecdote  of  a  character  worthy  to  be 
held  up  for  an  example,  and  in  whose  conduct  the  hints  recommended  were 
exemplified. 


APPENDIX.  285 

"  His  style  was  now  colloquial,  with  little  use  of  motion  ; 
pertinent  expositions,  with  suitable  remarks  ;  and  all  compre- 
hended Avithin  the  hoar.  Christian  experience  principally- 
made  the  subject  of  Monday,  Tuesday,  AVednesday,  and  Thurs- 
day evening  lectures  ;  when,  frequently  havins;  funeral  ser- 
mons to  preach,  the  character  and  experience  of  the  dead  help- 
ed to  elucidate  the  subject,  led  to  press  diligence  in  the  chris- 
tian course,  to  reflect  upon  the  blessing  of  faith  on  earth,  and 
glory  in  heaven.  Mr.  Whitefield  adopted  the  custom  of  the  in- 
habitants of  New  England  in  their  best  days,  of  beginning  the 
Sabbath  at  six  o'clock  on  Saturday  evenings.  The  custom  could 
not  be  observed  by  many,  but  it  Avas  convenient  to  a  few ;  a  few 
compared  with  the  multitudes,  but  abstractedly  considered,  a 
laro^e  and  respectable  company.  Now  ministers  of  every  des- 
cription found  a  peculiar  pleasure  in  relaxing  their  minds  from 
the  fatigues  of  study,  and  were  highly  entertained  by  his  pe- 
culiarly excellent  subjects,  which  were  so  suitable  to  the  audi- 
tory, that  I  believe  it  was  seldom  disappointed.  It  was  an  op- 
portunity peculiarly  suited  to  apprentices  and  journeymen  in 
some  businesses,  which  allowed  of  their  leaving  work  sooner 
than  on  other  days,  and  availing  themselves  at  least  of  the  ser- 
mon ;  from  which  I  also  occasionally  obtained  many  blessings. 
Had  my  memory  been  retentive,  and  I  had  studiously  treasured 
up  his  rich  remarks,  how  much  more  easily  might  I  have  met 
3rour  wishes,  and  have  answered  the  design  of  this  letter  !  But 
though  I  have  lost  much  of  the  letter  of  his  sermons,  the  sa- 
vor of  them  yet  remains.  The  peculiar  talents  he  possessed, 
subservient  to  great  usefulness,  can  be  but  faintly  guessed  from 
his  sermons  in  print ;  though,  as  formerly,  God  has  made  the 
reading  of  them  useful,  I  have  no  doubt  but  in  future  they  will 
have  their  use.  The  eighteen  taken  in  short  hand,  and  foith- 
fully  transcribed  by  Mr.  Gurney,  have  been  supposed  to  do  dis- 
credit to  his  memory,  and  therefore  they  were  suppressed.  But 
they  who  have  been  accustomed  to  hear  him,  may  collect  from 
them  much  of  his  genuine  preacbing.  They  were  for  from 
being  the  best  specimens  that  might  have  been  produced.  He 
preached  many  of  them,  when,  in  fact,  he  was  almost  incapa- 
ble of  preaching  at  all.  His  constitution,  long  before  they 
were  taken,  had  received  its  material  shock,  and  they  were  all, 
except  the  two  last,  the  production  of  a  Wednesda.y  evening  ; 
when  by  the  current  business  of  the  day,  he  was  fatigued  and 
worn  out.  The  '  Good  Shepherd'  v/as  sent  him  on  board 
the  ship.  He  was  much  disgusted  with  it,  and  expressed  him- 
self to  me  as  in  the  1440th  letter  of  tlie  third  volume  of  his 
works  ;  '  It  is  not  verbatim  as  I  delivered  it.  In  some  places 
It  makes  me  speak  false  concord,  and  even  nonsense ;  in  others 


286  APPENDIX. 

the  sense  and  connection  is  destroyed  by  the  injiidicions  dis- 
jointed paragraphs,  and  the  whole  is  entirely  unfit  for  the  pub- 
lic review.'  His  manuscript  journal  notes  ;  '  September  15. 
This  mornine^  came  a  surreptitious  copy  of  my  Tabernacle 
farewell  sermon,  taken,  as  the  short  hand  writer  professes,  ver- 
batim as  I  spoke  it ;  but  surely  he  is  mistaken.  The  whole  is 
so  injudiciously  paragraphed,  and  so  wretchedly  connected, 
that  I  owe  no  thanks  to  the  misguided,  though  it  may  be  well 
meant  zeal  of  the  writer  and  publisher,  be  they  whom  they  will. 
But  such  conduct  is  an  unavoidable  tax  upon  popularity.'  He 
was  then  like  an  ascending  Elijah,  and  many  were  eager  to 
catch  his  dropping  mantle.  In  the  sermons  referred  to,  there 
are  certainly  many  jewels,  though  they  may  not  be  connected 
in  a  proper  order. 

"  Whatever  fault  criticism  may  find  with  his  sermons  from 
the  press,  they  were,  in  the  delivery,  powerful  to  command  the 
most  devoted  attention.  I  have  been  informed  by  good  judges, 
that  if  many  of  the  speeches  in  our  two  houses  were  to  be  given 
in  their  orio;inal  state,  they  would  not  appear  to  the  first  advan- 
tajre,  nor  would  Mr.  Whitefield's  sermons  have  had  criminal  de- 
fects,  had  they  been  revised  with  his  own  pen.  In  the  fifth  and 
sixth  volumes  of  his  works,  all  the  sermons  he  ever  printed  are 
comprised.  It  is  very  easy  to  distinguish  them  which  were  pre- 
composed,  from  others  which  were  preached  extemporary.  Of 
the  latter,  I  notice  Peter's  denial  of  his  Lord,  and  the  true  way 
of  beholding  the  Lamb  of  God  ;  Abraham  offering  up  his  son 
Isaac  ;  Christ  the  believer's  husband,  and  the  resurrection  of 
Lazarus.  These  and  others  preserve  the  extemporary  style,  and 
fully  serv^e  to  discover  the  exactness  of  the  preacher.  He  shines 
brightest  with  a  long  text,  on  which  fancy  has  scope  to  play, 
and  the  mind  has  liberty  to  range.  However  exact  he  may 
appear  in  the  page,  it  is  impossible  for  the  natural  man,  who 
discerneth  not  the  things  of  the  spirit,  to  understand  him.  God 
may  make  the  page  printed,  the  instrument  in  his  hand  to 
convert  the  sinner,  and  then  he  will  no  longer  ask,  '■  Doth  he 
not  speak  parables  ?'  But  till  then,  as  living  he  was,  so  dead, 
he  is  liable  to  the  lash  of  severity ;  but  the  same  Providence  that 
preserved  his  person,  will  maintain  his  works  ;  and  then  he  be- 
ing dead,  yet  speaketh,  and  will  continue  to  speak  for  a  great 
while  to  conie.  AVhatever  invidious  remarks  they  may  make 
upon  his  written  discourses,  they  cannot  invalidate  his  preach- 
ing. Mr.  Toplady  called  him  the  prince  of  preachers,  and  with 
good  reason,  for  none  in  our  day  preached  with  the  like  effect." 

This  following  is  an  attempt  towards  a  concise  character  of 
the  late  Rev.  George  "VVIiitefield,  by  the  Rev.  Augustus  Monta- 
gue Toplady,  A.  B.,  late  vicar  of  Broad  Hembury,  Devon. 


APPENDIX.  287 

"  I  deem  myself  happy  in  having  an  opportunity  of  thus 
pubUcly  avowing  the  inexpressible  esteem,  in  which  I  held  tliis 
wonderful  maji ;  and  the  affectionate  veneration  which  I  must 
ever  retain  for  the  memory  of  one,  whose  acquaintance  and 
ministry  were  attended  with  the  most  important  spiritual  bene- 
fit to  me,  and  to  tens  of  thousands  besides. 

"It  will  not  be  saying  too  much,  if  I  term  him,  the  Apos- 
tle OP  THE  English  Empire  :  in  point  of  zeal  for  God,  a 
long  course  of  indefatigable  and  incessant  labors,  unparalleled 
disinterestedness,  and  astonishingly  extensive  usefulness. 

"He  was  a  true  and  faithful  son  of  the  Church  of  England  ; 
and  invincibly  asserted  her  doctrines,  to  the  last ;  and  that,  not 
in  a  merely  doctrinal  way,  though  he  was  a  most  excellent 
systematic  divine,  but  with  an  unction  of  power  from  God, 
unequaled  in  the  present  day. 

"  He  would  never  have  quitted  even  the  walls  of  the  church, 
had  not  either  the  ignorance,  or  the  malevolence  of  some,  who 
ought  to  have  known  better,  compelled  him  to  a  seeming  sepa- 
ration. 

'•'  If  the  absolute  command  over  the  passions  of  immense  au- 
ditories, be  the  mark  of  a  consummate  orator,  he  was  the  great- 
est of  the  age.  If  the  strongest  good  sense,  the  most  generous 
expansions  of  heart,  the  most  artless  but  captivating  affa- 
bility, the  most  liberal  exemption  from  bigotry,  the  purest  and 
most  transpicuous  integrity,  the  brightest  cheerfulness  and  the 
promptest  wit,  enter  into  the  composition  of  social  excellence, 
he  was  one  of  the  best  companions  in  the  world. 

"If  to  be  steadfast,  immovable,  always  abounding  in  the 
works  of  the  Lord ;  if  a  union  of  the  most  brilliant,  with  the 
most  solid  ministerial  gifts,  ballasted  by  a  deep  and  humbling 
experience  of  grace,  and  crowned  with  the  most  extended  suc- 
cess in  the  conversion  of  sinners,  and  edification  of  saints,  be 
signatures  of  a  commission  from  heaven,  George  White- 
field  cannot  but  stand  highest  on  the  modern  list  of  christian 
ministers. 

"  England  has  had  the  honor  of  producing  the  greatest  men, 
in  almost  every  walk  of  useful  knowledge.  At  the  head  of 
these  are :  1st.  Archbishop  Bradwardine,  the  prince  of  di- 
vines ;  2d,  Milton,  the  prince  of  poets  ;  3d,  Sir  Isaac  New- 
ton, the  prince  of  philosophers ;  and  4th,  Whitefield,  the 
prince  of  preachers. 

"  Bishop  Benson  was  the  prelate  who  had  the  distinguished 
honor  of  ordaining  the  greatest,  the  most  eloquent,  and  the 
most  useful  minister  that  has,  perhaps,  been  produced  since 
the  days  of  the  apostles. 

"  It  appears  from  a  passage  in  one  of  Mr.  Whitefield's  own 


288  APPENDIX. 

letters,  published  since  his  decease,  that  he  was  the  person, 
whom  the  gracious  spirit  and  providence  of  God  raised  up  and 
sent  forth,  to  begin  that  great  work  of  spiritual  revival  in  the 
Church  of  England,  which  has  continued  ever  since,  and  still 
continues,  with  increasing  spread,  to  replenish  and  enrich  the 
evangelical  vineyard  by  law  established.  In  the  remarkable 
passage  to  which  I  refer,  Mr.  AVhitefield  expresses  himself  ver- 
batim, thus,  to  the  Rev.  John  Wesley :  '  As  God  was  pleased 
to  send  me  out  first  and  to  enlighten  me  first ;  so,  I  think,  he 
still  continues  to  do  it;*  my  business  seems  to  be  chiefly  in 
planting.  If  God  sends  you  to  water,  I  praise  his  name.'  On 
the  whole,  he  was  the  least  imperfect  character  I  ever  knew  ; 
and  yet,  no  person  was  ever  more  shockingly  traduced  and 
vilified,  by  those  who  either  were  unacquainted  with  him,  or 
who  hated  him  for  his  virtues,  and  for  his  attachment  to  the 
gospel  of  Christ.  But  the  pen  of  faithful  history,  and  the 
suffrages  of  unprejudiced  posterity,  will  do  justice  to  the  me- 
mory of  a  man,  of  whom  the  present  generation  was  not 
worthy." 

The  following  lines,  by  the  inimitable  pen  of  Cowper,  who 
did  not  disdain  to  tune  his  harp  to  themes,  which  formerly  vi- 
brated on  the  harp  of  the  son  of  Jesse,  and  whose  poetical 
characteristic  is  truth  and  taste,  are  transcribed,  as  descriptive 
of  that  invaluable  man,  and  by  being  inserted  in  proximity 
with  the  character  given  by  Mr.  Toplady,  it  is  presumed  can- 
not fail  of  being  interesting  to  the  reader. 

Leuconomas,  beneath  well  sounding  Greek 

I  slur  a  name,  a  poet  must  not  speak, 

Stood  pilloried  on  infamy's  high  stage, 

And  bore  the  pelting  scorn  of  half  an  age. 

The  very  bust  of  slander,  and  the  blot 

For  ev'ry  dart  that  malice  ever  shot. 

The  man  that  mentioned  him,  at  once  dismiss'd 

All  mercy  from  his  lips,  and  sneer'd  and  hiss'd. 

His  crimes  were  such  as  Sodom  never  knew, 

And  perjury  stood  up  to  swear  all  true  : 

His  aim  was  mischief  and  his  zeal  pretense, 

His  speech  rebeHion  against  common  sense  : 

A  knave  when  tried  on  honesty's  plain  rule, 

And  when  by  that  of  reason  a  mere  fool. 

The  world's  best  comfort  was,  his  doom  was  pass'd, 

Die  when  he  might,  he  must  be  damn'd  at  last. 

Now  truth  pertorm  thine  office,  waft  aside 
The  curtain  drawn  by  prejudice  and  pride  ; 
Reveal,  the  man  is  dead,  to  wond'ring  e)'es, 
This  more  than  monster  in  his  proper  guise. 

He  loved  the  world  that  hated  him :  the  tear 
That  dropp'd  upon  his  Bible  was  smcere, 
Assail'd  by  scandal,  and  fhe  tongue  of  strife, 
His  only  answer  was — a  blameless  life  : 
And  he  that  forged,  and  he  that  threw  the  dart, 
Had  each  a  brother's  interest  in  his  heart. 


APPENDIX.  289 

Paul's  love  of  Christ,  and  steadiness  unbrib'd, 
Were  copied  close  in  him,  and  well  transcrib'd; 
He  followed  Paul — his  zeal  a  kindred  flame, 
His  apostolic  charity  the  same. 
Like  him  cross'd  cheerfully  tempestuous  seas, 
Forsaking  country,  kindred,  friends,  and  ease ; 
Like  him  he  labor'd,  and  like  him,  content 
To  bear  it,  suiFer'd  shame  where'er  he  went. 
Blush  calumny  !  and  write  upon  his  tomb, 
If  honest  eulogy  can  spare  thee  room, 
Thy  deep  repentance  of  thy  thousand  lies, 
Which  aimed  at  him,  have  pierced  th'  offended  skies ; 
And  say,  blot  out  my  sin,  confess'd,  deplor'd, 
Against  thine  image,  in  thy  saint,  O  Lord ! 

"Whitefield's  executors  having  received  the  probate  of  his 
will,  February  6,  1771,  Mr.  Keen,  who  was  well  acquainted 
with  the  whole  of  his  affairs,  published  it,  with  the  following 
introduction : 

"As  we  make  no  doubt  the  numerous  friends  of  the  Rev.  Mr. 
George  Whitefield,  will  be  glad  of  an  opportunity  of  seeing  a 
genuine  copy  of  his  last  will  and  testament,  his  executors  have 
favored  us  with  a  copy  of  the  same,  transmitted  to  them  from 
the  Orphan-house,  in  Georgia,  and  which  they  have  proved  in 
the  prerogative  court  of  Canterbury.  And,  as  it  was  Mr.  White- 
field's  constant  declaration,  that  he  never  meant  to  raise  either- 
a  purse  or  a  party,  it  is  to  be  remarked,  that  almost  the  whole 
sum  he  died  possessed  of,  came  to  him  within  two  or  tliree 
years  of  his  death,  in  the  following  manner,  viz.  Mrs.  Thom- 
son, of  Tower  Hill,  bequeathed  him  500/. ;  by  the  death  of  his 
wife,  (including  a  bond  of  300/.)  he  got  700/. ;  Mr.  Whitmoro 
bequeathed  him  100/.,  and  Mr.  Winder  100/.,  And  it  is  highly 
probable,  that  had  he  lived  to  reach  Georgia,  from  his  last 
northern  tour,  he  would  have  lessened  the  above  sums,  by  dis- 
posing of  them  in  the  same  noble  and  disinterested  manner,  in 
which  all  the  public  or  priv^ate  sums  he  was  intrusted  with, 
were  bestowed.  Georgia." 

"  By  his  Excellency,  James  Wright,  Captain  General,  Gover- 
nor and  Commander  in  chief  of  his  Majesty's  said  province 
of  Georgia,  Chancellor  and  Vice- Admiral  ojf  the  same  : 

"  To  all  to  whom  these  presents  shall  come,  greeting — Know 
ye,  that  Thomas  Moodie,  who  has  certified  the  annexed  copy 
from  the  original,  in  the  secretary's  oflice,  is  deputy  secretary 
of  the  said  province ;  and  therefore  all  due  faith  and  credit  is. 
and  ought  to  be  had  and  given  to  such  his  certificate. 

"  In  testimony  whereof,  I  have  hereunto  set  my  hand,  and 
caused  the  great  seal  of  this  his  majesty's  said  province,  to  l)e 
put  and  affixed,  dated  at  Savannah,  the  10th  day  of  December, 


290  APPENDIX. 

in  the  year  of  oiir  Lord,  1770,  and  in  the  eleventh  year  of  the 
reign  of  his  majesty  King  George  the  third. 

By  his  Excellency's  command,  J.  "Wright. 

Thomas  Moodie,  Deputy  Secretary, 

'•'In  the  name  of  the  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost,  three  per- 
sons, hut  one  God;  I,  GrjoRGE  Whitefield,  clerk,  at  present 
residing  at  the  Orphan-house  academy,  in  the  province  of 
Georgia,  in  North  Anjerica,  being,  through  infinite  mercy,  in 
iiiore  than  ordinary  bodily  liealth,  and  of  a  perfect,  sound  and 
composed  mind,  knowing  the  certainty  of  death,  and  yet  the 
uncertainty  of  the  time  I  shall  be  called  by  it  to  my  long  wish- 
ed for  home,  do  make  this  my  last  will  and  testament,  in  man- 
ner and  form  following,  viz. : 

^^ Imprimis— In  sure  and  certain  hope  of  a  resurrection  to 
eternal  life,  through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  I  commit  my  body 
to  tlie  dust,  to  be  buried  in  the  most  plain  and  decent  manner; 
and  knowing  in  whom  I  have  believed,  and  being  persuaded 
tliat  he  will  keep  that  which  I  have  committed  unto  him,  in 
the  fullest  assurance  of  faith  I  commend  my  soul  into  the 
liands  of  the  ever  loving,  altogether  lovely,  never  failing  Jesus, 
on  whose  complete  and  everlasting  righteousness  I  entirely  de- 
pend, for  the  justification  of  my  person,  and  acceptance  of  my 
poor,  worthless,  though  I  trust  sincere,  performances,  at  that 
day  when  he  shall  come  in  the  glory  of  his  father,  his  own 
glory,  and  the  glory  of  his  holy  angels,  to  judge  both  the  quick 
and  dead.  In  respect  to  my  American  concerns,  which  1  have 
engaged  in  simply  and  solely  for  Iiis  great  name's  salve,  I  leave 
that  buildino:,  commonly  called  the  Orphan-house,  at  Bethes- 
da,  in  the  province  of  Georgia,  together  with  all  the  other  build- 
ings lately  erected  thereon;  and  likewise  all  other  buildings, 
lands,  negroes,  books,  furniture,  and  every  other  thing  whatso- 
ever,  which  I  now  stand  possessed  of  in  the  province  of  Geor- 
gia aforesaid,  to  that  elect  lady,  that  mother  in  Israel,  that  mir- 
ror of  true  and  undefiled  religion,  the  Right  Honorable  Selina, 
Countess  Dowager  of  Huntingdon ;  desiring,  that  as  soon  as 
may  be  after  my  decease,  the  plan  of  the  intended  Orphan- 
house  Bethesda  college  may  be  prosecuted ;  if  not  practicable, 
or  eligible,  to  pursue  the  present  plan  of  the  Orphan-house 
academy,  on  its  old  foundation  and  usual  channel ;  but  if  her 
ladyship  should  be  called  to  enter  her  glorious  rest  before  my 
decease — I  bequeath  all  the  buildinofs,  lands,  negroes,  and  eve- 
ry thing  before  mentioned,  which  I  now  stand  possessed  of  in 
the  province  of  Georgia  aforesaid,  to  my  dear  fellow  traveler, 
and  faithful,  invariable  friend,  the  Honorable  James  Haber- 
sham, president  of  his  majesty's  honorable  council :  and  should 


APPENDIX.  291 

he  survive  her  ladyship,  I  earnestly  recommend  him  as  the 
most  proper  person  to  succeed  her  ladyship,  or  to  act  for  her 
during  her  ladyship's  life  time,  in  the  Orphan-house  academy. 
With  regard  to  my  outward  affairs  in  England ;  whereas  there 
is  a  building,  commonly  called  the  Tabernacle,  set  apart  many 
years  a<5M  for  divine  worship;  I  give  and  bequeath  the  said 
Tabernacle,  with  the  adjacent  house  in  which  I  usually  reside 
when  in  London,  with  the  stable  and  coach  house  in  the  yard 
adjoining,  together  with  all  books,  furniture,  and  every  thing 
else  whatsoever,  that  shall  be  found  in  the  house  and  premises 
aforesaid ;  and  also  the  building,  commonly  called  Tottenham 
court  chapel,  together  with  all  the  other  buildings,  houses,  sta- 
ble, coach  house,  and  every  thing  else  whatsoever,  which  I  stand 
possessed  of  in  that  part  of  the  town,  to  my  worthy,  trusty, 
tried  friends,  Daniel  West,  Esq.,  in  Church  street,  Spitalfields, 
and  Mr.  Robert  Keen^*  woolen  draper,  in  the  Minories,  or  the 
longer  survivor  of  the  two.  As  to  the  moneys,  which  a  kind 
Providence,  especially  of  late,  in  a  most  unexpected  way,  and 
unthought  of  means,  has  vouchsafed  to  intrust  me  with — I 
give  and  bequeath  the  sum  of  100/.  sterling  to  the  Right  Hon- 
orable the  Countess  Dowager  of  Huntingdon  aforesaid,  humbly 
beseeching  her  ladyship's  acceptance  of  so  small  a  mite,  as  a  pep- 
per corn  acknowledgment,  for  the  undeserved,  unsought  for  hon- 

♦  Two  persons  could  not  have  been  more  happily  associated,  than  Mr. 
West  and  Mr.  Keen.  They  were  always  regular  and  exact  in  the  discharge 
of  the  weighty  duties  that  devolved  upon  them.  An  uninterrupted  harmony 
characterized  all  their  public  transactions.  It  was  ever  their  study  to  con- 
ciliate the  affections  of  the  ministers,  to  promote  the  glory  of  Jesus  Christ, 
and  the  spiritual  interests  of  the  congregations ;  and  they  had  the  happiness 
to  see  the  pleasure  of  the  Lord  prosper  in  their  hands. 

Mr.  Keen  breathed  out  his  happy  soul  into  the  hands  of  his  Redeemer,  on 
the  30th  of  January,  1793.  His  name  deserves  to  be  recorded  in  the  annals 
of  the  church,  as  an  illustrious  example  of  holiness  and  zeal  in  the  cause  of  God. 

Mr.  West  fell  asleep  in  Jesus,  on  the  30th  of  September,  179G,  in  the  seven- 
tieth year  of  his  age.  He  was  for  many  years  a  happy  subject  of  divine  grace, 
and  a  zealous  and  approved  friend  of  the  gospel.  For  thirteen  years  before 
his  death,  he  was  greatly  affected  with  a  painful  malady  in  his  bladder.  His 
sufferings  were  extreme,  both  night  and  day  ;  bui  he  was  never  heard  to  utter 
a  murmuring  expression. 

His  corpse  was  carried  to  Tottenham  court  chapel,  attended  by  a  vast 
number  of  mourning  coaches,  and  interred  under  the  communion  table,  in 
a  vault  that  contained  the  remains  of  Mrs.  Whitefield,  Mrs.  West,  and  Mr. 
Keen.  The  Rev.  Mr.  Edwards  read  the  burial  service,  and  the  Rev.  Joel 
Abraham  Knight  delivered  an  oration.  Two  funeral  sermons  were  preached 
on  the  following  Sabbath;  that  in  the  morning,  at  Tottenham  court  chapel, 
by  the  Rev,  Torial  Joss,  from  Psalm  cxii.  6,  and  that  in  the  evening,  at  the 
Tabernacle,  by  the  Rev.  Matthew  Wilks,  from  John  xii.  26. 

It  is  a  singular  circumstance,  that  Mr.  Whitefield,  Mr.  Keen,  and  Mr. 
West,  all  died  on  the  30th  )iay  of  the  month,  and  the  two  latter,  on  the  30th 
of  September, 

Mr.  West,  by  his  last  will,  bequeathed  the  management  of  the  places  to 
Samuel  Foyster,  Esq.  and  John  Wilson,  Esq.,  gentlemen  well  known  in  the 
christian  world. 


292  APPENDIX. 

or  her  ladyship  conferred  upon  me,  in  appointing  me,  less  than 
the  least  of  all,  to  be  one  6f  her  ladyship's  domestic  chaplains. 
''■Itenn. — I  give  and  bequeath  to  my  dearly  beloved  friend, 
the  Honorable  James  Habersham  aforesaid,  my  late  wife's  gold 
watch,  and  lOZ.  for  mournino^;  to  my  dear  old  friend,  Gabriel 
Harris,  Esq.  of  the  city  of  Gloucester,  who  received  and  board- 
ed me  in  his  house,  when  I  was  helpless  and  destitute,  above 
thirt3^-five  years  ago,  I  give  and  bequeath  the  sum  of  50/.;  to 
my  humble,  faithful  servant  and  friend,  Mr.  Ambrose  Wright, 
if  in  my  service  and  employ,  either  in  England  or  America,  or 
elsewhere,  at  the  time  of  my  decease,  I  give  and  bequeath  the 
sum  of  500Z. ;  to  my  brother,  Mr.  Thomas  Whitefield,  I  give 
and  bequeath  the  sum  of  50/.,  to  be  given  him  at  the  discretion 
of  Mr.  Robert  Keen ;  to  my  brother-in-law,  Mr.  James  Smith, 
hosier,  in  the  city  of  Bristol,  1  give  and  bequeath  the  sum  of 
50/.  and  30/.  also  for  family  mourning ;  to  my  niece,  Mrs.  Fran- 
ces Hartford,  of  Bath,  I  give  and  bequeath  the  sum  of  50/.  and 
20/.  for  family  mourning ;  to  Mr.  J.  Crane,  now  a  faithful  stew- 
ard at  the  Orphan-house  academy,  I  give  and  bequeath  the 
sum  of  40/. ;  to  Mr.  Benjamin  Stirk,  as  an  acknowledgment  of 
his  past  services  at  Bethesda,  I  give  and  bequeath  the  sum  of 
10/.  for  mourning;  to  Peter  Edwards,  now  at  the  Orphan-house 
academy,  I  give  and  bequeath  the  sum  of  50/. ;  to  William 
Trigg,  at  the  same  place,  I  give  and  bequeath  the  svim  of  50/.; 
both  the  sums  aforesaid  to  be  laid  out,  or  laid  up  for  them,  at 
the  discretion  of  Mr.  Ambrose  Wright ;  to  Mr.  Thomas  Adams, 
of  Rodborough,  in  Gloucestershire,  my  only  surviving  first  fel- 
low laborer,  and  beloved  much  in  the  Lord,  I  give  and  bequeath 
ihe  sum  of  50/. ;  to  the  Rev.  Mr.  Howel  Davies,  of  Pembroke- 
shire, in  South  Wales,  that  good  soldier  of  Jesus  Christ ;  to 
Mr.  Torial  Joss,  Mr.  Cornelius  Winter,  and  all  my  other  dearly 
beloved  present  stated  assistant  preachers  at  the  Tabernacle  and 
Tottenham  court  chapel,  1  give  and  bequeath  10/.  each  for 
mourning ;  to  the  three  brothers  of  Mr.  Ambrose  Wright,  Ann, 
the  wife  of  his  brother,  Mr.  Robert  Wright,  now  faithfully  and 
skillfully  laboring  and  serving  at  the  Orphan-house  academy, 
I  give  and  bequeath  the  sum  of  10/.  each  for  mourning ;  to 
Mr.  Richard  Smith,  now  a  diligent  attendant  on  me,  I  give 
and  bequeath  the  sum  of  50/.  and  all  my  wearing  apparel, 
which  I  shall  have  with  me  in  my  journey  through  America, 
or  on  my  voyage  to  England,  if  it  should  please  an  all  wise 
God  to  shorten  my  days  in  either  of  those  situations.  Finally, 
I  give  and  bequeath  the  sum  of  100/.,  to  be  distributed  at  the 
discretion  of  my  executors,  herein  after  mentioned,  for  mourn- 
ing among  my  old  London  servants,  the  poor  widows  at  Totten- 
ham court  chapelj  and  the  Tabernacle  poor  \  especially  my  old 


APPENDIX.  293 

trusty,  disinterested  friend  and  servant,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Wood. 
All  the  other  residue,  if  there  be  any  other  residues  of  moneys, 
goods,  and  chattels,  or  whatsoever  profits  may  arise  from  the 
sale  of  any  books,  or  any  manuscripts  that  I  may  leave  behind,  I 
give  and  bequeath  to  the  Right  Honorable  the  Countess  Dow- 
ager of  Huntingdon  ;  or  in  case  of  her  ladyship  being  deceased 
at  the  time  of  my  departure,  to  the  Honorable  James  Haber- 
sham, Esq.  before  mentioned,  after  my  funeral  expenses  and 
just  debts  are  discharged,  towards  paying  off  any  arrears  that 
may  be  due  on  the  account  of  the  Orphan-house  academy,  or 
for  annual  prizes  as  a  reward  for  the  best  three  orations  that 
shall  be  made  in  English,  on  the  subjects  mentioned  in  a  paper 
annexed  to  this  my  will.  And  I  hereby  appoint  the  Honorable 
James  Habersham,  Esq.  aforesaid,  to  be  my  executor  in  respect 
to  my  affairs  in  the  province  of  Georgia,  and  my  trusty,  tried, 
dearly  beloved  friends,  Charles  Hardy,  Esq.,  Daniel  West,  Esq., 
and  Mr.  Robert  Keen,  to  be  executors  of  this  my  last  will  and 
testament,  in  respect  of  my  affairs  in  England,  begging  each 
to  accept  of  a  mournino-  rin^. 

"  To  all  my  other  christian  benefactors,  and  more  intimate 
acquaintance,  I  leave  my  most  hearty  thanks  and  blessing,  as- 
suring them  that  I  am  more  and  more  convinced  of  the  un- 
doubted reality  and  infinite  importance  of  the  grand  gospel 
truths,  which  I  have  from  time  to  time  delivered  ;  and  am  so 
far  from  repenting  my  delivering  them  in  an  itinerant  way, 
that  had  I  strength  equal  to  my  inclination,  I  would  preach 
them  from  pole  to  pole ;  not  only  because  I  have  found  them 
to  be  the  power  of  God  to  the  sah^ation  of  my  own  soul,  but 
because  I  am  as  much  assured  that  the  great  Head  of  the 
church  has  called  me  by  his  word,  providence,  and  spirit,  to 
act  in  this  way,  as  that  the  sun  shines  at  noon  day.  As  for 
my  enemies  and  misjudging  friends,  I  most  freely  and  heartily 
forgive  them,  and  can  only  add,  that  the  last  tremendous  day 
will  only  discover  what  I  have  been,  what  I  am,  and  v/hat  I 
shall  be,  when  time  itself  shall  be  no  more  ;  and  therefore  from 
my  inmost  soul,  I  close  all  by  crying,  come^  Lord  Jesus,  come 
quickly  ;  even  so.  Lord  Jesus.     Amen  and  Amen  ! 

"George  Whitefield." 

"  This  was  written  with  the  testator's  own  hand,  and  at  his 
desire,  and  in  his  presence,  sealed,  signed,  and  delivered, 
at  the  Orphan-house  academy,  in  the  province  of  Georgia, 
before  us  witnesses,  Anno  Domini,  March  22,  1770. 

C  Robert  Bolton, 
"  Signed,     <  Thomas  Dixon, 

/  Cornelius  Winter." 
25* 


294  '         APPENDIX. 

"  N.  B.  I  also  leave  a  mourning  ring,  to  my  honored  and 
dear  friends,  and  disinterested  fellow  laborers,  the  Rev.  John 
and  Charles  Wesley,  in  token  of  my  indissoluble  union  with 
them,  in  heart  and  christian  affection,  notwithstanding  our 
difference  in  judgment  about  some  particular  points  of  doctrine. 
Grace  be  with  all  them,  of  whatever  denomination,  that  love 
our  Lord  Jesus,  our  common  Lord,  in  sincerity."' 

"Georgia,  Secretary's  Office. 
"A  true  copy,  taken  from  the  original  in  this  office,  examin- 
ed and  -certified :  and  I  do  further  certify,  that  the  same  was 
duly  proved ;  and  the  Honorable  James  Habersham,  one  of  the 
executors  therein  named,  was  duly  qualified  as  executor,  be- 
fore his  Excellency,  James  AVright,  Esq.,  Governor  and  Ordi- 
nary of  the  said  province,  this  10th  day  of  December,  1770. 
"Thomas  Moodie,  Deputy  Secretary P 


SELECTIONS 


fkom  the 


SERMONS  AND  OTHER  WRITINGS 


REV.   GEORGE   WHITEFIELD, 


ADVERTISEMENT. 


It  will  be  remembered,  by  those  who  have  perused  the  foregoing 
memoirs,  that  Whitefield  complains,  that  the  transcripts  of  his  sermons, 
taken  in  short-hand,  and  published  by  his  well  meaning,  but  irrespon- 
sible friends,  were  unfair  and  mutilated  exhibitions  of  his  actual  per- 
formances. He  says  of  some  of  these  imperfect  copies,  that  "  the  sense 
and  connection  are  entirely  destroyed."  It  has  been  thought  a  duty, 
therefore,  to  confine  the  following  selections  from  his  sermons  and 
other  writings,  as  far  as  possible,  to  those  which  came  immediately 
from  his  own  pen,  or  received  his  final  revision,  or,  at  least,  his  sanc- 
tion and  approbation.  Thus,  it  is  believed,  justice  will  be  done  to  the 
memory  of  this  wonderful  man  ;  and  no  further  apology  need  be  made 
for  limiting  our  range  of  selection  mainly  to  those  writings  which, 
says  he,  "  I  think  I  may  say,  were  given  me  by  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ." 


SERMON  I. 


THE  LORD  OUR  RIGHTEOUSNESS. 


Jeremiah  xxiii.  6. 
The  Lord  our  Righteoicsness. 

Whoever  is  acquainted  with  the  nature  of  mankind  in 
general,  or  the  propensity  of  his  own  heart  in  particular,  must 
acknowledge  that  self-righteousness  is  the  last  idol  that  is  root- 
ed out  of  the  heart.  Being  once  born  under  a  covenant  of 
works  it  is  natural  for  us  all  to  have  recourse  to  a  covenant  of 
works,  for  our  everlasting  salvation.  And  we  have  contracted 
such  a  devilish  pride  by  our  fall  from  God,  that  we  would,  if 
not  wholly,  yet  in  part  at  least,  glory  in  being  the  cause  of  our 
own  salvation.  We  cry  out  against  Popery,  and  that  very 
justly ;  but  we  are  all  Papists,  at  least  I  am  sure  we  are  all 
Arminians  by  nature ;  and,  therefore,  no  wonder  so  many  na- 
tural men  embrace  that  scheme.  It  is  true  we  disclaim  the 
doctrine  of  merit,  and  are  ashamed  directly  to  say  we  deserve 
any  good  at  the  hands  of  God  ;  therefore,  as  the  apostle  excel- 
lently well  observes,  we  go  about,  we  fetch  a  circuit,  to  estab- 
lish a  righteousness  of  our  own,  and  like  the  Pharisees  of  old, 
will  not  wholly  submit  to  that  righteousness  which  is  of  God, 
through  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord. 

This  is  the  sorest,  though,  alas !  the  most  common  evil  that 
was  ever  yet  seen  under  the  sun.  An  evil,  that  in  any  age, 
especially  in  these  dregs  of  time,  wherein  we  live,  cannot  suf- 
ficiently be  inveighed  against.  For  as  it  is  with  the  people, 
so  it  is  with  the  priests ;  and  it  is  to  be  feared,  even  in  those 
places  where  once  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus  was  eminently 
preached,  many  ministers  are  so  sadly  degenerated  from  their 
pious  ancestors,  that  the  doctrines  of  grace,  especially  the  per- 
sonal, all-sufficient  righteousness  of  Jesus,  is  but  too  seldom, 
too  slightly  mentioned.  Hence  the  love  of  many  waxeth  cold; 
and  I  have  often  thought,  was  it  possible,  that  this  single  con- 
sideration would  be  sufiicient  to  raise  our  venerable  forefathers 
again  from  their  graves,  who  would  thunder  in  their  ears 
their  fatal  error. 


298  THE  LORD  OUR  RIGHTEOUSNESS.  [Serm.  1. 

The  righteousness  of  Jesus  Christ  is  one  of  those  great  mys- 
teries which  the  angels  desire  to  look  into^  and  seems  to  be  one 
of  the  first  lessons  Ihat  God  taught  men  after  the  fall.  For 
what  were  the  coats  that  God  made  to  put  on  our  first  parents, 
but  t}^es  of  the  application  of  the  merits  or  righteousness  of 
Jesus  Christ  to  believers'  hearts  ?  We  are  told,  that  those  coats 
were  made  of  skins  of  beasts ;  and  as  beasts  were  not  then  food 
for  men,  we  may  fairly  infer  that  those  beasts  were  slain  in 
sacrifice,  in  commemoration  of  the  great  sacrifice,  Jesus  Christ, 
thereafter  to  be  offered.  And  the  skins  of  those  beasts  thus 
slain,  being  put  on  Adam  and  Eve,  they  were  thereby  taught 
how  their  nakedness  was  to  be  covered  with  the  righteousness 
of  the  Lamb  of  God. 

This  is  it  which  is  meant,  when  we  are  told  Abraham  be- 
Heved  on  the  Lord,  and  it  was  counted  to  him  for  righteous- 
ness. In  short,  this  is  it  of  which  both  the  law  and  all  the 
prophets  have  spoken,  especially  Jeremiah,  in  the  words  of  the 
text :   The  Lord  our  righteousness. 

I  propose,  through  divine  grace, 

L  To  consider  who  we  are  to  understand  by  the  word  Lord, 

IL  How  the  Lord  is  man^s  righteousness. 

III.  I  will  consider  some  of  the  chief  objections  that  are 
generally  urged  against  this  doctrine. 

IV.  I  shall  show  some  very  ill  consequences  that  flow  natu- 
rally from  denying  this  doctrine. 

V.  Shall  conclude  with  an  exhortation  to  all  to  come  to 
Christ  hy  faith,  that  they  may  be  enabled  to  say  with  the  pro- 
phet in  the  text.   The  Lord  our  righteousness. 

I.  I  am  to  consider  who  we  are  to  understand  by  the  word 
Lord —  The  Lord  our  righteousness. 

And  if  any  Arians  or  Socinians  are  drawn  by  curiosity  to 
hear  what  the  babbler  has  to  say,  let  them  be  ashamed  of  de- 
nying the  divinity  of  that  Lord  that  has  bought  poor  sinners 
with  his  precious  blood.  For  the  person  mentioned  in  the  text, 
under  the  character  of  Lord,  is  Jesus  Christ.  Behold,  ver.  5. 
the  days  come,  saith  the  Lord,  that  I  will  raise  unto  David  a 
righteous  branch,  a  King  shall  reign  and  prosper,  shall  exe- 
cute judgTnent  and  justice  in  the  earth.  In  his  day,  ver.  6. 
Judah  shall  be  saved,  and  Israel  shall  duwll  safely  ;  and 
this  is  his  name  whereby  he  shall  be  called,  The  Lord  our 
righteousness.  By  the  righteous  Branch,  all  agree  that  we 
are  to  understand  Jesus  Christ.  He  it  is  that  is  called  the 
Lord  in  our  text.  If  so,  if  there  were  no  other  text  in  the 
Bible  to  prove  the  divinity  of  Christ,  that  is  suflicient.  For  if 
the  word  Lord  may  properly  belong  to  Jesus  Christ,  he  must 
be  God.    For  as  you  have  it  in  the  margins  of  your  Bibles,  the 


Serm.  1.]  the  lord  our  righteousness.  299 

word  Lord  is  in  the  original  Jehovah,  which  is  the  essential 
title  of  God  himself.  Come,  then,  ye  Arians,  kiss  the  Son  of 
God,  bow  down  before  him,  and  honor  him,  even  as  you  honor 
the  Father.  Learn  of  the  angels,  those  morning  stars,  and 
worship  him  as  truly  God.  For  otherwise  you  are  as  much 
idolaters,  as  those  that  worship  the  Virgin  Mary.  And  as  for 
you,  Socinians,  who  say  Christ  was  a  mere  man,  and  yet  pro- 
fess that  he  was  your  Savior,  according  to  your  own  ])rinGiples, 
you  are  accursed.  For,  if  Christ  be  a  mere  man,  then  he  is 
only  an  arm  of  flesh.  And  it  is  written,  Cursed  is  he  that 
trusteth  on  an  arm  of  flesh.  But  I  would  hope  there  are  no 
such  monsters  here.  At  least,  that  after  these  considerations, 
they  Vv^ould  be  ashamed  of  broaching  such  monstrous  absurd- 
ities any  more.  For  it  is  plain,  that  by  the  word  Lord,  we  are 
to  understand  the  Lord  .Tesus  Christ,  wlio  here  takes  to  himself 
the  title  of  Jehovah,  and  therefore  must  be  very  God,  of  very 
God,  or,  as  the  apostle  devoutly  expresses  it,  God  blessed  for 
evermore. 

II.  How  the  Lord  is  to  be  maiUs  riglLteousness  comes  next 
to  be  considered. 

And  that  is,  in  one  word,  by  imputation.  For  it  pleased 
God,  after  lie  had  made  all  thing-s  hy  the  word  of  his  power, 
to  create  man  after  his  own  image.  And  so  infinite  was  the 
condescension  of  the  high  and  lofty  One,  who  inhabiteth  eter- 
nitv^,  that  altliouofh  he  miorht  have  insisted  on  the  everlastino^ 
obedience  of  him  and  his  posterity,  yet  he  was  pleased  to  oblige 
Jiimself,  by  a  cov^enant  or  agreement  made  Avith  his  own  crea- 
tures, upon  condition  of  an  unsinning  obedience,  to  give  them 
immortality  and  eternal  life.  For  when  it  is  said,  the  day  that 
thou  eatest  thereof  thou  shalt  siirely  die,  we  may  fairly  infer, 
so  \o\vjr  as  he  continued  obedient,  and  did  not  eat  thereof,  he 
should  surely  live.  The  3d  of  Genesis,  gives  us  a  full,  but 
mournful  account,  how  our  first  parents  broke  this  covenant, 
and  thereby  stood  in  need  of  a  better  righteousness  than  their 
own,  in  order  to  procure  their  future  acceptance  with  God. 
For  what  must  they  do  ?  They  were  as  much  under  a  cove- 
nant of  works  as  ever.  And,  though  after  their  disobedience 
they  were  without  strength,  yet  they  were  obliged  not  only  to 
do,  but  continue  to  do  all  thinors,  and  that  too  in  the  most  per- 
fect manner  which  the  Lord  had  required  of  them.  And  not 
only  so,  but  to  make  satisfaction  to  God's  infinitely  oflended 
justice,  for  the  breach  they  had  already  been  guilty  of.  Here 
then  opens  the  amazing  scene  of  divine  philaatliropy  ;  I  mean, 
God's  love  to  man.  For  behold,  what  man  could  not  do,  Jesus 
Christ,  the  Son  of  the  Father's  love,  undertakes  to  do  for  him. 
And  that  God  might  be  just  in  justifying  the  ungodly,  though 


300  THE  LORD  OUR  RIGHTEOUSNESS.  [Serm.  1. 

he  was  in  the  form  of  God,  and  therefore  thought  it  no  rob- 
bery to  be  equal  with  God,  yet  he  took  upon  him  the  form  of  a 
servant,  even  human  nature.  In  that  nature  he  obeyed,  and 
thereby  fulfilled  the  whole  moral  law  in  our  stead.  And  also 
died  a  painful  death  upon  the  cross,  and  thereby  became  a 
curse  for,  or  instead  of,  those  whom  the  Father  hath  given  him. 
As  God,  he  satisfied  at  the  same  time  that  he  obeyed,  and  suf- 
fered as  man  ;  and  being  God  and  man,  in  one  person,  wrought 
out  a  full,  perfect,  and  sufficient  righteousness  for  all  to  whom 
it  was  to  be  imputed. 

Here  then  we  see  the  meaning  of  the  word  righteousness. 
It  implies  the  active,  as  well  as  passive  obedience  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ.  We  generally,  when  talking  of  the  merits  of 
Christ,  only  mention  the  latter,  viz. :  his  death  ;  whereas  the 
former,  viz. :  his  life  and  active  obedience,  is  equally  necessary, 
(yhrist  is  not  such  a  Savior  as  becomes  us,  unless  we  join  both 
together.  Christ  not  only  died,  but  lived  ;  not  only  suffered, 
but  obeyed,  for  or  instead  of  poor  sinners.  And  both  these 
jointly  make  up  that  complete  righteousness  which  is  to  be  im- 
puted to  us,  as  the  disobedience  of  our  first  parents  was  made 
ours  by  imputation.  In  this  sense,  and  no  other,  are  we  to 
understand  that  parallel  which  St.  Paul  draws  in  the  5th  of  tlie 
Romans,  between  the  first  and  second  Adam.  This  is  what  he 
elsewhere  terms  our  being  made  tlie  righteousness  of  God  in 
him.  This  is  the  sense  wherein  the  prophet  would  have  us 
understand  the  words  of  the  text ;  therefore,  Jer.  xxxiii.  verse 
16,  She,  i.  e.  the  church  itself  shall  be  called  (having  this 
righteousness  imputed  to  her)  the  Lo?'d  our  righteousness.  A 
passage,  I  think,  worthy  of  the  profoundest  meditation  of  all 
the  sons  and  daughters  of  Adam. 

Many  are  the  objections  which  the  proud  hearts  of  fallen 
men  are  continually  urginsf  against  this  wholesome,  this  divine, 
this  soul-saving  doctrine.  I  come  now,  in  the  third  place,  to  an- 
swer some  few  of  those  which  I  think  the  most  considerable. 

And  first,  they  say,  because  they  would  appear  friends  io 
morality,  "  That  the  doctrine  of  an  imputed  righteousness  is 
destructive  of  good  works,  and  leads  to  licentiousness." 

And  who,  pray,  are  the  persons  that  generally  urge  this  ob- 
jection ?  Are  they  men  full  of  faith,  and  men  really  concerned 
for  good  works  ?  No,  whatever  few  exceptions  there  may  be,  if 
there  be  any  at  all,  it  is  notorious,  they  are  generally  men  of  cor- 
rupt minds,  reprobate  concerning  the  faith.  The  best  title  I  can 
give  them  is,  that  of  profane  moralists,  or  moralists  falsely  so 
called.  For  I  appeal  to  the  experience  of  the  present,  as  well 
as  past  ages,  if  iniquity  did  and  does  not  most  abound  where 
the  doctrine  of  Christ's  whole  personal  righteousness  is  most 


Serm.  1.]  the  lord  our  righteousness.  301 

cried  down,  and  most  seldom  mentioned,  Arminian  being 
antichristian  principles,  always  did  and  always  will  lead  to 
antichristian  practices.  And  never  was  there  a  reformation 
brought  about  in  the  church,  but  by  the  preaching  the  doctrine 
of  Christ's  imputed  righteousness.  This,  as  that  man  of  God, 
Luther,  calls  it,  is  Articuhis  stantis  aut  cadeiitis  Ecclesicp,  the 
article  upon  which  the  church  stands  or  falls.  And  though  the 
preachers  of  this  doctrine  are  generally  branded  by  those  on 
the  other  side  with  the  opprobrious  names  of  Antinomians, 
deceivers,  and  what  not ;  yet,  I  believe  if  the  truth  of  the  doc- 
trine on  both  sides  were  to  be  judged  of  by  the  lives  of  the 
preachers  and  professors  of  it,  those  on  our  side  the  question 
would  have  the  advantage  every  way. 

It  is  true,  this,  as  v*^ell  as  every  other  doctrine  of  grace,  may 
be  abused.  And  perhaps  the  unchristian  walk  of  some,  who 
have  talked  of  Christ's  imputed  righteousness,  justification  by 
faith,  and  the  like,  and  yet  never  felt  it  imputed  to  their  own 
souls,  has  given  the  enemies  of  the  Lord  thus  cause  to  blas- 
pheme. But  this  is  a  very  unsafe,  as  well  as  very  unfair  way 
of  arguing.  The  only  question  should  be,  Whether  or  not  this 
doctrine  of  an  imputed  righteousness  does,  in  itself,  cut  off  the 
occasion  of  good  works,  or  lead  to  licentiousness  ?  No,  in  no 
wise.  It  excludes  works  indeed  from  being  any  cause  of  our 
justification  in  the  sight  of  God.  But  it  requires  good  works 
as  a  proof  of  our  having  this  righteousness  imputed  to  us,  and 
as  a  declarative  evidence  of  our  justification  in  the  sight  of  men. 
And  then  how  can  the  doctrine  of  an  imputed  righteousness 
be  a  doctrine  leading  to  licentiousness  ? 

It  is  all  calumny.  St.  Paul  introduces  an  infidel  making  this 
objection,  in  his  epistle  to  the  Romans.  And  none  but  infi- 
dels, that  never  felt  the  power  of  Christ's  resurrection  upon 
their  souls,  will  urge  it  over  again.  And  therefore,  notwith- 
standing this  objection,  with  the  prophet  in  the  text,  we  may 
boldly  say,  The  Lord  our  righteousness. 

But  Satan,  (and  no  wonder  that  his  servants  imitate  liim) 
often  transforms  himself  into  an  angel  of  light.  And  there- 
fore, (such  perverse  things  will  infidelity  and  Arminian  ism 
make  men  speak)  in  order  to  dress  their  objections  in  the  best 
colors,  some  urge,  "  that  our  Savior  preached  no  such  doctrine 
— that  in  his  sermon  upon  the  mount,  he  mentions  only  moral- 
ity," and  consequently  the  doctrine  of  an  imputed  righteous- 
ness falls  wholly  to  the  ground. 

But  surely  the  men  who  urge  this  objection,  either  never  read 
or  never  understood  our  blessed  Lord's  discourse,  wherein  the 
doctrine  of  an  imputed  righteousness  is  so  plainly  taught,  that 
he  that  runs,  if  he  has  eyes  that  see,  may  read., 

26 


302  THE    LORD    OUR    RIGHTEOUSNESS.  [Scrm.  1. 

Indeed  our  Lord  does  recommend  morality  and  good  works^ 
(as  all  faithful  ministers  will  do)  and  clears  the  moral  law  from 
the  many  corrupt  glosses  put  upon  it  by  the  letter-learned  phari- 
sees.  But  then,  before  he  comes  to  this,  it  is  remarkable,  he 
talks  of  inward  piety,  such  as  poverty  of  spirit,  meekness,  holy 
mourning,  purity  of  heart,  especially  hungering  and  thirsting 
after  righteousness,  and  then  recommends  good  works,  as  an 
evidence  of  our  having  his  righteousness  imputed  to  us,  and 
these  graces  and  divine  tempers  wrought  in  our  hearts.  "  Let 
your  light,  (that  is,  the  divine  light  I  before  have  been  mention- 
ing) shine  before  men,  in  a  holy  life,  that  they,  seeing  your  good 
works,  may  glorify  your  Father  which  is  in  heaven."  And 
then  immediately  adds,  "  Think  not  that  I  am  come  to  destroy 
the  moral  law — I  came  not  to  destroy,  to  take  away  the  force 
of  it  as  a  rule  of  life,  but  to  fulfil,  to  obey  it  in  its  whole  latitude, 
and  give  the  complete  sense  of  it."  And  then  he  goes  on  to 
show,  how  exceeding  broad  the  moral  law  is.  So  that  our 
Lord,  instead  of  disannulling  an  imputed  righteousness  in  his 
sermon  upon  the  mount,  not  only  confirms  it,  but  also  answers 
the  foregoing  objection  urged  against  it,  by  making  good  works 
a  proof  and  evidence  of  its  being  imputed  to  our  souls.  He, 
therefore,  that  hath  ears  to  hear,  let  him  hear  what  the  prophet 
says  in  the  words  of  the  text — TJie  Lord  our  righteousness. 

But  as  Satan  not  only  quoted  scripture,  but  also  backed  one 
temptation  with  it  after  another,  when  he  attacked  Christ's  per- 
son in  the  wilderness  ;  so  his  children  generally  take  the  same 
method  in  treating  his  doctrine.  And  therefore  they  urge 
another  objection  against  the  doctrine  of  an  imputed  righteous- 
ness, from  the  example  of  the  young  man  in  the  gospel. 

We  may  state  it  thus  :  "The  evangelist,  St.  Mark,"  say  they, 
"chap.  X., mentions  a  young.man  that  came  to  Christ,  running 
and  asking  him  what  he  should  do  to  inherit  eternal  life? 
Christ,  say  they,  referred  him  to  the  commandments,  to  know 
what  he  must  do  to  inherit  eternal  life.  It  is  plain,  therefore, 
works  were  to  be  partly,  at  least,  the  cause  of  his  justification; 
and  consequently  the  doctrine  of  an  imputed  righteousness  is 
uhscriptural."  This  is  the  objection  in  its  full  strength  ;  and 
little  strength  is  in  all  its  fulness.  For,  were  I  to  prove  the 
necessity  of  an  imputed  righteousness,  I  scarce  know  how  I 
could  bring  a  better  instance  to  make  it  good. 

Let  us  take  a  more  intimate  view  of  this  young  man,  and 
our  Lord's  behavior  towards  him.  Mark  x.  17,  the  evangelist 
tells  us,  "That  when  Christ  was  gone  forth  into  the  way, 
there  came  one  running  (it  should  seem  it  was  some  nobleman, 
a  rarity  indeed,  to  see  such  a  one  running  to  Christ !)  and 
not  only  so,  but  he  kneeled  to  him,  (though  many  of  his  rank 


Serm.  1.]         the  lord  our  rigiiteousxess.  303 

scarce  know  the  time  when  they  kneeled  to  Christ,)  and  asked 
hiin^  saying.  "  Good  Master  what  shall  I  do  that  I  may  in- 
herit eternal  life  ?"  Then  Jesus,  to  see  whether  or  not  he 
beheved  him  to  be  what  he  really  was,  truly  and  properly  God, 
said  unto  him,  "  Tf7?y  callest  thon  me  good?  there  is  none 
good  hilt  one,  that  is  GodP  And  that  he  might  directly  an- 
swer his  question ;  says  he,  "  Thou  knowest  the  command- 
m,ents :  Do  not  commit  adultery,  Do  7iot  hear  false  nntness, 
Defraud  not,  Honor  thy  father  and  thy  mother.''^  This,  I  say, 
was  a  direct  answer  to  his  question  ;  namely,  that  eternal  life 
was  not  to  be  attained  by  his  doinirs.  For  our  Lord,  by  refer- 
ring him  to  the  commandments,  did  not,  (as  the  objectors  in- 
sinuate.) in  the  least,  hint  that  his  morality  would  recommend 
him  to  the  favor  and  mercy  of  God.  But  he  intended  thereby 
to  make  the  law  his  schoolmaster  to  bring  him  to  himself; 
that  the  young  man,  seeing  how  he  had  broken  every  one  of  these 
commandments,  might  thereby  be  convinced  of  the  insufficiency 
of  his  own,  and  consequently  of  the  absolute  necessity  of  look- 
inof  out  for  a  better  righteousness,  whereon  he  might  depend 
for  eternal  life. 

This  was  what  our  Lord  designed.  The  young  man,  be- 
ing self-righteous,  and  willing  to  justify  himself,  said,  ^^  All 
these  have  I  observed  from  my  youth.''''  But  had  he  known 
himself,  he  would  have  confessed,  ^^All  these  have  I  broken, 
from  m.y  youths  For  supposing  he  had  not  actually  committed 
adultery,  had  he  never  lusted  after  a  woman  in  his  heart  ? 
What  if  he  had  not  really  killed  another  ;  had  he  never  been 
angry  without  a  cause,  or  spoken  unadvisedly  with  his  lips? 
If  so,  by  breaking  one  of  the  least  commandments  in  the  least 
degree,  he  became  liable  to  the  curse  of  God :  For  "  cursed,  is 
he  (saith  the  law)  that  cont'inueth  not  to  do  all  things  that  are 
written  in  this  hook^  And  therefore,  as  I  observed  before, 
our  Lord  was  so  far  from  speaking  against,  that  he  treated  tlie 
young  man  in  that  manner,  on  purpose  to  convince  him  of  the 
necessity  of  an  imputed  righteousness. 

But  perhaps  they  will  reply,  it  is  said,  Jesus  beholding  him, 
loved  him.  And  what  then  ?  This  he  might  do  with  a  hu- 
man love,  and  at  the  same  time  this  young  man  have  no  in- 
terest in  his  blood.  Thus  Christ  is  said  to  wonder ;  to  weep 
over  Jerusalem,  and  say,  Oh  that  thou  hadst  knoavn,  ^c.  But 
such  like  passages  are  to  be  referred  only  to  his  human  nature. 
And  there  is  a  great  deal  of  difference  between  the  love  where- 
with Christ  loved  this  young  man,  and  that  wherewith  he 
loved  Mary,  Lazarus,  and  their  sister  Martha.  To  illustrate 
this  by  a  comparison  :  A  minister  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
seeing  many  amiable  dispositions,  such  as  a  readiness  to  hear 


304  THE    LORD    OUR    RIGHTEOUSNESS.  [Serm.  1. 

the  word,  a  decent  behavior  at  piibhc  worship,  a  life  outwardly- 
spotless  in  many,  cannot  but  so  far  love  them.  But  then  there 
is  much  difference  betwixt  that  love  which  a  minister  feels  for 
such,  and  that  divine  love,  that  union  and  sympathy  of  soul, 
which  he  feels  for  those  that  he  is  satisfied  are  really  born 
again  of  God.  Apply  this  to  our  Lord's  case,  as  a  faint  illus- 
tration of  it.  Consider  what  has  been  said  upon  the  young 
man's  case  in  general ;  and  then,  if  before  you  were  fond  of 
this  objection,  instead  of  triumphing  like  him,  you  will  go  sor- 
rowful away.  Our  Savior's  reply  to  him  more  and  more  con- 
vinces us  of  the  truth  of  the  prophet's  assertion  in  the  text,  viz. 
that  the  Lord  is  our  righteousness. 

But  there  is  a  fourth  and  grand  objection  yet  behind,  and 
that  is  taken  from  the  25th  chapter  of  St.  Matthew,  '•'  where 
our  Lord  is  described,  as  rewarding  peopile  with  eternal  life, 
because  they  fed  the  hungry,  clothed  the  naked,  and  such  like. 
Their  works  therefore  were  a  cause  of  their  justification  ;  con- 
sequently, the  doctrine  of  imputed  righteousness  is  not  agreea- 
ble to  scripture." 

This,  I  confess,  is  the  most  plausible  objection  that  is  brought 
against  the  doctrine  insisted  on  from  the  text.  And  in  order 
that  we  may  answer  it  in  as  clear  and  as  brief  a  manner  as 
may  be,  we  confess,  with  the  article  of  the  Church  of  England, 
"  That  albeit  good  works  do  not  justify  us,  yet  they  will  follow 
after  justification,  as  fruits  of  it ;  and  though  they  can  claim 
no  reward  in  themselves,  yet  forasmuch  as  they  spring  from 
faith  in  Christ,  and  a  renewed  soul,  they  shall  receive  a  reward 
of  grace,  though  not  of  debt ;  and  consequently,  the  more  we 
abound  in  such  good  works,  the  greater  will  be  our  reward 
when  Jesus  Christ  shall  come  to  judgment." 

Take  these  considerations  along  with  us,  and  they  will  help 
us  much  to  ansAver  the  objection  now  before  us.  For  thus  St. 
Matthew —  Then  shall  the  King  say  to  them  on  his  right  hand. 
Come  ye  Messed  children  of  my  Father^  inherit  the  king- 
dom j)repared  for  you  frotn  the  foundation  of  the  world. — 
For  I  was  an  hungered,  and  ye  gave  me  meat.  I  was 
thirsty,  and  ye  gave  me  drink.  T  was  a  stranger ,  and  ye 
took  me  in.  Naked,  and  ye  clothed  me.  I ic as  sick,  and  ye 
visited  me.  I icas  iji  priso?i,  and  ye  came  unto  me.  "I  will 
therefore  reward  you,  because  you  have  done  these  things  out 
of  love  to  me,  and  hereby  have  evidenced  yourselves  to  be  my 
true  disciples."  And  that  the  people  did  not  depend  on  these 
good  actions  for  their  justification  in  the  sight  of  God  is  evi- 
lent.  For  when  saw  we  thee  an  hungered,  say  they,  and  fed 
thee  7  Or  thirsty,  and  gave  thee  drink  ')  When  saw  we 
thee  a  stranger^  and  took  thee  in  7     Or  naked^  and  clothed 


Serm.  1.]  the  lord  our  righteousness.  305 

thee  7  Or  when  saw  ice  thee  sick,  or  iti  prison,  and  came 
unto  thee  7 — Language  and  questions  quite  improper  for  per- 
sons relying  on  their  own  righteousness  for  acceptance  in  the 
sight  of  God. 

But  then  they  reply  against  this.  In  the  latter  part  of  the 
chapter,  say  they,  it  is  plain  that  Jesus  Christ  rejects  and  damns 
the  others  for  not  doing  these  things.  And  therefore,  if  he 
damns  those  for  not  doing,  he  saves  those  for  doing ;  and  con- 
sequently the  doctrine  of  an  imputed  righteousness  is  good  for 
nothing. 

But  that  is  no  consequence  at  all — For  God  may  justly  damn 
any  man  for  omitting  the  least  duty  of  the  moral  law,  and  yet 
in  himself  is  not  obliged  to  give  any  one  any  reward,  supposing 
he  has  done  all  that  he  can.  We  are  unprofitable  servants,  we 
have  done  not  near  so  much  as  it  was  our  duty  to  do,  must  be 
the  language  of  the  most  holy  souls  living;  and  therefore 
from,  or  in  ourselves,  cannot  be  justified  in  the  sight  of  God. 
This  was  the  frame  of  the  devout  souls  just  referred  to.  Sen- 
sible of  this,  they  were  so  far  from  depending  on  their  works 
for  justification  in  the  sight  of  God,  that  they  were  filled,  as  it 
were  with  a  holy  blushing,  to  think  our  Lord  should  conde- 
scend to  mention,  much  more  to  reward  them  for  their  poor 
works  of  faith  and  labors  of  love.  I  am  persuaded  their  hearts 
would  rise  with  a  holy  indignation  against  those  who  urge 
this  passLge  as  an  objection  against  the  assertion  of  the  proph- 
et in  the  words  of  the  text,  that  the  Lord  is  our  righteousness. 

Thus  I  think  we  have  fairly  answered  these  grand  objec- 
tions, which  are  generally  urged  against  the  doctrine  of  an 
imputed  righteousness.  Were  I  to  stop  here,  I  think  I  might 
say,  we  are  made  more  than  conquerors,  through  him  that  loved 
us — But  there  is  a  way  of  arguing  which  1  have  ahvays  ad- 
mired, because  I  hav^e  thought  it  always  very  convincing,  viz. 
by  showing  the  absurdities  that  will  follow  from  denying  any 
particular  proposition  in  dispute. 

IV.  This  is  the  next  thing  that  was  proposed.  "  And  never 
did  greater  or  more  absurdities  flow  from  the  denying  any  doc- 
trine, than  will  flow  from  denying  the  doctrine  of  Christ's  im- 
puted rio^hteousness." 

And  first,  if  we  deny  this  doctrine,  we  turn  the  truth,  I  mean 
the  word  of  God,  as  much  as  we  can  into  a  lie,  and  utterly 
subvert  all  those  places  of  scripture,  which  say,  That  we  are 
saved  hy  grace ;  that  it  is  not  of  works,  lest  any  man  should 
boast.  That  salvation  is  God's  free  gift — and  that,  He  that 
glorieth,  must  glory  only  in  the  Lord.  For,  if  the  whole  per- 
sonal righteousness  of  Jesus  Christ  be  not  the  sole  cause  of  my 
acceptance  with  God,  if  any  work  done  by  or  forseen  in  me 

26* 


30G  THE    LORD    OUR    RIGHTEOUSNESS.  [Seim.  1. 

was  in  the  least  to  be  joined  with  it,  or  looked  upon  by  God 
as  an  inducing,  impulsive  cause  of  acquitting  my  soul  from 
guilt,  then  I  have  somewhat  whereof  I  may  glory  in  myself. 
Now  boasting  is  excluded  in  the  great  work  of  our  redemption. 
But  that  cannot  be,  if  we  are  enemies  to  the  doctrine  of  an  im- 
puted righteousness.  It  would  be  endless  to  enumerate  how 
many  texts  of  scripture  must  be  false,  if  this  doctrine  be  not 
true.  Let  it  sufiice  to  affirm  in  the  general,  that  if  we  deny 
an  imputed  righteousness,  we  may  as  well  deny  a  divine  reve- 
lation all  at  once.  For  it  is  the  Alpha  and  Omega,  the  begin- 
ning and  the  end  of  the  book  of  God.  We  must  either  disbe- 
lieve that,  or  believe  what  the  prophet  has  spoken  in  the  text, 
That  the  Lord  is  our  righteousness. 

Bat  farther, — I  observed  at  the  beginning  of  this  discourse, 
that  we  are  all  Arminians  and  Papists  by  nature ; — for,  as  one 
observes,  Arminianism  is  the  bade  way  to  Popery.  And  here 
I  venture  further  to  affirm.  "  that  if  we  deny  the  doctrine  of  an 
imputed  righteousness,  whatever  we  may  style  ourselves,  we 
are  really  Papists  in  our  hearts,  and  deserve  no  other  title  from 
men. 

Sirs,  What  think  yon? — Suppose  I  were  to  come  and  tell  you, 
that  you  must  intercede  with  saints,  for  them  to  intercede  with 
God  for  you, — would  you  not  then  say,  I  was  justly  reputed  a 
Popish  missionary  by  some,  and  deservedly  thrust  out  of  the 
synagogues  by  others  ? — I  suppose  you  would.  And  why  ?  Be- 
cause you  would  say,  the  intercession  of  Jesus  Christ  was  suffi- 
cient of  itself,  without  the  intercession  of  saints ;  and  that  it 
was  blasphemous  to  join  theirs  with  his,  as  though  it  was  not 
sufficient. 

Suppose  I  went  a  little  more  round  about,  and  told  you,  that 
the  death  of  Christ  was  not  sufficient,  without  our  death  being 
added  to  it ;  that  you  must  die  as  w^ell  as  Christ,  join  your 
death  with  his,  and  then  it  would  be  sufficient.  Might  you 
not  then,  with  a  holy  indignation,  throw  dust  in  the  air,  and 
justly  call  me  a  setter  forth  of  strange  doctrines  ?  And  now 
then,  if  it  be  not  only  absurd,  but  blasphemous,  to  join  the  in- 
tercession of  saints  with  the  intercession  of  Christ,  as  though 
his  intercession  was  not  sufficient ;  or  our  death  with  the  death 
of  Christ,  as  though  his  death  was  not  sufficient ;  judge  ye,  if 
it  be  not  equally  absurd,  equally  blasphemous,  to  join  our  obe- 
dience, either  wholly  or  in  part  with  the  obedience  of  Christ, 
as  if  that  was  not  sufficient.  And  if  so,  what  absurdities  will 
follow  the  denying  that  the  Lord,  both  as  to  his  acti>ve  and  pas- 
sive obedience,  is  our  righteousness  ? 

One  more  absurdity  1  shall  mention,  that  will  follow  from 
the  denying  this  doctrine,  and  I  have  done. 


Serm.  1.]         the  lord  our  righteousness.  307 

I  remember  a  story  of  a  certain  prelate,  who,  after  many 
arguments  in  vain  urged  to  convince  the  Earl  of  Rochester  of 
the  invisible  realities  of  another  world,  took  his  leave  of  his 
lordship  with  some  such  words  as  these  :  "  Well  my  lord,"  says 
he,  "  if  there  be  no  hell,  I  am  safe  ;  but  if  there  be  such  a  thing, 
my  lord,  as  hell,  what  will  become  of  you  ?"'  I  apply  this  to 
those  that  oppose  the  doctrine  now  insisted  on.  If  there  be  no 
such  thing  as  the  doctrine  of  an  imputed  righteousness,  those 
that  hold  it,  and  bring  forth  fruit  unto  holiness,  are  safe.  But 
if  there  be  such  a  thing,  (as  there  certainly  is)  what  will  be- 
come of  you  that  deny  it  ?  It  is  no  difficult  matter  to  determine. 
Your  portion  must  be  in  the  lake  of  fire  and  brimstone  for  ever 
and  ever ;  since  you  will  rely  upon  your  works,  by  your  works 
you  shall  be  judged.  They  shall  be  weighed  in  the  balance 
of  the  sanctuary.  They  will  be  found  wanting.  By  your 
works,  therefore,  shall  you  be  condemned ;  and  you,  being  out 
of  Christ,  shall  find  God,  to  your  poor  wretched  souls,  a  con- 
suming fire. 

The  great  Stoddard,  of  Northampton,  in  New  England,  has 
therefore  well  entitled  a  book  which  he  wrote,  (and  which  I 
would  take  this  opportunity  to  recommend)  "  The  safety  of  ap- 
pearing in  the  righteousness  of  Christ."  For  why  should  I  lean 
upon  a  broken  reed,  when  I  can  have  the  rock  of  ages  to  stand 
upon,  that  never  can  be  moved  ? 

And  now,  before  I  come  to  a  more  particular  application, 
jrive  me  leave,  in  the  apostle's  language,  triumphantly  to  cry 
out.  Where  is  Ihe  scribe?  where  the  disputer  ?  where  is  the 
reasoning  infidel  of  this  generation  ?  Can  any  thing  appear 
more  reasonable,  even  according  to  your  own  way  of  arguing, 
than  the  doctrine  here  laid  down  ?  Htive  you  not  felt  a  con- 
vincing power  go  along  with  the  word  ?  Why  then  will  you 
not  believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  that  so  he  may  become 
the  Lord  your  righteousness. 

But  it  is  time  for  me  to  come  a  little  closer  to  your  con- 
sciences. 

Brethren,  though  some  may  be  offended  at  this  doctrine,  and 
may  account  it  foolishness,  yet  to  many  of  you,  I  doubt  not 
but  it  is  precious,  it  being  agreeable  to  the  form  of  sound  words, 
which  from  your  infancy  has  been  delivered  to  you ;  and 
coming  from  a  quarter  you  would  least  have  expected,  may  be 
received  with  more  pleasure  and  satisfaction.  But  give  me 
leave  to  ask  you  one  question.  Can  you  say,  the  Lord  our 
rigl^teousness  ?  I  say,  the  Lord  our  righteousness.  For  en- 
tertaining this  doctrine  in  your  heads,  without  receiving  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  savingly  by  a  lively  faith  into  your  hearts, 
Avill  but  increase  your  damnation.     As  I  have  often  told  you, 


308  THE    LORD    OUR    RIGHTEOUSNESS.  [Seim.  1. 

SO  I  tell  you  again,  an  unapplied  Christ,  is  no  Christ  at  all. 
Can  you  then,  with  believing  Thomas,  cry  out,  My  Lord,  and 
my  God7  Is  Christ  your  sanctification,  as  well  as  your  out- 
ward righteousness  ?  For  the  word  righteousness  in  the  text, 
not  only  implies  Christ's  personal  righteousness  imputed  to  us, 
but-  also  holiness  of  heart  wrought  in  us.  These  two  God  hath 
joined  together.  He  never  did,  he  never  does,  he  never  will 
put  them  asunder.  If  you  are  justified  by  the  blood,  you  are 
also  sanctified  by  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord.  Can  you  then  in  this 
sense  say,  the  Lord  our  righteousness.  Were  you  never  made 
to  abhor  yourselves  for  your  actual  and  original  sins,  and  to 
loathe  your  own  righteousness,  (or,  as  the  prophet  beautifully, 
expresses  it,  your  righteousnesses,)  as  filthy  rags  ?  Were  you 
never  made  to  see  and  admire  the  all-sufficiency  of  Christ's 
righteousness,  and  excited  by  the  spirit  of  God  to  hunger  and 
thirst  after  it  ?  Could  you  ever  say,  my  soul  is  athirst  for 
Christ,  yea,  even  for  the  righteousness  of  Christ  ?  O  when 
shall  I  come  to  appear  before  the  presence  of  my  God  in  the 
righteousness  of  Christ !  O  nothing  but  Christ !  nothing  but 
Christ !  Give  me  Christ,  O  God,  and  I  am  satisfied  !  My  soul 
shall  praise  thee  for  ever.  Was  this,  I  say,  ever  the  language 
of  your  hearts  ?  And  after  these  inward  conflicts,  were  you 
ever  enabled  to  reach  out  the  arm  of  faith,  and  embrace  the 
blessed  Jesus  in  your  souls,  so  that  you  could  say.  My  beloved 
is  mine,  and  I  am  his  7  If  so,  fear  not,  whoever  you  are. 
Hail,  all  hail,  you  happy  souls  !  The  Lord,  the  Lord  Chris-t, 
the  everlasting  God  is  your  righteousness.  Christ  has  justified 
you,  who  is  he  that  condemneth  you  ?  Christ  has  died  for 
you,  nay  rather  is  risen  again,  and  ever  hveth  to  make  inter- 
cession for  you.  Being  now  justified  by  his  grace,  you  have 
peace  with  God,  and  shall  ere  long  be  with  Jesus  in  glory, 
reaping  everlasting  and  unspeakable  redemption  both  in  body 
and  soul.  For  there  is  no  condemnation  to  those  that  are  really 
in  Christ  Jesus.  Whether  Paul  or  Apollos,  or  life  or  death,  all 
is  yours,  if  you  are  Christ's,  for  Christ  is  God's  !  O  my  breth- 
ren, my  heart  is  enlarged  towards  you  !  O,  think  on  the  love 
of  Christ  in  dying  for  you  !  If  the  Lord  be  your  righteousness, 
let  the  righteousness  of  your  Lord  be  continually  in  your 
mouth.  Talk  of,  oh  t;4k  of  and  recommend  the  righteousness 
of  Christ,  when  you  lie  down  and  when  you  rise  up,  at  your 
going  out  and  coming  in  !  Think  of  the  greatness  of  the  gift, 
as  well  as  of  the  giver  !  Show  to  all  the  world  in  whom  you 
have  believed  !  Let  all,  by  your  fruits,  know  that  the  Lord  is 
your  righteousness,  and  that  you  are  waiting  for  your  Lord 
from  heaven  !  O  study  to  be  holy,  even  as  he  who  has  called 
you,  and  washed  you  in  his  own  blood,  is  holy !     Let  not  the 


Serm.  1.]         the  lord  our  righteousness.  309 

righteousness  of  the  Lord  be  evil  spoken  of  through  you.  Let 
not  Jesus  be  wounded  in  the  house  of  his  friends ;  but  grow- 
in  grace,  and  in  the  knowledge  of  our  Lord  and  Savior  Jesus 
Christ  day  by  day.  O,  think  of  his  dying  love  !  Let  that  love 
constrain  you  to  obedience.  Having  much  forgiven,  love 
much.  Be  always  asking,  What  shall  I  do  to  express  my  grati- 
tude to  the  Lord,  for  giving  me  his  righteousness?  Let  that 
self-abasing,  God-exalting  question  be  always  in  your  mouths. 

0  be  always  lisping  out,  Why  me,  Lord  ?  Why  me  ?  Why  am 

1  taken,  and  others  left  ?  Why  is  the  Lord  my  righteousness  ? 
Why  is  he  become  my  salvation,  who  have  so  often  deserved 
damnation  at  his  hands  ? 

O,  my  friends,  I  trust  I  feel  somewhat  of  a  sense  of  God's 
distinguishing  love  upon  my  heart !  Therefore  I  must  divert 
a  little  from  congratulating  you,  to  invite  poor  Christless  sin- 
ners to  come  to  him,  and  accept  of  his  righteousness,  that 
they  may  have  life. 

Alas,  my  heart  almost  bleeds  !  What  a  multitude  of  precious 
souls  are  now  before  me !  How  shortly  must  all  be  ushered 
into  eternity :  and  yet,  O  cutting  thought !  was  God  now  to 
require  all  your  souls,  how  few,  comparatively  speaking,  could 
really  say,  the  Lord  our  righteousness. 

And  think  you,  O  sinners,  that  you  will  be  able  to  stand  in 
the  day  of  judgment,  if  Christ  be  not  your  righteousness?  No, 
that  alone  is  the  wedding  garment  in  which  you  must  appear. 
O,  Christless  sinners,  I  am  distressed  for  you  !  The  desires  of 
my  soul  are  enlarged  !  O,  that  this  may  be  an  accepted  time  ! 
O,  that  the  Lord  may  be  your  righteousness !  For  whither 
would  you  flee,  if  death  should  find  you  naked  ?  Indeed  there 
is  no  hiding  yourselves  from  his  presence.  The  pitiful  fig- 
leaves  of  your  own  righteousness  will  not  cover  your  naked- 
ness, when  God  shall  call  you  to  stand  before  him.  Adam 
found  them  ineflectual,  and  so  will  you.  O,  think  of  death  ! 
O,  think  of  judgment !  Yet  a  little  while,  and  time  shall  be 
no  more ;  and  then  what  will  become  of  you,  if  the  Lord  be 
not  your  righteousness?  Think  you,  that  Christ  will  spare 
you  ?  No,  he  that  formed  you,  will  have  no  mercy  on  you. 
If  you  are  out  of  Christ,  if  Christ  be  not  your  righteousness, 
Christ  himself  will  pronounce  you  damned.  And  can  you 
bear  to  think  of  being  damned  by  Christ  ?  Can  you  bear  to 
hear  the  Lord  Jesus  say  unto  you,  Depart  from  me,  ye  cursed, 
into  everlasting  fire,  prepared  for  the  devil  and  his  angels! 
Can  you  live,  think  you,  in  everlasting  burnings?  Is  your 
flesh  brass,  and  your  bones  iron  ?  What  if  they  are  ?  hell 
fire,  that  fire  prepared  for  the  devil  and  his  angels,  will  heat 
them  through  and  through!    And  can  you  bear  to  depart 


310  THE    LORD    OUR    RIGHTEOUSNESS.  [Scrm.  1. 

from  Christ  ?  O,  that  heart-piercing  thought !  Ask  those  holy- 
souls,  who  are  at  any  time  bewailing  an  absent  God,  who  walk 
in  darkness,  and  see  no  light,  though  but  a  few  days  or  hours ; 
ask  them,  what  it  is  to  lose  a  sight  and  presence  of  Christ  ? 
See  how  they  seek  him  sorrowing,  and  go  mourning  after  him 
all  the  day  long !  And  if  it  is  so  dreadful  to  lose  the  sensible 
presence  of  Christ,  only  for  a  day,  what  must  it  be  to  be  ban- 
ished from  him  to  all  eternity  ?  But  thus  it  must  be,  if  Christ 
be  not  your  righteousness.  For  God's  justice  must  be  satisfied ; 
and  unless  Christ's  righteousness  is  imputed  and  applied  to  you 
here,  you  must  be  satisfying  the  divine  justice  in  hell  torments 
eternally,  hereafter.  Nay,  as  I  said  before,  Christ  himself,  the 
God  of  love,  shall  condenm  you  to  that  place  of  torment.  And 
O,  how  cutting  is  that  thought !  Methinks  I  see  poor,  trem- 
bling, Christless  wretches,  standing  before  the  bar  of  God, 
crying  out  "  Lord,  if  we  must  be  damned,  let  some  angel,  or 
some  archangel,  pronounce  the  damnatory  sentence."  But  all! 
in  vain.  Christ  himself  shall  pronounce  the  irrevocable  sen- 
tence. Knowing,  therefore,  the  terrors  of  the  Lord,  let  me 
persuade  you  to  close  with  Christ,  and  never  rest,  till  you  can 
say,  the  Lord  our  righteousness.  Who  knows  but  the  Lord 
may  have  mercy  on,  nay,  abundantly  pardon  you?  Beg  of 
God  to  give  you  faith  ;  and  if  the  Lord  give  you  that,  you  will 
by  it  receive  Christ,  with  his  righteousness,  and  his  all.  You 
need  not  fear  the  greatness  or  number  of  your  sins.  For  are 
you  sinners  ?  So  am  I.  Are  you  the  chief  of  sinners  ?  So 
am  L  Are  you  backsliding  sinners  ?  So  am  L  And  yet 
the  Lord,  (for  ever  adored  be  his  rich,  free,  and  sovereign 
grace)  the  Lord  is  my  righteousness.  Come,  then,  O  young 
men,  who  (as  I  acted  once  myself)  are  playing  the  prodigal, 
and  wandering  away  afar  off  from  your  heavenly  Father's 
house,  come  home,  come  home,  and  leave  your  swine's  trough 
— feed  no  longer  on  the  husks  of  sensual  delights.  For  Christ's 
sake,  arise  and  come  home !  Your  heavenly  Father  now 
calls  you.  See,  yonder  the  best  robe,  even  the  righteousness 
of  his  dear  Son  awaits  you.  See  it,  view  it  again  and  again. 
Consider  at  how  dear  a  rate  it  was  purchased,  even  by  the 
blood  of  God.  Consider  what  great  need  you  have  of  it.  You 
are  lost,  undone,  damned  for  ever,  without  it.  Come  then, 
poor,  guilty  prodigals,  come  home.  Indeed,  I  will  not,  like 
the  elder  brother,  be  angry.  No,  I  will  rejoice  with  the  angels 
in  heaven.  And  oh,  that  God  would  now  bow  the  heavens, 
and  come  down  !  "  Descend,  O  Son  of  God,  descend ;  and  as 
thou  hast  shown  in  me  such  mercy,  O  let  the  blessed  Spirit 
apply  thy  righteousness  to  some  prodigals  now  before  thee,  and 
clothe  their  naked  souls  with  thy  best  robe." 


Serm.  1.]  the  lord  our  righteousness.  311 

Bat  I  must  speak  a  word  to  you,  youngs  maidens,  as  well  as 
young  men.  I  see  many  of  you  adorned,  as  to  your  bodies  ; 
but  are  not  your  souls  naked  !  Which  of  you  can  say,  the 
Lord  is  my  righteousness  ;  which  of  you  was  ever  solicitous 
to  be  dressed  in  this  robe  of  invaluable  price,  and  without  which, 
you  are  no  better  than  whited  sepulchres  in  the  sight  of  God? 
Let  not  then  so  many  of  you,  young  maijdens,  any  longer  forget 
your  only  ornament :  Oh,  seek  for  the  Lord  to  be  your  right- 
eousness or  otherwise  burning  will  soon  be  upon  you  instead 
of  beauty  ! 

And  what  shall  I  sav  to  you  of  a  middle  age,  you  busy  mer- 
chants, you  cumbered  Marthas,  who  with  all  your  gettings,  have 
not  yet  gotten  the  Lord  to  be  your  righteousness  ?  Alas  ! 
what  profit  will  there  be  of  all  your  labor  under  the  sun,  if 
you  do  not  secure  this  pearl  of  invaluable  price  ?  This  one 
thing,  so  absolutely  needful,  that  it  can  only  stand  you  instead, 
when  all  other  things  shall  be  taken  from  you.  Labor  there- 
fore no  longer  so  anxiously  for  the  meat  which  perisheth,  but 
henceforward  seek  for  the  Lord  to  be  your  righteousness.  A 
righteousness  that  will  entitle  you  to  life  everlasting.  I  see  also 
many  hoary  heads  here,  and  perhaps  the  most  of  them  cannot 
say,  the  Lord  is  my  righteousness.  O  gray  headed  sinners,  I 
could  weep  over  you  !  Your  gray  hairs  which  ought  to  be 
your  crov.^n,  and  in  which  perhaps  you  glory,  are  now  your 
shame.  You  know  not  that  the  Lord  is  your  righteousness. 
Oh,  haste  then,  haste,  ye  aged  sinners,  and  seek  an  interest  in 
redeeming  love  !  Alas,  you  have  one  foot  already  in  the  grave. 
Your  glass  is  just  run  out.  Your  sun  is  just  going  down,  and 
it  will  set  and  leave  you  in  an  eternal  darkness,  unless  the  Lord 
be  your  righteousness  !  Flee  then,  oh,  flee  for  your  lives  !  Be 
not  afraid.  All  things  are  possible  with  God.  If  you  come, 
though  it  be  at  the  eleventh  hour,  Christ  Jesus  will  in  nowise 
cast  you  out.  Oh,  seek  then  for  the  lord  to  be  your  righteous- 
ness, and  beseech  him  to  let  you  know  how  it  is  that  a  man 
may  be  born  again  when  he  is  old  !  But  I  must  not  forget  the 
lambs  of  the  flock.  To  feed  them  was  one  of  my  Lord's  last 
commands  ;  I  know  he  will  be  angry  with  me,  if  I  do  not 
tell  them,  that  the  Lord  may  be  their  righteousness  ;  and  that 
of  such  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  Come  then,  ye  little  child- 
ren, come  to  Christ ;  the  Lord  Christ  shall  be  yonr  righteous- 
ness. Do  not  think  that  you  are  too  young  to  be  converted. 
Perhaps  many  of  you  may  be  nine  or  ten  years  old,  and  yet 
cannot  say  the  Lord  is  our  righteousness  ;  which  many  have 
said,  though  younger  than  you.  Come  then,  while  you  are 
young.  Perhaps  you  may  not  live  to  be  old.  Do  not  stay  for 
other  people.    If  your  fathers  and  mothers  will  not  come  to 


312  THE  SEED  OF  THE  WOMAN,  &c.  [Serm.  2. 

Christ,  do  you  come  without  them.  Let  children  lead  them, 
and  show  them  how  the  Lord  may  be  their  righteousness.  Our 
Lord  Jesus  loved  little  children.  You  are  his  Lambs.  He  bids 
me  feed  you.  I  pray  God  make  you  willing  betimes  to  take  the 
Lord  for  your  righteousness. 

Here  then  I  could  conclude, — but  I  must  not  forget  the  poor 
negroes.  No,  I  must  not.  Jesus  Christ  has  died  for  them  as 
well  as  others.  Nor  do  I  mention  you  last,  because  I  despise 
your  souls,  but  because  I  would  wish  what  I  have  to  say,  to 
make  the  deeper  impression  upon  your  hearts.  Oh  that  you 
would  seek  the  Lord  to  be  your  righteousness  !  Who  knows 
but  he  may  be  found  of  you.  For  in  Jesus  Christ  there  is  nei- 
ther male  nor  female,  bond  or  free ;  even  you  may  be  the  child- 
ren of  God,  if  you  believe  in  Jesus.  Did  you  never  read  of 
the  Eunuch  belonging  to  the  queen  of  Candace  ? — a  negro  like 
yourselves.  He  believed — The  Lord  was  his  righteousness, 
he  was  baptized.  Do  you  also  believe,  and  you  shall  be  saved. 
Christ  Jesus  is  the  same  now,  as  he  was  yesterday,  and  will 
wash  you  in  his  own  blood.  Go  home  then,  turn  the  words  of 
the  text  into  a  prayer,  and  entreat  the  Lord  to  be  your  right- 
eousness. Even  so,  come  Lord  Jesus,  come  quickly^  into  all 
our  souls  !     Amen,  Lord  Jesus,  Amen  and  Amen. 


SERMON  IL 


THE  SEED  OF  THE  WOMAN,  AND  THE  SEED  OF  THE  SERPENT. 


Genesis  iii.  15. 

And  I  will  put  enmity  between  thee  and  the  woman,  and  between  tliij 
seed  and  her  seed  ;  it  shall  bruise  thy  head,  and  thou  shall  bruise 
his  heel. 

When  I  read  to  you  these  words,  I  may  address  you  in  the 
language  of  the  holy  angels,  to  the  shepherds  that  were  watch- 
ing their  flocks  by  night ;  Behold  I  bring  you  glad  tidings  of 
.great  joy.  For  this  is  the  first  promise  that  was  made  of  a 
Savior  to  the  apostate  race  of  Adam.  We  generally  look  for 
Christ  only  in  the  New  Testament ;  but  Christianity,  in  one 
sense,  is  very  nearly  as  old  as  the  creation.  It  is  wonderful  to 
observe,  how  gradually  God  revealed  his  Son  to  mankind.  He 
began  with  the  promise  in  the  text,  and  this  the  elect  hved  upon 
till  the  time  of  Abraham ;  to  him  God  made  further  discoveries 


Serm.  2.]        and  the  seed  of  the  serpent.  313 

of  his  eternal  council  concerning  man's  redemption.  After- 
wards, at  sandry  times,  and  in  divers  manners,  God  spake  to 
the  fiithers  by  the  propliets,  till  at  length  the  Lord  Jesus  him- 
self was  manifested  in  the  flesh,  and  came  and  Taberna,cled 
amongst  us. 

This  first  promise  must  certainly  be  but  dark  to  our  first  pa- 
rents, in  comparison  of  that  light  which  we  now  enjoy.  And 
yet,  dark  as  it  was,  we  may  assure  ourselves  they  built  upon  it 
their  hopes  of  everlasting  salvation, and  by  that  faith  were  saved. 

How  they  came  to  stand  in  need  of  this  promise,  and  what 
is  the  extent  and  meaning  of  it,  I  intend,  God  willing,  to  make 
the  subject  matter  of  your  present  meditation. 

The  fall  of  man  is  written  in  too  legible  characters  not  to 
be  understood  :  those  that  deny  it,  by  their  denying  proove  it. 
The  very  heathens  confessed  and  bewailed  it.  They  could  see 
the  streams  of  corruption  running  throus^h  the  whole  race  of 
mankind,  but  could  not  trace  them  to  the  fountain  head.  Be- 
fore God  gave  a  revelation  of  his  Son,  man  was  a  riddle  to 
himself  And  Moses  unfolds  more  in  this  one  chapter  (out  of 
which  the  text  is  taken)  than  all  mankind  could  have  been 
capable  of  finding  out  of  themselves,  though  they  had  studied 
to  all  eternity. 

In  the  foregoing  chapter,  he  had  given  us  a  full  account, 
how  God  spoke  the  world  into  being  ;  and  especially  how  he 
formed  man  of  the  dust  of  the  earth,  and  breathed  into  him  the 
breath  of  life,  so  that  he  became  a  living  soul.  A  council  of 
the  Trinity  was  called  concerning  the  formation  of  this  lovely 
creature.  The  result  of  that  council  was,  Let  us  make  man 
in  oitr  image,  after  our  likeness.  So  God  created  man  in  his 
own  image,  in  the  image  of  God  created  he  him.  Moses  re- 
markably repeats  the  words,  that  we  might  take  particular  no- 
tire  of  our  divine  original.  Never  was  so  much  expressed 
in  so  few  words.  None  but  a  man  inspired  could  have  done 
so.  But  it  is  remarkable,  that  though  Moses  mentions  our  be- 
ing made  in  the  image  of  God,  yet  he  mentions  it  but  twice,  and 
that,  as  it  were,  in  a  transient  manner,  as  though  he  would 
have  said,  '•'  Man  was  made  in  honor,  God  made  him  upright, 
in  the  image  of  God  male  and  female  created  he  them.  But 
man  so  soon  fell,  and  became  like  the  beasts  that  perish,  nay, 
like  the  devil  himself,  that  it  is  scarce  worth  mentioning." 

How  soon  man  fell  after  he  was  created,  is  not  told  us, 
and  therefore  to  fix  any  time,  is  to  be  wise  above  what  is 
written.  And,  I  think,  they  who  suppose  that  man  fell  the 
same  day  in  which  he  was  made,  have  no  sufficient  oround 
for  their  opinion.  The  many  things  which  are  crowded  to- 
gether in  the  former  chapter,  such  as  the  formation  of  Adam's 


314  THE  SEED  OF  THE  WOIMAN,  [Serill.  2. 

wife,  his  giving  names  to  the  beasts,  and  his  being  put  into  the 
garden  which  God  had  planted,  1  think  require  a  longer  space 
of  time  than  a  day  to  be  transacted  in.  However,  all  agree  in 
this,  "  Man  stood  not  long."  How  long  or  how  short  a  Avhile, 
I  will  not  take  upon  me  to  determine.  It  more  concerns  us  to 
inquire  how  he  came  to  fall  from  his  steadfastness,  and  what 
was  the  rise  and  progress  of  the  temptation  which  prevailed 
over  him.  The  account  given  us  in  this  chapter  concerning 
it,  is  very  full,  and  it  may  do  us  much  service,  under  God,  to 
make  some  remarks  upon  it. 

Now  the  serpent^  says  the  sacred  historian,  icas  more  siihtle 
than  any  beast  of  the  field  which  the  Lord  God  had  tnadcj 
and  he  said  unto  the  woman,  yea,  hath  God  said,  he  shall  not 
eat  of  every  tree  of  the  garden  ! 

Though  this  was  a  real  serpent,  yet  he  that  spoke  "was  no 
other  than  the  devdl ;  from  hence,  perhaps,  called  the  old  ser- 
pent, because  he  took  possession  of  the  serpent  when  he  came 
to  beguile  our  first  parents.  The  devil  envied  the  happiness  of 
man,  who  was  made,  as  some  think,  to  supply  the  place  of  fal- 
len angels.  God  made  man  upright,  and  with  full  power  to 
stand  if  he  would.  He  was  just,  therefore,  in  suffering  him  to 
be  tempted  :  if  he  fell  he  had  no  one  to  blame  except  himself. 
But  how  must  Satan  eifect  his  fall  ?  He  cannot  do  it  by  his 
power,  he  attempts  it  therefore  by  policy.  He  takes  possession 
of  a  serpent,  which  was  more  subtle  than  all  the  beasts  of  the 
field,  w^hich  the  Lord  God  had  made  ;  so  that  men  that  are  full 
of  subtlety,  but  have  no  piety,  are  only  machines  for  the  devil 
to  work  upon,  just  as  he  pleases. 

And  he  said  unto  the  ivoman.  Here  is  an  instance  of  his 
subtlety.  He  says  unto  the  woman,  the  weaker  vessel,  and 
when  she  was  alone  from  her  husband,  and  therefore  was  more 
liable  to  be  overcome.  Yea,  hath  God  said,  ye  shall  not  eat  of 
every  tree  of  the  garden  ?  These  words  are  certainly  spoken 
in  answer  to  something  which  the  devil  either  saw  or  heard. 
In  all  probability,  the  woman  was  now  near  the  tree  of  know- 
ledge of  good  and  evil ;  (for  w^e  shall  find  her,  by  and  by, 
plucking  an  apple  from  it.)  perhaps  she  might  be  looking  at, 
md  wondering  what  there  was  in  that  tree  more  than  the  others, 
that  she  and  her  husband  should  be  forbidden  to  taste  of  it. 
Satan  seeing  this,  and  coveting  to  draw  her  into  a  parley  with 
liim,  (for  if  the  devil  can  persuade  us  not  to  resist,  but  to  com- 
mune with  him,  he  has  gained  a  great  point.)  lie  says,  Yea, 
hath  God  said,  ye  shall  not  eat  of  every  tree  in  the  garden  7 
The  first  thing  he  does,  is  to  persuade  her  if  possible,  to  enter- 
tain hard  thoughts  of  God  ;  this  is  his  general  way  of  dealing 
with  God's  children.    "  Yea,"  says  he,  "  hath  God  said,  ye  shall 


Serm.  2.]         and  the  seed  of  the  serpent.  315 

not  eat  of  every  tree  of  the  garden  ?  What !  hath  God  planted 
a  sfarden,  and  placed  you  in  the  midst  of  it  only  to  teaze  and 
perplex  you  ?  hath  he  planted  a  garden,  and  yet  forbid  you 
making  use  of  any  of  the  fruits  of  it  at  all  7"  It  was  impossi- 
ble for  him  to  ask  a  more  ensnaring  question  in  order  to  gain 
his  end  :  P^or  Eve  was  here  seemingly  obliged  to  answer,"and 
vindicate  God's  goodness.     And  therefore, 

Ver.  2,  3.  The  woman  said  unto  the  serpent.  We  tnay  eat 
of  the  fruit  of  the  trees  of  the  garden  :  But.  of  the  fruit  of  the 
tree  lahich  is  in  the  midst  of  the  garden,  God  hath  said,  ye 
shall  not  eat  of  it,  neither  sliall  ye  touch  it,  lest  ye  die. 

The  former  part  of  the  answer  was  good,  ''  We  may  eat  of 
the  fruit  of  the  trees  of  the  garden,  God  has  not  forbid  us  eating 
of  every  tree  of  the  garden.  No,  we  may  ea-t  of  the  fruit  of  the 
trees  in  the  o^arden,  (and  it  should  seem  even  of  the  tree  of  life, 
which  was  as  a  sacrament  to  man  in  a  state  of  innocence ;)  there 
is  only  one  tree  in  the  midst  of  the  garden,  of  which  God  hath 
said,  Ye  shall  not  eat  of  it,  neither  shall  ye  touch  it,  lest  ye 
die."  Here  she  begins  to  warp,  and  sin  begins  to  conceive  in 
her  heart.  Already  she  has  contracted  some  of  the  serpent's 
poison,  by  talking  with  him,  which  she  ought  not  to  have  done 
at  all.  For  she  might  easily  suppose,  that  it  could  be  no  good 
being,  that  could  put  such  a  question  unto  her,  and  insinuate 
such  dishonorable  thoughts  of  God.  She  should  tlierefore  have 
fled  from  him,  and  not  stood  to  have  parleyed  with  him  at  all. 
Immediately  the  ill  effects  of  it  appear,  she  begins  to  soften  the 
divine  threatening.  God  had  said,  the  day  thou  eatest  thereof 
thou  shall  surely  die  :  or,  dying  thou  shalt  die  :  But  Eve 
says,  ye  shall  not  eat  of  it,  neither  shall  ye  touch  it,  lest  ye  die. 
We  may  be  assured  we  are  fallen  into,  and  begin  to  fall  by 
temptation,  when  we  begin  to  think  God  will  not  be  as  good 
35  his  word,  in  respect  to  the  execution  of  his  threatenings  de- 
nounced against  sin.  Satan  knew  this,  and  therefore  artfully 
said  unto  the  woman,  (ver.  4,)  Ye  shall  not  surely  die,  in 
an  insinuating  manner,  "  Ye  shall  not  surely  die.  "Surely 
God  will  not  be  so  cruel  as  to  damn  you  only  for  eating  an 
apple  :  it  cannot  be."  Alas  !  how  many  does  Satan  lead  cap- 
tive at  his  will,  by  flattering  them,  they  shall  not  surely  die  ? 
that  hell  torments  will  not  be  eternal  ;  that  God  is  all  mercy ; 
that  he  therefore  will  not  punish  a  iew  years,  sin  witli  an  eter- 
nity of  misery.  But  Eve  found  God  as  good  as  his  word,  an<^ 
so  Avill  all  they  that  go  on  in  sin,  under  a  false  hope  that  ^Y 
shall  not  surely  die.  _     , 

We  may  also  understand  the  words  spoken  positively^-^  ^  i  ^" 
is  agreeable  to  what  follows ;  you  shall  not  surely  die,  .  ^?  ^^\^ 
delusion,  a  mere  bugbear  to  keep  you  in  a  servj-^  "^^^  ejection. 


316  THE  SEED  OF  THE  WOMAN,  [Seim.  2. 

For,  ver.  5.  God  doth  kmoia,  that  in  the  day  ye  eat  thereof, 
then  your  eyes  shall  he  o-pened^  and  ye  shall  he  as  gods,  know- 
ing good  and  evil. 

What  child  of  God  can  expect  to  escape  slander,  when  God 
himself  was  thus  slandered  even  in  paradise?  Surely  the 
understanding  of  Eve  must  have  been,  in  some  measure,  blind- 
ed, or  she  would  not  have  suffered  the  tempter  to  speak  such 
perverse  things.  In  what  odious  colors  is  God  here  represent- 
ed !  '•  God  doth  Ivuow,  that  in  tlie  day  ye  eat  thereof,  ye  shall 
be  as  gods,"  (equal  with  God.)  So  that  the  grand  temptation 
was,  that  they  should  be  hereafter  under  no  control,  equal,  if 
not  superior  to  God  that  made  them,  knowing  good  and  evil. 
Eve  could  not  tell  what  Satan  meant  by  this  ;  but  to  be  sure, 
she  understood  it  of  some  great  privilege  which  they  were  to 
enjoy.  And  thus  Satan  now  points  out  a  way,  which  seems 
right  to  sinners,  but  does  not  tell  them  the  end'  of  that  way  is 
death. 

To  give  strength  and  force  to  this  temptation,  in  all  proba- 
bility, Satan,  or  the  serpent,  at  this  time,  plucked  an  apple 
from  the  tree,  and  ate  it  before  Eve,  by  which  Eve  might  be 
induced  to  think,  that  the  sagacity  and  power  of  speech,  which 
the  serpent  had  above  the  other  beasts,  must  be  owins^  in  a 
great  measure,  to  his  eating  that  fruit ;  and  therefore,  if  he  re- 
ceived so  much  improvement,  she  might  also  expect  a  like 
benefit  from  it.  All  this,  I  think,  is  clear  ;  for,  otherwise,  I  do 
not  see  with  what  propriety  it  could  be  said,  Wheji  the  woman 
saiD  that  it  was  good  for  food.  How  could  she  know  it  was 
good  for  food,  unless  she  had  seen  the  serpent  feed  upon  it? 

Satan  now  begins  to  get  ground  apace.  Lust  had  conceiv- 
ed in  her  heart ;  shortly  it  will  bring  forth  sin.  Sin  being  con- 
ceived, brings  forth  death.  Ver.  6.  And  ichen  the  woman  saw 
that  the  tree  vxis  good  for  food,  and  that  it  was  j)leasant  to 
the  eye,  and  a  tree  to  he  desired  to  make  one  wise,  she  took  of 
the  fruit  thereof  and  did  eat,  and  gave  also  unto  her  hvs- 
hand,  and  he  did  eat. 

Our  senses  are  the  landing  ports  of  our  spiritual  enemies. 
How  needful  is  that  resolution  of  holy  Job,  I  have  made  a  cove- 
nant loith  mine  eyes.     When  Eve  began  to  gaze  on  the  for- 
bidden fruit  with  her  eyes,  she  soon  began  to  long  after  it  \y'\X\\ 
her  heart.     AVhen  she  sa\v  that  it  was  good  for  food,  and 
^\easant  to  the  eyes,  (here  was  the  lust  of  the  flesh,  and  lust 
^^.the  eye)  but,  above  all,  a  tree  to  be  desired  to  make  one 
wis^  wiser  than  God  would  have  her  be,  nay,  as  wise  as  God 
nimsfcr.  ^Yi^  ^^^j^  ^£  ^Y^^  ^^.^^-^  thereof,  and  gave  also  unto  her 
nusoanu    -^j^  her,  and  he  did  eat.     As  soon  as  ever  she  sinned 
herseii,  s  ^f^j,,-^g(^  tempter  to  her  husband.     It  is  dreadful 


Serm.  2.]        and  the  seed  of  the  serpent.  317 

when  those,  who  should  be  helpmates  for  each  other  in  the 
great  work  of  their  salvation,  are  only  promoters  of  each  others 
damnation  :  but  thus  it  is.  If  we  ourselves  are  good,  we  shall 
excite  others  to  goodness  ;  if  we  do  evil,  we  shall  entice  others 
to  do  evil  also.  There  is  a  close  connection  betweeu  doing 
and  teaching.  How  needful  then  is  it  for  us  all  to  take  heed 
that  we  do  not  sin  any  way  ourselves,  lest  we  should  become 
factors  for  the  devil,  and  ensnare,  perhaps,  your  nearest  and 
dearest  relations  ?  >She  gave  also  ujito  he?'  husband  luith  her, 
and  he  did  eat. 

Alas  !  what  a  complication  of  crimes  was  there  in  this  one 
single  act  of  sin  !  Here  is  an  utter  disbelief  of  God's  threaten- 
ing ;  the  utmost  ingratitude  to  their  Maker,  who  had  so  lately 
planted  this  garden  and  placed  them  in  it,  with  such  a  glori- 
ous and  comprehensive  charter.  Here  is  the  utmost  neglect 
of  their  posterity,  who  they  knew  were  to  stand  or  fall  with 
them ;  here  was  the  pride  of  the  heart ;  they  wanted  to  be 
equal  with  God  ;  here  is  the  utmost  contempt  put  upon  his 
threatening  and  his  law  ;  the  devil  is  credited  and  obeyed  be- 
fore him,  and  all  this  only  to  satisfy  their  sensual  appetite. 
Never  was  a  crime  of  such  a  complicated  nature  committed 
by  any  here  below.  Nothing  but  the  devil's  apostacy  and  re- 
bellion could  equal  it. 

And  what  are  the  consequences  of  their  disobedience  ?  Are 
their  eyes  opened  ?  Yes,  their  eyes  are  opened  ;  but,  alas  !  it 
is  only  to  see  their  own  nakedness.  For,  we  are  told,  ver.  7. 
That  the  eyes  of  them  both  were  operied,  and  they  kneio  that 
they  were  naked :  Naked  of  God,  naked  of  every  thing  that 
was  holy  and  good  ;  and  destitute  of  the  divine  image,  which 
they  before  enjoyed.  They  might  rightly  now  be  termed 
Ichabod  ;  for  the  glory  of  the  Lord  departed  from  them.  O  ! 
how  low  did  these  sons  of  the  morning  then  fall ;  out  of  God 
into  themselves ;  from  being  partakers  of  the  divine  nature, 
into  the  nature  of  the  devil  and  the  beast.  Well,  therefore,  might 
they  know  that  they  were  naked  not  only  in  body  but  in  soul. 

And  how  do  they  behave  now  they  are  naked  ?  Do  they 
flee  to  God  for  pardon  !  Do  they  go  to  him  for  a  robe  to  cover 
their  nakedness  ?  No.  They  were  now  dead  to  God,  earthly, 
sensual,  devilisii ;  and  therefore,  instead  of  applying  to  God  for 
mercy,  they  sewed  or  platted  jig-leaves  together]  and  made 
themselves  aprons,  or  things  to  gird  about" them.  This  is  a 
lively  representation  of  all  natural  men:  We  see  that  we  are 
naked :  We,  in  some  measure,  confess  it ;  but,  instead  of  look- 
ing up  to  God  for  succor,  we  patch  up  a  righteousness  of  our 
own  (as  our  first  parents  platted  fig-leaves  together)  hoping  to 
cover  our  nakedness  by  that.     But  our  righteousness  will  not 

27*  ^ 


318  THE    SEED    OF    THE    WOMAN,  [Seim.  2, 

Stand  the  severity  of  God's  judgment ;  It  will  do  us  no  more 
service  than  the  fig-leaves  did  Adam  and  Eve,  that  is  none 
at  all. 

For.  verse  8.  Thei/  heard  the  voice  of  the  Lord  God  walk- 
ing  in  the  trees  of  the  garden^  in  the  cool  of  the  day  :  and 
Adam  and  his  wife  (notwithstanding  their  fig-leaves)  hid  them- 
selves from  the  presence  of  the  Lord  God^  among  the  trees  of 
the  garden. 

They  heard  the  voice  of  the  Lord  God,  or  the  Word  of  the 
Lord  God,  even  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who  is  the  Word  that 
was  with  God^  and  the  Word  that  was  God.  They  heard  him 
walking  in  the  trees  of  the  garden,  in  the  cool  of  the  day.  A 
season,  perhaps,  when  Adam  and  Eve  used  to  go,  in  an  espe- 
cial manner,  and  offer  up  an  evening  sacrifice  of  praise  and 
thanksgiving.  The  cool  of  the  day.  Perhaps,  the  sin  was  com- 
mitted in  the  morning,  or  at  noon  :  but  God  would  not  come 
upon  them  immediately,  he  staid  till  the  cool  of  the  day.  For 
if  we  would  eftectually  reprove  others,  we  should  not  do  it, 
when  they  are  warmed  with  passion,  but  wait  till  the  cool  of 
the  day. 

But  what  an  alteration  is  here  !  Instead  of  rejoicing  at  the 
voice  of  their  Beloved,  instead  of  answering  the  voice  of  their 
God,  with  songs  of  praise  and  thanksofiving ;  having  now 
broken  his  only  law,  and  divested  themselves,  by  their  disobe- 
dience, of  their  perfect  innocence,  they,  who  had  so  openly 
braved  the  Almighty,  by  the  violation  of  his  single  and  easy 
command,  now,  stung  by  conscience  and  dreading  the  conse- 
quences of  such  a  deliberate  crime,  slunk  abashed  behind  the 
shadowy  trees  ;  thus  attempting  to  elude  the  search  of  him 
who  is  all-seeing.  Is  not  this  then  what  has  disrobed  our  souls, 
and  thus,  contaminating  the  source,  renders  us  impure  by  na- 
ture ?  Assuredly  it  is.  We  labor  to  cover  our  nakedness  with 
the  fig-leaves  of  our  own  righteousness  :  we  hide  ourselves 
from  God  as  long  as  we  can  ;  and  will  not  come,  and  never 
should  come,  did  not  the  Father  prevent,  draw,  and  sweetly 
constrain  us  by  his  grace,  as  he  here  prevented  Adam. 

Ver.  9.  And  the  Lord  God  called  unto  Adam.,  and  said  unto 
him,  Adam,  where  art  thou  ? 

"  The  Lord  God  called  unto  Adam,"  (for  otherwise  Adam 
would  never  have  called  unto  the  Lord  God)  and  said,  Adam, 
where  art  thou  ?  "  How  is  it  that  thou  comest  not  to  pay  thy 
devotions  as  usual."  Christians,  remember  the  Lord  keeps  an 
account  when  you  fail  coming  to  worship.  Whenever,  there- 
fore, you  are  tempted  to  withhold  your  attendance,  let  eacii  of 
you  fancy  you  hear  the  Lord  God  calling  upon  you,  and  say- 
ing, '•  O  man,  O  woman,  where  art  thou  ?"     It  may  be  under- 


Serm.  2.]         and  the  seed  of  the  serpent.  319 

stood  ill  another  and  better  sense:  Adam,  where  art  thou7 
What  a  condition  is  thy  poor  soul  in  ?  This  is  the  first  thing 
the  Lord  asks,  and  convinces  a  sinner  of,  when  he  prevents, 
and  calls  him  effectually  by  his  grace.  He  also  calls  him  by 
name :  for  unless  God  speaks  to  us  in  particular,  and  we  know 
where  we  are,  how  poor,  how  miserable,  how  blind,  how  na- 
ked, we  shall  never  value  the  redemption  wrought  out  for  us 
by  the  death  and  obedience  of  the  dear  Lord  Jesus.  Adam, 
where  art  thou  ? 

Ver.  10.  A?id  he  said,  I  heard  thy  voice  in  the  garden,  and 
I  was  afraid.  See  what  cowards  sin  makes  us.  If  we  knew 
no  sin,  we  should  know  no  fear.  Because  I  was  naked,  and 
I  hid  myself.  Yer.  11.  And  he  said,  Who  told  thee  that 
thou  ivast  naked?  Hast  thou  eaten  of  the  tree  xohereof  I 
(thy  maker  and  Lawgiver)  commanded  thee,  that  thou  shoudst 
not  eat  7 

God  knew  very  well  that  Adam  was  naked,  and  that  he  had 
eaien  of  the  forbidden  fruit:  but  God  would  know  it  from 
Adam's  own  mouth.  Thus  God  knows  all  our  necessities  be- 
fore'we  ask,  but  yet  insists  upon  our  asking  for  his  grace,  and 
confessing  our  sins.  For,  by  such  acts,  we  acknowledge  our 
dependence  upon  God,  take  shame  to  ourselves,  and  thereby 
give  glory  to  his  great  name. 

Ver.  12.  And  the  7nan  said,  the  woman  which  thou  gavest 
to  he  with  me,  she  gave  me  of  the  tree,  and  I  did  eat. 

Never  was  nature  more  vividly  delineated.  See  what  pride 
Adam  contracted  by  the  fall !  How  unwilling  he  is  to  lay  the 
blame  upon,  or  take  shame  to  himself  This  answer  is  full 
of  insolence  towards  God,  enmity  a<rainst  his  wife,  and  disin- 
genuousness  in  respect  to  himself  For  herein  he  tacitly  reflects 
upon  God.  The  woman  that  Thou  gavest  to  he  with  me. 
As  much  as  to  say,  Tf  Thou  hadst  not  given  me  that  woman, 
I  had  not  eaten  the  forhidden  fruit.  Thus  when  men  sin,  they 
lay  the  fault  upon  their  passions ;  then  blame  and  reflect  upon 
God  for  giving  them  those  passions.  Their  language  is,  "  The 
appetites  that  thou  gavest  us,  tliey  deceived  us,  and  therefore  we 
sinned  against  thee."  But,  as  God,  notwithstanding,  punished 
Adam  for  hearkening  to  the  voice  of  his  wife,  so  he  will  punish 
those  who  hearken  to  the  dictates  of  their  corrupt  inclinations. 
For  God  compels  no  man  to  sin.  Adam  might  have  withstood 
the  solicitations  of  his  wife,  if  he  would  ;  and  so,  if  we  loolc  up 
to  God,  we  should  find  grace  to  help  in  time  of  need.  The  devil 
and  our  own  hearts  tempt,  but  they  cannot  force  us  to  consent, 
without  the  concurrence  of  our  own  wills.  So  that  our  dam- 
nation is  of  ourselves,  as  it  wiU  evidently  appear  at  the  great 
day,  notwithstanding  all  men's  present  impudent  replies  against 


320  THE  SEED  OF  THE  WOMAN,  [Serm.  2. 

God,  as  Adam  speaks  insolently  in  respect  to  God,  no  he  speaks 
with  enmity  against  his  wife  :  The  woman,  or  this  woman,  she 
gave  me.  He  lays  all  the  fault  upon  her,  and  speaks  of  her 
with  much  contempt.  He  does  not  say,  my  wife,  my  dear  wife ; 
but  this  woman.  For  sin  disunites  the  most  united  hearts. 
It  is  the  bane  of  holy  fellowship.  Those  who  have  been  com- 
panions in  sin  here,  if  they  die  without  repentance,  will  both 
hate  and  condemn  one  another  hereafter.  All  damned  souls 
are  accusers  of  their  brethren.  Thus  it  is,  in  some  degree,  on 
this  side  the  grave.  The  wom.an  whom,  thou  gavest  to  he  loith 
me,  she  gave  me  of  the  tree,  and  I  did  eat.  What  a  dis- 
ingenuous speech  was  here  !  He  makes  use  of  no  less  than  fif- 
teen words  to  excuse  himself,  and  but  one  or  two  (in  the  ori- 
ginal) to  confess  his  fault,  if  it  may  be  called  a  confession  at 
all.  The  woman  ichich  thou  gavest  to  be  with  me,  she  gave 
me  of  the  tree ;  here  are  fifteen  words  ;  and  I  did  eat.  With 
what  reluctance  do  these  last  words  come  out?  How  soon 
are  they  uttered  ?  A7id  I  did  eat.  But  thus  it  is  with  an  un- 
humbled,  unregenerate  heart.  It  will  be  laying  the  fault  upon 
the  dearest  friend  in  the  world,  nay,  upon  God  himself,  rather 
than  take  shame  to  itself  This  pride  we  are  all  subject  to  by 
the  fall ;  and,  till  our  hearts  are  broken,  and  made  contrite  by 
the  Spirit  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  we  shall  be  always  charg- 
ing God  foolishly.  "Against  thee,  and  thee  only,  have  I 
sinned,  that  thou  mightest  be  justified  in  thy  sayings,  and  clear 
when  thou  art  judged,"  is  the  language  of  none  but  those,  who, 
like  David,  are  willing  to  confess  their  faults,  and  are  truly 
sorry  for  their  sins.  This  was  not  the  case  of  Adam  :  his 
heart  was  not  broken  ;  and  therefore  he  lays  the  fault  of  his 
disobedience  upon  his  wife  and  God,  and  not  on  himself:  The 
woman  which  thou  gavest  to  he  with  me,  she  gave  me  of  the 
tree,  and  I  did.  eat. 

Ver.  13.  And  the  Lord  God  said,  lohat  is  this  that  thou  hast 
done  ?  What  a  wonderful  concern  does  God  express  in  this 
expostulation  !  "What  a  deluge  of  misery  hast  thou  brought 
upon  thyself,  thy  husband,  and  thy  posterity?  What  is  this 
that  thoii  hast  done?  Disobeyed  thy  God,  obeyed  the  devil, 
and  ruined  thy  husband,  for  whom  I  made  thee  to  be  an  help- 
meet? What  is  this  that  thou  hast  done?"  God  would  here 
awaken  her  to  a  sense  of  her  crime  and  danger,  and  therefore, 
as  it  were,  thunders  in  her  ears.  For  the  law  must  be  preach- 
ed to  self-righteous  sinners.  We  must  take  care  of  healing, 
before  we  see  sinners  wounded,  lest  we  should  say.  Peace, 
peace,  where  there  is  no  peace.  Secure  sinners  must  hear  the 
thundering  of  Mount  Sinai,  before  we  bring  them  to  Mount 
Zion.     They  who  never  preach  up  the  law,  it  is  to  be  feared, 


Serm.  2.]        and  the  seed  of  the  serpent.  321 

are  unskillful  in  delivering  the  glad  tidings  of  the  gospel. 
Every  minister  should  be  a  Boanerges,  a  son  of  thunder,  as  well 
as  a  Barnabas,  a  son  of  consolation.  There  was  an  earth- 
quake and  a  wirlwind,  before  the  small  still  voice  came  to 
Elijah  :  we  must  first  show  people  that  they  are  condemned, 
and  then  show  them  how  they  must  be  saved.  But  how  and 
when  to  preach  the  laAV,  and  when  to  apply  the  promises  of 
the  gospel,  wisdom  is  profitable  to  direct.  And  the  Lord  God 
said  unto  the  woman^  What  is  this  that  thou  hast  done  7 

And  the  looman  said,  the  serpent  beguiled  me,  and  I  did  eat. 
She  does  not  make  use  of  so  many  words  to  excuse  herself, 
as  her  husband  ;  but  then  her  heart  is  as  unhumbled  as  his. 
"What  is  this,"  says  God,  "that  thou  hast  done?"  God  here 
charges  her  with  doing  it.  She  dares  not  deny  the  fact,  or  say, 
I  have  not  done  it ;  but  she  takes  the  blame  off"  herself,  and 
lays  it  upon  the  serpent :  The  serpent  beguiled  me,  and  I  did 
eat.  She  does  not  say,  "  Lord,  I  was  to  blame  for  talking  with 
the  serpent ;  Lord,  I  did  wrong,  in  not  hastening  to  my  hus- 
band, when  he  put  the  first  question  to  me ;  Lord,  I  plead 
guilty,  I  only  am  to  blame  ;  oh  let  not  my  poor  husband  suffer 
for  my  wickedness  !"  This  would  have  been  the  language  of 
her  heart,  had  she  now  been  a  true  penitent.  But  both  were 
now  alike  proud ;  therefore  neither  will  lay  the  blame  upon 
themselves:  The  serpent  beguiled  me  aiid  I  did  eat :  the  ico- 
man  which  thou  gavest  to  be  with  me,  she  gave  me  of  the  tree, 
and  I  did  eat. 

I  have  been  the  more  particular  in  remarking  this  part  of 
their  behavior,  because  it  tends  so  much  to  the  magnifying  of 
free  grace,  and  plainly  shows  us  salvation  cometh  only  from 
the  Lord.  Let  us  take  a  short  view  of  the  miserable  circum- 
stances our  first  parents  were  now  in  :  they  were  legally  and 
spiritually  dead,  children  of  wrath  and  heirs  of  hell,  they  had 
eaten  the  fruit,  of  which  God  had  commanded  them,  that  they 
should  not  eat ;  and  when  arraigned  before  God,  notwithstand- 
ing their  crime  was  so  complicated,  they  could  not  be  brought 
to  confess  it.  What  reason  can  be  given,  why  sentence  of 
death  should  not  be  pronounced  against  the  prisoners  at  the 
bar?  All  must  own  they  are  worthy  to  die.  Nay,  how  can 
God,  consistently  with  his  justice,  possibly  forgive  them  ?  He 
had  threatened,  that  the  day  wherein  they  eat  of  the  forbidden 
fruit,  they  should  surely  die  ;  and  if  he  did  not  execute  this 
threatening,  the  devil  might  then  slander  the  Almighty  indeed. 
And  yet  mercy  cries,  spare  these  sinners,  spare  the  work  of  thine 
own  hands.  Behold  then  wisdom  contrives  a  scheme  how 
God  may  be  just,  and  yet  be  merciful ;  be  faithful  to  his  threat- 
ening, punieh  the  offense,  and  at  the  same  time  spare  the  offend- 


322  THE  SEED  OF  THE  WOMAN,  [SeriH.  2. 

er.  An  amazing  scene  of  divine  love  here  opens  to  our  view, 
which  had  been  from  all  eternity  hid  in  the  heart  of  God ! 
Notwithstanding  Adam  and  Eve  were  thus  unhumbled,  and 
did  not  so  much  as  put  up  one  single  petition  for  pardon.  God 
immediately  passes  sentence  upon  the  serpent,  and  reveals  to 
them  a  Savior. 

Ver.  14.  And  the  Lord  God  said  unto  the  serpent^  Because 
thou  hast  done  this,  thou  art  accursed  above  all  cattle,  and 
above  every  beast  of  the  field  ;  upon  thy  belly  shall  thou  go, 
and  dust  shall  thou  cat  all  tJie  days  of  thy  life  :  i.  e.  he  should 
be  in  subjection,  and  his  power  should  always  be  hmited  and 
restrained.  His  enemies  shall  lick  the  dust,  says  the  Psalm- 
ist. Ver.  15.  Andlv'illput  en??iity  betioeen  thee  and  the 
woman,  and  betiveen  thy  seed  and  her  seed ;  it  shall  bruise 
thy  head,  and  thou  shall  bruise  his  heel. 

Before  I  proceed  to  the  explanation  of  this  verse,  I  cannot 
])ut  take  notice  of  one  great  mistake  which  the  author  of  the 
Whole  Duty  of  Man  is  guilty  of,  in  making  this  verse  contain 
a  covenant  between  God  and  Adam,  as  though  God  personally 
treated  with  Adam,  as  before  the  fall.  For,  talking  of  the 
second  covenant,  in  his  preface  concerning  caring  for  the  soul, 
says  he,  "  This  second  covenant  was  made  with  Adam,  and 
lis  in  him,  presently  after  the  fall,  and  is  contained  in  these 
words,  Gen.  iii.  15,  where  God  declares,  the  seed  of  the  woman 
shall  break  the  serpenfs  head  ;  and  this  was  made  up  as  the 
first  was,  of  some  mercies  to  be  afforded  by  God,  and  some  du- 
ties to  be  performed  by  us."  This  is  exceeding  false  divinity : 
for  these  words  are  not  spoken  to  Adam ;  they  are  directed 
only  to  the  serpent.  Adam  and  Eve  stood  by  as  criminals,  and 
God  could  not  treat  with  them,  because  they  had  broken  his 
covenant.  And  it  is  so  far  from  being  a  covenant,  wherein 
'^  some  mercies  are  to  be  afforded  by  God,  and  some  duties  to 
be  performed  by  us,"  that  here  is  not  a  word  looking  that  Avay ; 
it  is  only  a  declaration  of  a  free  gift  of  salvation,  through  Jesus 
Christ  our  Lord.  God  the  Father  and  God  the  Son  had  enter- 
ed into  a  covenant  concerning  the  salvation  of  the  elect  from 
all  eternity  ;  wherein  God  the  Father  promised,  that  if  the  Son 
would  offer  his  soul  a  sacrifice  for  sin,  he  should  see  his  seed. 
Now  this  is  an  open  revelation  of  this  secret  covenant,  and 
therefore  God  speaks  in  the  most  positive  terms.  It  shall  bruise 
thy  head,  and  thou  shall  bruise  his  heel.  The  first  Adam 
God  had  treated  with  before  ,  he  proved  false ;  God,  therefore, 
to  secure  the  second  covenant  from  being  broken,  puts  it  into 
the  hands  of  the  second  Adam,  the  Lord  from  heaven.  Adam, 
after  the  fall,  stood  no  longer  as  our  representative  ;  he  and  Eve 
were  only  private  persons  as  we  are,  and  were  only  to  hold  on 


Serm.  2.]  and  the  seed  of  the  serpent.  323 

to  the  declaration  of  mercy  contained  in  this  promise  by  faith 
(as  they  really  did)  and  by  that  they  were  saved.  I  do  not  say, 
but  we  are  to  believe  and  obey,  if  we  are  everlastingly  saved. 
Faith  and  obedience  are  conditions,  if  we  only  mean  that  they 
in  order  go  before  our  salvation ;  but  I  deny  that  these  are  pro- 
posed by  God  to  Adam,  or  that  God  treats  with  him  in  this 
promise,  as  he  did  before  the  fall,  under  the  covenant  of  works. 
For,  how  could  that  be,  when  Adam  and  Eve  were  now  pris- 
oners at  the  bar,  without  strength  to  perform  any  conditions  at 
all  ?  The  truth  is  this  :  God,  as  a  reward  of  Christ's  sufFer- 
insfs,  promised  to  give  the  elect  faith  and  repentance,  in  order 
to  brino^  them  to  eternal  life ;  and  both  these  and  every  thing 
else  necessary  for  their  everlastino*  happiness,  are  infallibly 
secured  to  them  in  this  promise,  as  Mr.  Boston,  an  excellent 
Scotch  divine,  sweetly  and  clearly  shows,  in  a  book  entitled, 
"  A  view  of  the  covenant  of  orrace." 

This  is,  by  no  means,  an  unnecessary  distmction ;  it  is  a 
matter  of  great  importance.  For  want  of  knowing  this,  people 
have  been  so  long  misled.  They  have  been  taught  that  they 
must  DO  so  and  so,  as  though  they  were  under  a  covenant  of 
works ;  and  then  for  doing  this,  they  should  be  saved.  This 
is  plainly  the  whole  drift  of  the  book  wrongly  entitled,  "  The 
Whole  JDuty  of  Man."  Whereas,  on  the  contrary,  people 
should  be  taught,  that  the  Lord  Jesus  was  the  second  Adam, 
with  whom  the  Father  entered  into  covenant  for  fallen  man  : 
that  they  can  now  do  nothing  of  or  for  themselves,  and  should 
therefore  come  to  God,  beseech  him  to  give  them  faith,  by 
which  they  shall  be  enabled  to  lay  hold  on  the  righteousness 
of  Christ ;  and  that  faith  they  will  then  show  forth  by  their 
Avorks,  out  of  love  and  gratitude  to  the  ever  blessed  Jesus,  their 
most  glorious  Redeemer,  for  what  he  has  done  for  their  souls. 
This  is  a  consistent  scriptural  scheme :  without  holding  this, 
we  must  run  into  one  of  those  two  bad  extremes ;  I  mean  An- 
tinomianism  on  the  one  hand,  or  Arminianism  on  the  other ; 
from  both  which  may  the  good  Lord  deliver  us  ! 

But  to  proceed  :  By  the  seed  of  the  woman^  we  are  here  to 
understand,  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who  though  very  God  of 
very  God,  was,  for  us  men  and  our  salvation,  to  have  a  body 
prepared  for  him  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  to  be  born  of  a  wo- 
man who  never  knew  man,  and  by  his  obedience  and  death 
make  an  atonement  for  man's  transgression,  and  bring  in  an 
everlasting  righteousness,  work  in  them  a  new  nature,  and 
thereby  bruise  the  serpent's  head,  i.  e.  destroy  his  power  and 
dominion  over  them.  By  the  serpent's  seed,  we  are  to  under- 
stand, the  devil  and  all  his  children,  who  are  permitted  by  God 


324  THE  SEED  OF  THE  WOMAN,  [Scrm.  2. 

to  tempt  and  sift  his  children.  But,  blessed  be  God,  he  can 
reach  no  further  than  our  heel. 

It  is  not  to  be  doubted  but  Adam  and  Eve  understood  this 
promise  in  this  sense ;  for  it  is  plain,  in  the  latter  part  of  the 
chapter,  sacrifices  were  instituted.  From  whence  should  those 
skins  come,  but  from  beasts  slain  for  sacrifice,  of  which  God 
made  them  coats  ?  We  find  Abel,  as  well  as  Cain,  offering  sacri- 
fice in  the  next  chapter ;  and  the  apostle  tells  us,  he  did  it  by  faith, 
no  doubt  in  this  promise.  And  Eve,  when  Cain  was  born,  said, 
I  have  gotten  a  man  from  the  Lord  ;  or,  (as  Mr.  Henry  ob- 
serves, it  may  be  rendered)  I  have  gotten  a  man, — the  Lord, 
— the  promised  Messiah.  Some  further  suppose,  that  Eve  was 
the  first  believer ;  and  therefore  they  translate  it  thus,  the  s6ed 
(not  of  THE,  but)  of  this  luoman;  which  magnifies  the  grace 
of  God  so  much  the  more,  that  she,  who  was  the  first  in  the 
transgression,  should  be  the  first  partaker  of  redemption.  Adam 
believed  also,  and  was  saved ;  for  unto  Adam  and  his  wife  did 
the  Lord  make  coats  of  skins,  and  clothed  them,  which  was  a 
remarkable  type  of  their  being  clothed  with  the  righteousness 
of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

This  promise  was  literally  fulfilled  in  the  person  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ.  Satan  bruised  his  heel,  when  he  tempted  him 
for  forty  days  together  in  the  wilderness  ;  he  bruised  his  heel, 
when  he  raised  up  strong  persecution  against  him,  during  the 
time  of  his  public  ministry  ;  he,  in  an  especial  manner,  bruised 
his  heel,  when  our  Lord  complained,  that  his  soul  ivas  exceed- 
ingly sorrov)ful  even  unto  death,  and  he  siceat  great  drops  of 
blood,  falling  upon  the  ground  when  praying  in  the  garden  : 
he  bruised  his  heel,  when  he  put  it  into  the  heart  of  Judas  to 
betray  him  :  and  he  bruised  him  yet  most  of  all,  when  his  em- 
issaries nailed  him  to  an  accursed  tree,  and  our  Lord  cried  out, 
'•  My  God,  my  God  !  why  hast  thou  forsaken  me  ?"  Yet  in  all 
this,  the  blessed  Jesus,  the  seed  of  the  woman,  bruised  Satan's 
accursed  head  :  for,  in  that  he  was  tempted  he  was  able  to  suc- 
cor those  that  are  tempted.  By  his  stripes  we  are  healed. 
The  chastisement  of  our  peace  was  upon  him.  By  dying,  he 
destroyed  him  that  had  the  power  of  death,  that  is  the  devil. 
He  thereby  spoiled  principalities  and  powers,  and  made  a  show 
of  them  openly,  triumphing  over  them  upon  the  cross. 

This  promise  has  been,  is,  and  will  be  fulfilled  in  the  elect 
of  God,  considered  collectively,  as  well  before,  as  after  the  com- 
ing of  our  Lord  in  the  flesh  :  for  they  may  be  called  the  "  seed 
of  the  woman."  Marvel  not,  that  all  who  will  live  godly  in 
Christ  Jesus,  must  suffer  persecution.  In  this  promise,  there 
is  an  eternal  enmity  put  between  the  seed  of  the  woman  and 
the  seed  of  the  serpent ;  so  that  those  that  are  born  after  the 


Serm.  2,]       and  the  seed  of  the  serpent.  325 

flesh,  cannot  but  persecute  those  that  are  born  after  the  Spirit. 
This  enmity  showed  itself  soon  after  this  promise  was  revealed, 
in  Cain's  bruisins:  the  heel  of  Abel ;  it  continued  in  the  church 
through  all  ages  before  Christ  came  in  the  flesh,  as  the  history  of 
the  Bible  and  the  eleventh  chapter  of  the  Hebrews  plainly  shows. 
It  raged  exceedingly  after  our  Lord's  ascension ;  witness  the 
Acts  of  the  apostles,  and  the  history  of  the  primitive  Christians. 
It  now  rages,  and  will  continue  to  rage  and  show  itself,  in  a 
greater  or  less  degree,  to  the  end  of  time.  But  let  not  this  dis- 
may us ;  for  in  all  this  the  seed  of  the  woman  is  more  than 
conqueror,  and  bruises  the  serpent's  head.  Thus  the  Israelites, 
the  more  they  were  oppressed,  the  more  they  increased.  Thus 
it  was  with  the  apostles  ;  thus  it  was  with  their  immediate  fol- 
lowers. So  that  Tertullian  compares  the  church  in  his  time 
to  a  mowed  field ;  the  more  frequently  it  is  cut,  the  more  it  grows. 
The  blood  of  the  martyrs  was  always  the  seed  of  the  church. 
And  I  have  often  sat  down  with  wonder  and  delight,  and  ad- 
mired how  God  has  made  the  very  schemes  which  his  enemies 
contrived  in  order  to  hinder,  become  the  most  effectual  means 
to  propaorate  his  gospel.  The  devil  has  had  so  little  success  in 
persecution,  that  if  I  did  not  know  that  he  and  his  children, 
according  to  this  verse,  could  not  but  persecute,  I  should  think 
he  would  count  it  his  strength  to  sit  still.  What  did  he  get  by 
persecutinof  the  martyrs  in  queen  Mary's  time  ?  Was  not  the 
grace  of  God  exceedingly  glorified  in  their  support !  What  did 
he  get  by  persecuting  the  good  old  Puritans  ?  Did  it  not  prov^e 
the  peopling  of  New  England  ?  Or  to  come  nearer  our  own 
times.  What  has  he  got  by  putting  us  out  of  the  synagogues  ? 
Has  not  the  word  of  God,  since  that,  mightily  prevailed  ?  My 
dear  hearers,  you  must  excuse  me  for  enlarging  on  this  head  ; 
God  fills  my  soul  generally,  when  I  come  to  this  topic.  I  can 
say  with  Luther,  "  If  it  were  not  for  persecution,  I  should  not 
understand  the  scripture."  If  Satan  should  be  yet  suftered  to 
bruise  my  heel  further,  and  his  servants  should  thmst  me  into 
prison,  I  doubt  not,  but  even  that  would  only  tend  to  the  more 
eflectual  bruising  of  his  head.  I  remember  a  saying  of  the  then 
Lord  Chancellor  to  the  pious  Bradford  :  "  Thou  hast  done  more 
hurt,  said  he,  by  thy  exhortations  in  private  in  prison,  than 
thou  didst  in  preaching  before  thou  wast  put  in,"  or  words  to 
this  effect.  The  promise  of  the  text  is  my  daily  support ;  "  I 
will  put  enmity  between  thy  seed  and  her  seed :  it  shall  bruise 
thy  head,  and  thou  shalt  bruise  his  heel." 

Further:  This  promise  is  also  fulfilled,  not  only  in  the 
church  in  general,  but  in  every  individual  believer  in  particu- 
lar. In  every  believer  there  are  two  seeds,  the  seed  of  the  wo- 
man,  and  the  seed  of  the  serpent ;  the  flesh  lusting  against  the 

28 


326  THE  SEED  OF  THE  WOMAN,  &c.  [Seim.  2. 

Spirit,  and  the  Spirit  against  the  flesh.  It  is  with  the  behever, 
when  quickened  with  grace  in  his  heart,  as  it  was  with  Rebec- 
ca, when  she  had  conceived  Esau  and  Jacob  in  her  womb  ;  she 
feh.  a  strugghng,  and  began  to  be  uneasy  ;  "  If  it  be  so,"  says 
she,  ••  why  am  I  thus  ?"  Thus  grace  and  nature  struggled, 
(if  I  may  so  speak)  in  the  womb  of  a  believer's  heart :  But,  as 
it  was  there  said,  the  elder  shall  serve  the  younger ;  so  it  is 
here ;  grace  in  the  end  shall  get  the  better  of  nature ;  the  seed 
of  the  woman  shall  bruise  the  serpent's  head.  Many  of  you 
that  have  believed  in  Christ,  perhaps  may  find  some  particular 
corruption  yet  strong,  so  strong,  that  you  are  sometimes  ready 
to  cry  out  with  David,  '•  I  shall  fall  one  day  by  the  hand  of 
Saul."  But,  fear  not,  the  promise  in  the  text  insures  the  per- 
.severance  and  victory  of  believers  over  sin,  Satan,  death,  and 
hell.  What  if  indwelling  corruption  does  yet  remain,  and 
the  seed  of  the  serpent  bruise  your  heel,  in  vexing  and  dis- 
turbing your  righteous  souls?  Fear  not,  though  faint,  yet 
pursue :  You  shall  yet  bruise  the  serpent's  head.  Christ  has 
died  for  you,  and  yet  a  little  while,  and  he  will  send  death  to 
destroy  the  very  being  of  sin  in  you.   Which  brings  me 

To  show  the  most  extensive  manner  in  which  the  promise 
of  the  text  shall  be  fulfilled,  viz  :  at  the  final  judgment,  when 
the  Lord  Jesus  shall  present  the  elect  to  his  Father,  v/ithout 
spot  or  wrinkle,  or  any  such  thing,  glorified  both  in  the  body 
and  soul. 

Then  shall  the  seed  of  the  woman  give  the  last  and  fatal 
blow,  in  bruising  the  serpent's  Jiead.  Satan,  fhe  accuser  of 
the  brethren,  and  all  his  accursed  seed,  shall  then  be  cast  out, 
and  never  suffered  to  distiu'b  the  seed  of  the  woman  any 
more.  Then  shall  the  righteous  shine  as  the  sun  in  the  king- 
dom of  their  Father,  and  sit  with  Christ  on  thrones  in  majesty 
on  high. 

Let  us,  therefore,  not  be  weary  of  well  doing  ;  for  we  shall 
reap  an  eternal  harvest  of  comfort  if  we  faint  not.  Dare,  dare, 
my  dear  brethren  in  Christ,  to  follow  the  Captain  of  our  salva- 
tion, who  was  made  perfect  through  sufferings.  The  seed  of 
the  woman  shall  bruise  the  serpent's  head.  Fear  not  men. 
Be  not  too  much  cast  down  at  the  deceitfulness  of  your  hearts. 
Fear  not  devils ;  you  shall  get  the  victory  even  over  them. 
The  Lord  Jesus  has  engaged  to  make  you  more  than  conquer- 
ors over  all.  Plead  with  your  Savior,  plead.  Plead  the  pro- 
mise in  the  text.  Wrestle,  wrestle  with  God  in  prayer.  If  it 
has  been  given  you  to  believe,  fear  not  if  it  should  also  be 
given  you  to  suffer.  Be  not  any  wise  terrified  by  your  adver- 
saries ;  the  king  of  the  church  has  them  all  in  a  chain.  Be 
kind  to  them  ;  "pray  for  them  ;  but  fear  them  not.     The  Lord 


Serm.  3.]     persecution  every  christian's  lot.  327 

will  yet  bring  back  his  ark,  though  at  present  driven  into  the 
wilderness ;  and  Satan  like  lightning  shall  fall  from  heaven. 

Are  there  any  enemies  of  God  here  ?  The  promise  of  the 
text  encourages  me  to  bid  you  defiance  :  The  "seed  of  the  wo- 
man," even  the  blessed  Jesus,  "shall  bruise  the  serpent's  head." 
What  signifies  all  your  malice  ?  You  are  only  raging  waves 
of  the  sea,  foaming  out  your  own  shame.  For  you,  without 
repentance,  is  reserv^ed  the  blackness  of  darkness  for  ever. 
The  Lord  Jesus  sits  in  heaven,  ruling  over  all,  and  causing  all 
things  to  work  for  his  children's  good  ;  he  laughs  you  to  scorn, 
he  has  you  in  the  utmost  derision,  and  therefore  so  will  I. 
Who  are  you  that  persecute  the  children  of  the  ever  blessed 
God.  Though  a  poor  stripling,  the  Lord  Jesus,  the  seed  of 
the  woman,  will  enable  me  to  bruise  your  heads. 

My  brethren  in  Christ,  I  think  I  do  not  speak  thus  in  my 
own  strength,  but  in  the  strength  of  my  Redeemer.  I  know  in 
whom  I  have  believed  ;  1  am  persuaded  he  will  keep  that  safe 
which  I  have  committed  unto  him.  He  is  faithful  who  has 
promised,  that  the  seed  of  the  woman  shall  bruise  the  serpent's 
head."  May  we  all  experience  a  daily  completion  of  this  pro- 
mise, both  in  the  church  and  in  our  hearts,  till  we  come  to  the 
church  of  the  first-born,  in  the  spirits  of  just  men  made  perfect 
in  the  presence  and  actual  fruition  of  the  great  God  our  hea- 
venly Father  ! 

To  whom,  with  the  Son,  and  the  Holy  Ghost,  be  ascribed 
all  honor,  power,  might,  majesty,  and  dominion,  now  and  for 
evermore.     Amen. 


SERMON  IIL 


PERSECUTION    EVERY    CHRISTIANS    LOT. 


2  Timothy  iii.  12. 

Yea  and  all  that  will  live  godly  in  Christ  Jesus,  shall  suffer  perse- 
cution. 

When  our  Lord  Jesus  was  pleased  to  take  upon  himself 
the  form  of  a  servant,  and  go  about  preaching  the  kingdom  of 
God,  he  took  all  opportunities  in  public,  and  more  especially 
in  private,  to  caution  his  disciples  against  seeking  great  things 
for  themselves ;  and  also  to  forewarn  them  of  the  many  dis- 
tresses, afflictions,  and  persecutions  which  they  must  expect  to 


328  PERSECUTION  EVERY  CHRISTIAN'S  LOT.       [Serm.  3. 

endure  and  go  through  for  his  name's  sake.  The  great  St. 
Paul,  therefore,  the  amhor  of  this  epistle,  in  this,  as  in  all  other 
things,  following  the  steps  of  his  blessed  Master,  takes  particu- 
lar care,  among  other  apostolical  admonitions,  to  warn  young 
Timothy  of  the  difficulties  he  must  expect  to  meet  with  in  the 
course  of  his  ministry  :  '•  This  know  also,"  (says  he,  verse  first 
of  this  chapter)  "  that  in  the  last  days  perilous  times  shall  come. 
For  men  shall  be  lovers  of  their  own  selves,  covetous,  boasters, 
proud,  blasphemers,  disobedient  to  parents,  unthankful,  unholy, 
without  natural  affection,  truce-breakers,  false  accusers,  incon- 
tment,  fierce,  despisers  of  those  that  are  good,  traitors,  heady, 
high-minded,  lovers  of  pleasure  more  than  lovers  of  God ;  hav- 
ing a  form  of  godliness,  but  denying  the  power  thereof :  from 
such  turn  away.  For  of  this  sort  are  they  which  creep  into 
houses,  and  lead  captive  silly  women  laden  with  sins,  led  away 
with  divers  lusts  ;  ever  learning,  and  never  able  to  come  to  the 
knowledge  of  the  truth."  Now^  as  Jannes  and  Jamhres  (two 
of  the  Egyptian  magicians)  loithstood  Moses  (by  working  sham 
miracles)  so  do  these  also  resist  the  truth  ;  and  (notwithstand- 
ing they  keep  up  the  form  of  religion)  are  men  of  corrupt 
minds,  reprobate  concerning  the  faith.  But,  in  order  to  keep 
him  from  sinking  under  their  opposition,  he  tells  him,  that 
though  God,  for  wise  ends,  permitted  these  false  teachers,  as 
he  did  the  magicians,  to  oppose  for  some  time,  yet  they  should 
now  proceed  no  farther.  '•  For  their  folly,"  says  he,  "  shall  be 
made  manifest  unto  all  men,  as  theirs"  (the  magicians)  "  also 
was,"  when  they  could  not  stand  before  Moses,  because  of  the 
boil ;  for  the  boil  was  upon  the  magicians  as  well  as  upon  all 
the  Egyptians.  And  then,  to  encourage  Timothy  yet  the  more, 
he  propounds  to  him  his  own  example  :  "  But  thou  hast  fully 
known  my  doctrine,  manner  of  life,  purpose,  faith,  long-sufifer- 
ing,  charity,  patience,  persecutions,  afflictions,  which  came 
unto  me  at  Antioch,  at  Iconium,  at  Lystra  ;  what  persecutions 
I  endured  ;  But  out  of  them  all  the  Lord  delivered  me."  And 
then,  lest  Timothy  might  think  that  this  was  only  the  particular 
case  of  Paul ;  "  Yea,"  says  he,  in  the  words  of  the  text,  "  and 
all  that  will  live  godly  in  Christ  Jesus,  shall  suffer  persecution.'* 
The  words,  without  considering  them  as  they  stand  in  re- 
lation to  the  context,  contain  a  necessary  and  important  truth, 
viz.  that  persecution  is  the  common  lot  of  every  godly  man. 
This  is  a  hard  saying.  How  few  can  bear  it  ?  I  trust  God, 
in  the  following  discourse,  will  enable  me  to  make  it  good,  by 
showing, 

I.  What  it  is  to  live  godly  in  Christ  Jesus. 

II.  The  different  kinds  of  persecution  to  which  they,  who 
live  godly,  are  exposed. 


Serm.  3.]     persecution  every  christian's  lot.  329 

III.  Why  it  is,  that  godly  men  must  expect  to  suffer  perse- 
cution. 

Lastly^  We  shall  apply  the  whole. 

And^r^^,  Let  us  consider  what  it  is  to  live  godly  in  Christ 
Jesus  :  this  supposes,  that  we  are  made  the  righteousness  of 
God  in  Christ,  that  we  are  born  again,  and  are  made  one  with 
Christ  by  a  living  faith,  and  a  vital  union  even  as  Jesus  Christ 
and  the  Father  are  one.  Unless  we  are  tlms  converted,  and 
transformed  by  the  renewing  of  our  minds,  we.  cannot  properly 
be  said  to  be  in  Christ,  much  less  to  live  godly  in  him.  To 
be  in  Christ  merely  by  baptism,  and  an  outward  profession,  is 
not  to  be  in  him  in  the  strict  sense  of  the  word :  No ;  They 
that  are  in  Christ  Jesus,  are  new  creatures  ;  old  things  are 
passed  away,  and  all  things  are  become  new  in  their  hearts. 
Their  life  is  hid  witli  Christ  in  God  ;  their  souls  daily  feed  on 
the  invisible  realities  of  another  world.  To  live  godly  in 
Christ,  is  to  make  the  divine  will,  and  not  our  own,  the  sole 
principle  of  all  our  thoughts,  words,  and  actions  ;  so  that, 
whether  we  eat  or  drink,  or  whatsoever  we  do,  we  do  all  to 
the  glory  of  God.  Those  who  live  godly  in  Christ,  may  not  so 
much  be  said  to  hve,  as  Christ  to  live  in  them  :  he  is  their 
alpha  and  omega,  their  first  and  last,  their  beginning  and  end. 
They  are  led  by  his  Spirit,  as  a  child  is  led  by  the  hand  of  its 
father  ;  and  are  willing  to  follow  the  Lamb  whithersoever  he 
leads  them.  They  hear,  know,  and  obey  his  voice.  Their 
affections  are  set  on  things  above.  Their  hopes  are  full  of  im- 
mortaUty ;  their  citizenship  is  in  heaven.  Being  born  aa^ain 
of  God,  they  habitually  live  to,  and  daily  walk  with  God.  They 
are  pure  in  heart ;  and,  from  a  principle  of  faith  in  Christ,  are 
holy  in  all  manner  of  conversation  and  godliness. 

This  is  to  live  godly  in  Christ  Jesus  :  and  hence  we  may 
easily  learn,  why  so  few  suffer  persecution  ;  because  so  few 
live  godly  in  Christ  Jesus.  You  may  attend  on  outward  du- 
ties ;  you  may  live  morally  in  Christ,  i.  e.  you  may  do  (as 
they  term  it)  no  one  any  harm,  and  avoid  persecution :  but 
they  that  will  live  godly  in  Christ  Jesus,  must  suffer  perse- 
cution. 

Secondly,  What  is  the  meaning  of  the  word  persecution^  and 
how  many  kinds  there  are  of  it,  I  come  now  to  consider. 

The  word  persecution  is  derived  from  a  Latin  word  signify- 
ing to  pursue,  and  generally  implies,  '•  pursuing  a  person  for 
the  sake  of  his  goodness,  or  God's  good  will  to  him."  The 
first  kind  of  it,  is  that  of  the  heart.  We  have  an  early  example 
of  this  in  that  wicked  one  Cain,  who,  because  the  Lord  had 
respect  to  Abel  and  his  offering,  and  not  to  him  and  his  offer- 
ing, was  very  wroth,  his  countenance  fell,  and  at  length  he 

28* 


Z20  PERSECUTION  EVERY  CHRISTIAN'S  LOT.       [Seim.  3. 

craelly  slew  his  envied  brother.  Thus  the  Pharisees  hated 
and  persecuted  our  Lord,  long  before  they  laid  hold  of  him : 
and  our  Lord  mentions  being  inwardly  hated  of  men,  as  one 
kind  of  persecution  his  disciples  were  to  undergo.  This  heart 
enmity,  (if  I  may  so  term  it)  is  the  root  of  all  other  kinds  of 
persecution,  and  is  in  some  degree  or  other,  to  be  found  in  the 
soul  of  every  unregenerated  man  ;  and  numbers  are  guilty  of 
this  persecution,  who  never  have  it  in  their  power  to  persecute 
any  other  way.  Nay,  numbers  would  be  carried  out  actually 
to  put  in  practice  all  other  degrees  of  persecution,  had  not  the 
name  of  persecution  become  odious  amongst  mankind,  and  did 
they  not  hereby  run  the  hazard  of  losing  their  reputation. 
Alas  !  how  many  at  the  great  day,  whom  we  know  not  now, 
will  be  convicted  and  condemned,  that  all  their  life  harbored  a 
secret  evil  will  against  Zion  !  They  may  now  screen  it  before 
men  ;  but  God  sees  the  enmity  of  their  hearts,  and  will  judge 
them  as  persecutors  at  the  great  and  terrible  day  of  judgment ! 

A  second  degree  of  persecution,  is  that  of  the  tongue  :  out  of 
the  abundance  of  the  heart  the  mouth  speaketh.  Many,  1  sup- 
pose, think  it  no  harm  to  shoot  out  arrows,  even  bitter  words, 
against  the  disciples  of  the  Lord  :  they  scatter  the  fire-brands, 
arrows,  and  death,*  saying,  '-Are  we  not  in  sport?"  But,  how- 
ever they  may  esteem  it,  in  God's  account,  evil  speaking  is  a 
high  degree  of  persecution.  Thus  Ishmael's  mocking  Isaac 
in  the  Old,  is  termed  persecuting  him  in  the  New  Testament. 
^'  Blessed  are  ye,"  says  our  Lord,  "  when  men  shall  revile  you, 
and  persecute  you,  and  shall  say  all  manner  of  evil  against 
you,  falsely,  for  my  name's  sake."  From  whence  we  may  gath- 
er, that  reviling  and  speaking  ail  manner  of  evil  falsely  for 
Christ's  sake,  is  a  high  degree  of  persecution.  "  For  a  good 
name,"  says  the  wise  man,  "  is  better  than  precious  ointment," 
and  to  many  is  dearer  than  life  itself  It  is  a  great  breach  of 
the  sixth  commandment,  to  slander  any  one  ;  but  to  speak  evil 
of  and  slander  the  disciples  of  Christ,  merely  because  they  are 
his  disciples,  must  be  highly  provoking  in  the  sight  of  God  ; 
and  those  who  are  iri^iilty  of  it,  (without  repentance,)  will  find 
that  Jesus  Christ  will  call  them  to  an  account,  and  punish  them 
for  ail  their  ungodly  and  hard  speeches,  in  a  lake  of  fire  and 
brimstone.     This  shall  be  their  portion  to  drink. 

The  third  and  last  kind  of  persecution,  is  that  which  ex- 
presses itself  in  actions  ;  as  when  wicked  men  separate  the 
children  of  God  from  their  company  ;  "  blessed  are  ye,"  says 
our  Lord,  "  when  they  shall  separate  you  from  their  company ;" 
or  expose  them  to  church  censures.  "  They  shall  put  you  out 
of  their  synagogues  ;"  threatening  and  prohibiting  them  from 
making  an  open  profession  of  his  religion  or  worship  ;  or  in- 


Serm.  3.]  -  persecution  every  christian's  lot.  331 

terdicting"  ministers  for  preaching  his  word,  as  the  high  priests 
threatened  the  apostles,  and  forbade  them  any  more  to  speak  in 
the  name  of  Jesus  ;  and  Paul  "  breathed  out  threaten ings  and 
slaughter  against  the  disciples  of  the  Lord  :"  or  when  they  call 
them  into  courts  ;  "  you  shall  be  called  before  governors,*'  says 
our  Lord  :  or  when  they  fine,  imprison,  or  punish  them,  by  con- 
fisication  of  goods,  cruel  scourging,  and  lastly,  death  itself 

It  would  be  impossible  to  enumerate  in  what  various  shapes 
persecution  has  appeared.  It  is  a  many-headed  monster,  insa- 
tiable as  hell,  cruel  as  the  grave ;  and,  what  is  worse,  it  general- 
ly appears  under  the  cloak  of  religion.  But  cruel,  insatiable, 
and  horrid  as  it  is,  they  that  live  godly  in  Christ  Jesus,  must 
expect  to  suffer  and  encounter  it  in  all  its  forms. 

This  is  what  we  are  to  make  good  under  our  next  general  head. 

Thirdly.  Why  is  it  that  godly  men  must  expect  to  suffer 
persecution  ?     And, 

Firsts  This  appears  from  the  whole  tenor  of  our  Lord's  doc- 
trine. We  will  begin  with  his  divine  sermon  on  the  mount. 
"  Blessed,"  says  he,  "  are  they  who  are  persecuted  for  righteous- 
ness' sake  ;  for  theirs  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven."  So  that,  if 
our  Lord  spoke  truth,  we  are  not  so  blessed  as  to  have  an  interest 
in  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  unless  we  are  or  have  been  perse- 
cuted for  righteousness'  sake.  Nay,  our  Lord  (it  is  remarlcable) 
employs  three  verses  in  this  beatitude,  and  only  one  in  each 
of  the  others  ;  not  only  to  show  that  it  was  a  thing  v/hich  men 
(as  men)  are  unwilling  to  believe,  but  also  the  necessary  conse- 
quence of  it  upon  our  being  christians.  This  is  likewise  evi- 
dent, from  all  those  passages  wherein  our  Lord  informs  us, 
that  he  came  upon  earth,  not  to  send  peace,  but  a  sword  ;  and 
that  the  father-in-law  shall  be  against  the  mother-in-law,  and 
that  a  man's  foes  shall  be  those  of  his  own  household.  Pas- 
sages, which,  though  confined  by  false  prophets  to  the  first,  I  am 
persuaded  will  be  verified  by  the  experience  of  all  true  Chris- 
tians in  this,  and  every  age  of  the  church.  It  would  be  endless 
to  recount  all  the  places  wherein  our  Lord  forewarns  his  dis- 
ciples that  they  should  be  called  beibre  rulers,  nay,  that  the 
time  would  come,  wherein  men  should  think  that  they  did  God 
service  to  kill  them.  For  this  reason,  he  so  frequently  declared, 
that  unless  a  man  forsake  all  that  he  had,  and  even  hated  life 
itself,  he  could  not  be  his  disciple.  And  therefore  it  is  worthy 
our  observation,  that  in  that  remarkable  passage,  wherein  our 
Lord  makes  such  an  extensive  promise  to  those  who  left  all 
for  him  he  cautiously  inserts  persecution.  '•  And  Jesus  an- 
swered and  said,  Verily  I  say  unto  you,  there  is  no  man  that 
hath  left  house,  or  brethren,  or  sisters,  or  father,  or  mother, 
or  wife,  or  children,  or  lands,  for  my  sake  and  the  gospel's  but 


332  PERSEcuTiox  EVERY  CHRISTIAN'S  LOT.    [Serm.  3, 

he  shall  receive  an  hundred  fold  novi  in  this  time  ;  houses  and 
brethren,  and  sisters  and  mothers,  and  children  and  lands,  with 
persecutions  ;  (the  word  is  in  the  plural  number,  including  all 
kinds  of  persecution)  and  in  the  world  to  come  eternal  life." 
He  that  hath  ears  to  hear,  let  him  hear  what  Christ  says  in  all 
these  passages,  and  then  confess,  that  all  who  live  godly  in 
Christ  Jesus,  shall  suffer  persecution. 

As  this  is  proved  from  our  Lord's  doctrine,  so  it  is  no  less 
evident  from  his  life.  Follow  him  from  the  manger  to  the 
cross,  and  see  whether  any  persecution  was  like  that  which 
the  Son  of  God,  the  lord  of  glory,  underwent  whilst  here  on 
earth.  How  was  he  hated  by  wicked  men !  How  often 
would  that  hatred  have  excited  them  to  take  hold  of  him,  had 
it  not  been  for  fear  of  the  people  !  How  was  he  reviled,  count- 
ed and  called  a  blasphemer,  a  wine-bibber,  a  Samaritan,  nay, 
a  devil,  and,  in  one  word,  had  all  manner  of  evil  spoken  against 
him  falsely !  What  contradiction  of  sinners  did  he  endure 
against  himself!  How  did  men  separate  from  his  company, 
and  were  ashamed  to  walk  with  him  openly !  Insomuch  that 
he  once  said  to  his  own  disciples,  "  Will  you  also  go  away?'' 
Again,  how  was  he  stoned,  thrust  out  of  the  synagogues,  ar- 
raigned as  a  deceiver  of  the  people,  a  seditious  and  pestilent 
fellow,  an  enemy  to  Caesar,  and  as  such,  scourged,  blindfolded, 
spit  upon,  and  at  length  condemned,  and  nailed  to  an  accursed 
tree  !  Thus  was  the  Master  persecuted ;  thus  did  the  Lord 
suffer ;  and  the  servant  is  not  above  his  master,  nor  the  disci- 
ple above  his  Lord :  "  If  they  have  persecuted  me,  they  will 
also  persecute  you."  saith  the  blessed  Jesus.  And  again,  every 
man  that  is  perfect,  i.  e.,  a  true  christian,  must  be  as  his  Mas- 
ter, i.  e.  suffer  as  he  did.  For  all  these  things  our  Lord  has 
set  ns  an  example,  that  we  should  follow  his  steps  :  and  there- 
fore, God  forbid  that  any  who  would  live  godly  in  Christ  Je- 
sus, should  henceforward  expect  to  escape  suffering  persecution. 

But  farther  :  Not  only  our  Lord's  example,  but  the  example 
of  all  the  saints  that  ever  liv^ed,  evidently  demonstrates  the 
truth  of  the  apostle's  assertion  in  the  text.  How  soon  was 
Abel  made  a  martyr  for  his  religion  !  How  was  Isaac  mocked 
by  the  son  of  the  bond-woman  !  And  what  a  large  catalogue 
of  suffering  Old  Testament  saints,  have  we  recorded  in  the 
eleventh  chapter  of  the  Hebrews  !  Read  the  Acts  of  the  apos- 
tles, and  see  how  the  Christians  were  threatened,  stoned,  im- 
prisoned, scourged  and  persecuted,  even  unto  death  !  Examine 
church  history  in  after  ages,  and  you  will  find  the  murder  of 
the  innocents  by  Herod,  was  but  an  earnest  of  the  innocent  blood 
which  should  be  shed  for  the  name  of  Jesus.  Examine  the 
experience  of  saints  now  living  on  earth,  and  if  it  were  possible 


Serm.  3.]       persecution  every  christian's  lot.        333 

to  consult  the  spirits  of  just  men  made  perfect,  I  am  persuaded 
each  would  concur  with  the  apostle  in  asserting,  that  all  who 
will  live  godly  in  Christ  Jesiis,  shall  suffer  persecution. 

How  can  it  be  otherwise  in  the  very  nature  of  things  ?  Ever 
since  the  fall,  there  has  been  an  irreconcilable  enmity  between 
the  seed  of  the  woman  and  the  seed  of  the  serpent.  Wicked 
men  hate  God,  and  therefore,  cannot  but  hate  those  who  are 
like  him ;  they  hate  to  be  reformed,  and  therefore  must  hate 
and  persecute  those  who,  by  a  contrary  behavior,  testify  of 
them,  that  their  deeds  are  evil.  Besides,  pride  of  heart  leads 
men  to  persecute  the  servants  of  Jesus  Christ.  If  they  com- 
mend them,  they  are  afraid  of  being  asked,  "  Why  do  you  not 
follow  them?"  And  therefore  because  they  dare  not  imitate, 
though  they  may  sometimes  be  even  forced  to  approve  their 
way,  yet  pride  and  envy  make  them  turn  persecutors.  Hence 
it  is,  that  as  it  was  formerly,  so  it  is  now,  and  so  will  it  be  to 
the  end  of  time  :  he  that  is  born  after  the  flesh,  the  natural 
man,  does  and  will  persecute  him  that  is  born  after  the  Spirit, 
the  regenerate  man.  Because  christians  are  not  of  the  world, 
but  Christ  has  chosen  them  out  of  the  world,  therefore  the 
world  will  hate  them.  If  it  be  objected  against  this  doctrine, 
"  that  we  now  live  in  a  christian  world,  and  therefore  must  not 
expect  such  persecution  as  formerly ;"  I  answer,  "  All  are  not 
christians  that  are  called  so ;  and  till  the  heart  is  changed,  the  en- 
mity against  God  (which  is  the  root  of  all  persecution)  remains," 
and  consequently  christians,  falsely  so  called,  will  persecute  as 
well  as  others.  I  observ^ed  therefore,  in  the  beginning  of  this 
discourse,  that  Paul  mentions  those  that  had  a  form  of  religion, 
as  persons  of  whom  Timothy  had  need  be  chiefly  aware :  for, 
as  our  Lord  and  his  apostles  were  mostly  persecuted  by  their 
countrymen  the  Jews,  so  we  must  expect  the  like  usage  from 
the  formalists  of  our  own  nation,  the  Pharisees,  who  seem  to 
be  religious.  For  the  most  horrid  and  barbarous  persecutions 
have  been  carried  on  by  those  who  have  called  themselves 
Christians  ;  witness  the  days  of  queen  Mary ;  and  the  fines, 
banishments,  and  imprisonments  of  the  children  of  God  in  the 
last  century,  and  the  bitter,  irreconcilable  hatred  that  appears 
in  thousands  who  call  themselves  Christians,  even  in  the  pre- 
sent days  wherein  we  live. 

Persons  who  argue  against  persecution  now,  are  not  sufli- 
ciently  sensible  of  the  bitter  enmity  of  the  heart  of  every  unre- 
generate  man  against  God.  For  my  own  part,  I  am  so  far 
from  wondering  that  christians  are  persecuted,  that  I  wonder 
our  streets  do  not  run  with  the  blood  of  the  saints :  were  men's 
power  equal  to  their  wills,  such  a  horrid  spectacle  would  soou 
appear.     But, 


334  PERSECUTION  EVERY  CHRISTIANAS  LOT.      [Scrm.  3. 

Persecution  is  necessary  in  respect  to  the  godly  themselves. 
If  we  have  not  all  manner  of  evil  spoken  of  us,  how  can  we 
know  whether  we  love  contempt,  and  seek  only  that  honor 
which  cometh  from  above  ?  If  we  have  not  persecutors,  how 
can  our  passive  graces  be  kept  in  exercise  ?  How  can  many 
christian  precepts  be  put  into  practice  ?  How  can  we  love, 
pray  for,  and  do  good  to  those  who  despitefully  use  us  ?  How 
can  we  overcome  evil  with  good  ?  In  short,  how  can  we  know 
we  love  God  better  than  life  itself?  St.  Paul  was  sensible  of  all 
this,  and  therefore  so  positively  and  peremptorily  asserts,  that 
all  that  will  live  godly  in  Christ  Jesus,  shall  suffer  persecution. 

Not  that  I  affirm,  "All  are  persecuted  in  alike  degree."  No: 
This  would  be  contrary  both  to  scripture  and  experience.  But 
though  all  christians  are  not  really  called  to  suffer  every  kind 
of  persecution,  yet  all  christians  are  liable  thereto :  and  not- 
withstanding some  may  live  in  more  peaceful  times  of  the 
church  than  others,  yet  all  christians,  in  all  ages,  will  find  by 
their  own  experience,  that,  whether  they  act  in  a  private  or 
public  capacity,  they  must,  in  some  degree  or  other,  suffer  per- 
secution. 

Here  then  I  would  pause,  and,  lastly ^  by  way  of  application, 
exhort  all  persons, 

Firsts  To  stand  a  while  and  examine  themselves.  For,  by 
what  has  been  said,  you  may  gather  one  mark,  whereby  you 
may  judge  whether  you  are  christians  or  not.  Were  you  ever 
persecuted  for  righteousness'  sake?  If  not,  you  never  yet  lived 
godly  in  Christ  our  Lord.  Whatever  you  may  say  to  the  con- 
trary, the  inspired  apostle,  in  the  words  of  the  text  (the  truth 
of  which,  I  think,  I  have  sufficiently  proved)  positively  asserts, 
that  "  all  that  will  live  godly  in  him,  shall  suffer  persecution." 
Not  that  all  who  are  persecuted  are  real  christians  ;  for  many 
sometimes  suffer,  and  are  persecuted  on  other  accounts  than  for 
righteousness'  sake.  The  great  question  therefore  is,  '•'  Whether 
you  are  ever  persecuted  for  living  godly?"  You  may  boast  (as 
perhaps  you  may  think)  of  your  great  prudence  and  sagacity, 
(and  indeed  these  are  excellent  things)  and  glory  because  you 
have  not  run  such  lengths,  and  made  yourselves  so  singular, 
and  liable  to  such  contempt,  as  some  others  have.  But,  alas  ! 
this  is  not  a  mark  of  your  being  a  christian,  but  of  a  Laodi- 
cean spirit,  neither  hot  nor  cold,  and  fit  only  to  be  spewed  out 
of  the  mouth  of  God.  That  which  you  call  prudence,  is  often 
only  cowardice,  dreadful  hypocrisy,  pride  of  heart,  which 
makes  you  dread  contempt,  and  afraid  to  give  up  your  reputa- 
tion for  God.  You  are  ashamed  of  Christ  and  his  gospel ; 
and  in  all  probability,  were  he  to  appear  a  second  time  upon 
earth,  in  words,  as  well  as  works,  you  would  deny  him.  Awake 


Serm,  3.]     persecution  every  christian's  lot.  335 

therefore,  all  ye  that  Uve  only  formally  in  Christ  Jesus,  and  no 
longer  seek  that  honor  which  cometh  of  man.  I  do  not  desire 
to  court  you,  but  I  entreat  you  to  live  godly,  and  fear  not  con- 
tempt for  the  sake  of  Jesus  Christ.  Beg  of  God  to  give  you 
his  Holy  Spirit,  that  you  may  see  through,  and  discover  the 
latent  h^'pocrisy  of  your  hearts,  and  no  longer  decieve  your 
own  souls.  Remember  you  cannot  reconcile  two  irreconcilable 
differences,  God  and  Mammon,  the  friendship  of  this  world, 
with  the  favor  of  God.  Know  you  not  who  has  told  you,  that 
the  "  friendship  of  this  world  is  enmity  with  God  ?"  If  there- 
fore you  are  in  friendship  with  the  world,  notwithstanding  all 
your  specious  pretenses  to  piety,  you  are  at  enmity  with  God  ; 
you  are  only  heart  hypocrites,  and,  "  What  is  the  hope  of  the 
hypocrite,  when  God  shall  take  away  his  soul?''  Let  the  words 
of  the  text  sound  an  alarm  in  your  ears  ;  O  let  them  sink  deep 
into  your  hearts  :  "yea,  and  all  that  will  live  godly  in  Christ 
Jesus,  shall  suffer  persecution." 

Secondly^  From  the  v/ords  of  the  text,  I  would  take  occasion 
to  speak  to  those,  "who  are  about  to  list  themselves  under  the 
banner  of  Christ's  cross."  What  say  you  ?  Are  you  resolved 
to  Uve  godly  in  Christ  Jesus,  notwithstanduig  the  consequence 
will  be,  that  you  must  suffer  persecution  ?  You  are  beginning 
to  build,  but  have  you  taken  our  Lord's  advice  to  sit  down 
first  and  count  the  cost  ?  Have  you  well  weighed  with  your- 
selves that  Aveighty  declaration,  "  he  that  loveth  father  or  mo- 
ther more  than  me,  is  not  worthy  of  me  ;"'  and  again,  "  Unless 
a  man  forsake  all  that  he  hath,  he  cannot  be  my  disciple  7" 
Perhaps  some  of  you  have  great  possessions  ;  will  not  you  go 
away  sorrowful,  if  Christ  should  require  you  to  sell  all  that 
you  have  !  Others  of  you  again,  may  be  kinsmen,  or  some 
way  related,  or  under  obligations  to  the  high  priests,  or  other 
great  personages,  who  may  be  persecuting  the  Church  of  Christ : 
what  say  you?  Will  you,  with  Moses,  rather  choose  to  "suffer 
affliction  with  the  people  of  God,  than  enjoy  the  pleasures  of 
sin  for  a  season  ?"  Perhaps  you  may  say,  "  ]\Ty  friends  will 
not  oppose  me."  That  is  more  than  you  know  ;  in  all  proba- 
bility your  chief  enemies  will  be  those  of  3^our  own  houseliold. 
If  therefore  they  should  oppose  you,  are  you  willing  naked  to 
follow  a  naked  Christ  ?  And  to  wander  about  in  sheep  skins, 
and  goat  skins,  in  dens  and  caves  of  the  earth,  being  afflicted, 
destitute,  tormented,  rather  than  not  be  Christ's  disciples  ?  You 
are  now  all  following  with  zeal,  as  Ruth  and  Orpah  did  Naomi, 
and  may  weep  under  the  word  ;  but  are  not  yoiu'  tears  croco- 
dile's tears  ?  And  when  difficulties  come,  will  you  not  go  back 
from  following  your  iiOrd,  as  Orpah  departed'  from  following 
Naomi ;  have  you  really  the  root  of  grace  in  your  hearts  ?  Or, 


336  PERSECUTION  EVERY  CHRISTIAN'S  LOT.      [Serm.  3. 

are  you  only  stony  ground  hearers  ?  You  receive  the  word 
with  joy  ;  but  when  persecution  arises  because  of  the  word, 
will  you  not  be  immediately  offended  ?  Be  not  angry  with  me 
for  putting  these  questions  to  you.  I  am  jealous  over  you,  but 
it  is  with  a  godly  jealousy ;  for,  alas  !  how  many  have  put 
their  hands  to  the  plough,  and  afterwards  have  shamefully 
looked  back  ?  I  only  deal  with  you,  as  our  Lord  did  with  the 
person  that  said,  "  Lord  I  will  follow  thee  whithersoever  thou 
wilt."  "  The  foxes  have  holes,  and  the  birds  of  the  air  have 
nests,  but  the  Son  of  man,  (says  he)  has  not  where  to  lay  his 
head."  What  say  you  ?  Are  you  willing  to  endure  hardness, 
and  thereby  approve  yourselves  good  soldiers  of  Jesus  Christ  ? 
You  now  come  on  foot  out  of  the  towns  and  villages  to  hear 
the  word,  and  receive  me  as  a  messenger  of  God  :  But  will  you 
not  by  and  by  cry  out,  '•  Away  with  him,  away  with  him  ;  it 
is  not  fit  such  a  fellow  should  Uve  upon  the  earth  ?"  Perhaps 
some  of  you,  like  Hazael,  may  say,  "  Are  we  dogs  that  we 
should  do  this?"  But,  alas  !  I  have  met  with  many  unhappy 
souls,  who  have  drawn  back  unto  perdition,  and  have  after- 
wards accounted  me  their  enemy,  for  dealing  faithfully  with 
them  ;  though  once,  if  it  were  possible,  they  would  have  pluck- 
ed out  their  own  eyes,  and  have  given  them  unto  me.  Sit  down 
therefore,  I  beseech  you,  and  seriously  count  the  cost,  and  ask 
yourselves  again  and  again,  whether  you  count  all  things  but 
dung  and  dross,  and  are  willing  to  suffer  the  loss  of  all  things, 
so  that  you  may  win  Christ,  and  be  found  in  him  ;  for  you 
may  assure  yourselves  the  apostle  has  not  spoken  in  vain,  "All 
that  will  live  godly  in  Christ  Jesus,  shall  suffer  persecution." 

Thirdly^  The  text  speaks  to  you  that  are  patiently  suffering 
for  the  truth's  sake  :  "  Rejoice  and  be  exceeding  gfad ;  great 
shall  be  your  reward  in  heaven."  For  to  you  it  is  given  not 
only  to  believe,  but  also  to  suffer,  and  perhaps  remarkably  too, 
for  the  sake  of  Jesus  !  This  is  a  mark  of  your  discipleship,  an 
evidence  that  you  do  live  godly  in  Christ  Jesus.  Fear  not, 
therefore,  neither  be  dismayed.  (),  be  not  weary  and  faint  in 
your  minds  !  Jesus,  your  Lord,  your  life,  cometh,  and  his  re« 
ward  is  with  him.  Though  all  men  forsake  you,  yet  will  not 
he.  No  ;  the  spirit  of  Christ  and  of  glory  shall  rest  upon  you. 
In  patience,  therefore,  possess  your  souls.  Sanctify  the  Lord 
God  in  your  hearts.  Be  in  nothing  terrified  by  your  adversa- 
ries :  on  their  part  Christ  is  evil  spoken  of;  on  your  part  he  is 
glorified.  Be  not  ashamed  of  your  glory,  since  others  can  glory 
in  their  shame.  Think  it  not  strange  concerning  the  fiery  trial, 
wherewith  you  are  or  may  be  tried.  The  devil  rages,  knowing 
that  he  hath  but  a  short  time  to  reign.  He  or  his  emissaries 
have  no  more  power  than  what  is  given  them  from  above ;  God 


Serm.  3.]     persecution  every  christian's  lot.  337 

sets  them  their  bounds,  which  they  cannot  pass  ;  and  the  very 
hairs  of  your  head  are  all  numbered.  Fear  not ;  no  one  shall 
set  upon  you  to  hurt  you,  without  your  heavenly  Father's 
knowledge.  Do  your  earthly  friends  and  parents  forsake  you  ? 
Are  you  cast  out  of  the  synagogues  ?  The  Lord  shall  reveal 
himself  to  you,  as  to  the  man  that  was  born  blind.  Jesus  Christ 
shall  take  you  up.  If  they  carry  you  to  prison,  and  load  you 
with  chains,  so  that  the  iron  enter  into  your  souls,  even  there 
shall  Christ  send  an  angel  from  heaven,  to  strengthen  you,  and 
enable  you  with  Paul  and  Silas,  to  sing  praises  at  midnight. 
Are  you  threatened  to  be  thrown  into  a  den  of  lions,  or  cast 
into  a  burnino^  fiery  furnace,  because  you  will  not  bow  down 
and  worship  the  beast  ?  Fear  not ;  the  God  whom  you  serve, 
is  able  to  deliver  you  :  or,  if  he  should  suffer  the  flames  to  de- 
vour your  bodies,  they  would  only  serve  as  so  many  fiery 
chariots,  to  carry  your  souls  to  God.  Thus  it  was  with  the 
martyrs  of  old  ;  so  that  one,  when  he  was  burning,  cried  out, 
"  Come,  you  Papists,  if  you  want  a  miracle,  here,  behold  one  ! 
This  bed  of  flames,  is  to  me  a  bed  of  down."  Thus  it  was  with 
almost  all  that  suffered  in  former  times  ;  for  Jesus,  notwith- 
standing he  withdrew  his  own  divinity  from  himself,  yet  he 
always  lifted  up  the  light  of  his  countenance  upon  the  souls  of 
suffering  saints.  "  Fear  not  therefore  those  that  can  kill  the 
body,  and  after  that  have  no  more  that  they  can  do  :  but  fear 
him  only,  who  is  able  to  destroy  both  soul  and  body  in  hell." 
Dare,  dare,  to  live  godly  in  Christ  Jesus,  though  you  suffer  all 
manner  of  persecution.     But, 

Fourthly^  Are  there  any  true  ministers  of  Jesus  Christ 
here  ?  You  will  not  be  offended,  if  I  tell  you,  that  the  words 
of  the  text  are  in  an  especial  manner  applicable  to  you.  St. 
Paul  wrote  them  to  Timothy ;  and  we,  of  all  men,  that  live 
godly  in  Christ  Jesus,  must  expect  to  suffer  the  severest  perse- 
cution. Satan  will  endeavor  to  bruise  our  heels,  let  who  will 
escape  ;  and  it  has  been  the  general  way  of  God's  providence, 
in  times  of  persecution,  to  permit  the  shepherds  first  to  be  smit- 
ten, before  the  sheep  are  scattered.  Let  us  not  therefore  show 
that  we  are  only  hirelings,  who  care  not  for  the  sheep  ;  but, 
like  the  great  Shepherd  and  Bishop  of  souls,  let  us  readily  lay 
down  our  lives  for  the  sheep.  Whilst  others  are  boasting  of 
their  great  preferments,  let  us  rather  glory  in  our  great  afflic- 
tions and  persecutions  for  the  sake  of  Christ.  St.  Paul  now 
rejoices  that  he  suffered  afflictions  and  persecutions  at  Iconiuin 
and  Lystra.  Out  of  all  the  Lord  delivered  him ;  out  of  all  the 
Lord  will  deliver  us,  and  cause  us  hereafter  to  sit  down  with 
him  on  thrones,  when  he  comes  to  judge  the  twelve  tribes  of 
Israel. 

29 


338  PERSECUTION  EVERY  CHRISTIANS  LOT.       [Serm.  3. 

I  could  proceed  ;  but  I  am  conscious  in  this  part  of  my  dis- 
course, I  ought  more  particularly  to  speak  to  myself,  knowing 
that  Satan  has  desired  to  have  me,  that  he  may  sift  me  as 
wheat.  I  know  I  must  (how  can  it  be  avoided  ?)  suffer  great 
things  for  Christ's  name  sake.  Without  a  spirit  of  prophecy, 
we  may  easily  discern  the  sicrns  of  the  times.  Persecution  is 
even  at  the  doors  ;  the  tabernacle  of  the  Lord  is  already  driven 
into  the  wilderness ;  the  ark  of  the  Lord  has  fallen  into  the 
unhallowed  hands  of  uncircumcised  Philistines.  They  have 
long  since  put  us  out  of  their  synagogues,  and  high  priests 
have  been  calling  on  civil  magistrates  to  exert  their  authority 
against  the  disciples  of  the  Lord.  Men  in  power  have  been 
breathing  out  threatenings  :  we  may  easily  guess  what  will  fol- 
low, imprisonment  and  slaughter.  The  storm  has  been  gather- 
ing some  time  ;  it  must  break  shortly.  Perhaps  it  will  fall  on 
me  first. 

Brethren,  therefore,  whether  in  the  ministry  or  not,  I  be- 
seech you,  fray  for  me,  that  I  may  never  suffer  justly,  as  an 
evil  doer,  but  only  for  righteousness'  sake.  O !  pray  that  I 
may  not  deny  my  Lord  in  any  wise,  but  that  I  may  joyfully 
follow  him,  both  to  prison  and  to  death,  if  he  is  pleased  to  call 
me  to  seal  his  truths  with  my  blood.  Be  not  ashamed  of  Christ, 
or  of  his  gospel,  though  I  should  become  a  prisoner  of  the 
Lord.  Though  I  am  bound,  the  word  of  God  will  not  be 
bound.  No  ;  an  open,  an  effectual  door  is  opened  for  the 
preaching  the  everlasting  gospel,  and  men  or  devils  shall  never 
be  able  to  prevail  against  it.  Only  pray,  whether  it  be  in  life 
or  death,  that  Christ  may  be  glorified  in  me.  Then  I  shall 
rejoice,  yea,  and  will  rejoice. 

And  now  to  whom  shall  I  address  myself  next  ? 

Fifthly^  To  those  "  who  persecute  their  neighbors  for  living 
godly  in  Christ  Jesus."  But,  what  shall  I  say  to  you  ?  Howl 
and  weep  for  the  miseries  that  shall  come  upon  you :  for  a  lit- 
tle while  the  Lord  permits  you  to  ride  over  the  heads  of  his 
people  ;  but,  by  and  by,  death  will  arrest  you,  judgment  will 
find  you,  and  Jesus  Christ  shall  put  a  question  to  you,  which 
will  strike  you  dumb  :  "  Why  persecuted  you  me  ?"  You  may 
plead  your  laws  and  your  canons,  and  pretend  what  you  do  is 
out  of  zeal  for  God ;  but  God  shall  (fiscover  the  cursed  hypo- 
crisy and  serpentine  enmity  of  your  hearts,  and  give  you  over 
to  the  tormentors.  It  is  w^ell,  if  in  this  life,  God  does  not  set 
some  mark  upon  you.  He  pleaded  the  cause  of  Naboth,  when 
innocently  condemned  for  blaspheming  God  and  the  king  ;  and 
our  Lord  sent  forth  his  armies,  and  destroyed  the  city  of  those 
who  killed  the  prophets,  and  stoned  them  that  were  sent  unto 
them.   If  you  have  a  mind,  therefore,  to  fill  up  the  measure  of 


Serm.  4.]  Abraham's  offering  up  his  son  isaac.  339 

your  iniquities,  go  on,  persecute  and  despise  the  disciples  of 
the  Lord :  but  l^novv  that,  for  all  these  things,  God  shall  bring 
you  into  judgment.  Nay,  those  you  now  persecute,  shall  l^ 
in  part  your  judges,  and  sit  on  the  right  hand  of  the  Majesty 
on  High,  whilst  you  are  dragged  by  infernal  spirits  into  a  lake 
that  burneth  with  fire  and  brimstone,  and  the  smoke  of  your 
torment  shall  be  ascending  up  for  ever  and  ever.  Lay  down 
therefore,  ye  rebels,  your  arms  against  the  Most  High  God,  and 
no  longer  persecute  those  who  live  godly  in  Christ  Jesus.  The 
Lord  Avill  plead,  the  Lord  will  avenge  their  cause.  You  may 
be  permitted  to  bruise  their  heels,  yet  in  the  end  they  shall 
bruise  your  accursed  heads.  I  speak  not  this,  as  though  I  were 
afraid  of  you  ;  for  I  know  in  whom  I  have  believed.  Only 
out  of  pure  love  I  warn  you,  and  because  I  know  not  but  Jesus 
Christ  may  make  some  of  you  vessels  of  mercy,  and  snatch 
you,  even  you  persecutors,  as  fire-brands  out  of  the  fire.  Jesus 
Christ  came  into  the  world  to  save  sinners,  even  persecutors, 
the  worst  of  sinners  :  his  righteousness  is  sufficient  for  tliem ; 
his  spirit  is  able  to  purify  and  change  their  hearts.  He  once 
converted  Saul :  may  the  same  God  magnify  hijs  power,  in  con- 
verting all  those  who  are  causing  the  godly  in  Christ  Jesus,  as 
much  as  in  them  lies,  to  suffer  persecution  !  The  Lord  be  with 
you  all.     Arnen. 


SERMON  IV, 


Genesis  xxii.  12. 

And  he  said,  Lay  not  thine  hand  iipon  the  lad,  neither  do  thou  any 
thing  unto  him;  for  now  I  know  that  thou  fear  est  God^  seeing  thou 
hast  not  withheld  thy  son,  thine  only  son  from  me. 

The  great  apostle  Paul,  in  one  of  his  epistles,  informs  us, 
that  "  whatsoever  was  written  aforetime,  was  written  for  our 
learning,  that  we  through  patience  and  comfort  of  the  holy 
scripture  might  have  hope."  And  as  without  faith  it  is  impos- 
sible to  please  God,  or  to  be  accepted  in  Jesus,  the  Son  of  his 
lovfe ;  we  may  be  assured,  that  whatever  instances  of  a  more 
than  common  faith  are  recorded  in  the  book  of  God,  tliey  were 
more  immediately  designed  by  the  Holy  Spirit  for  our  learning 
and  imitation,  upon  whom  the  ends  of  the  world  are  come. 


340  Abraham's  offering  up  his  son  isaac.    [Serm.  4. 

For  this  reason,  the  author  of  the  epistle  to  the  Hebrews,  in 
the  eleventh  chapter,  mentions  a  noble  catalogue  of  Old  Testa- 
ment saints  and  martyrs,  "Av^ho  subdued  kingdoms,  wrought 
righteousness,  stopped  the  mouths  of  lions,  &c.  and  are  gone 
before  us  to  inherit  the  promises."  A  sufficient  confutation,  I 
think,  of  their  error,  who  lightly  esteem  the  Old  Testament 
saints,  and  would  not  have  ihem  mentioned  to  Christians,  as 
persons  whose  faith  and  patience  we  are  called  upon  more  im- 
mediately to  follow.  If  this  was  true,  the  apostle  would  never 
have  produced  such  a  cloud  of  witnesses  out  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment, to  excite  the  christians  of  the  first,  and  consequently 
purest  age  of  the  church,  to  continue  steadfast  and  immovable 
in  the  possession  of  their  faith.  Amidst  this  catalogue  of 
saints,  methinks,  the  patriarch  Abraham  shines  the  brightest, 
and  differs  from  the  others,  as  one  star  differeth  from  another  star 
in  glory  ;  for  he  shone  with  such  distinguished  luster,  that  he 
was  called  ihe  friend  of  God,  the  fatJicr  of  the  faith  fid  ;  and 
those  who  believe  on  Christ,  are  said  to  be  sons  and  daugh- 
ters of,  and  to  be  blessed  with,  faithful  Abraham.  Many  trials 
of  his  faith  did  God  send  this  great  and  good  man,  after  he  had 
commanded  him  to  get  out  from  his  country,  and  from  his  kin- 
dred, unto  a  land  which  he  should  show  him  ;  but  the  last 
was  the  most  severe  of  all,  I  mean,  that  of  offering  up  his  only 
son.  This,  by  the  divine  assistance,  I  propose  to  make  the 
subject  of  your  present  meditation,  and,  by  way  of  conclusion, 
to  draw  some  practical  inferences,  as  God  shall  enable  me, 
from  this  instructive  story. 

The  sacred  penman  begins  the  narrative  thus ;  verse  1. 
"And  it  came  to  pass,  after  these  things,  God  did  tempt  Abra- 
ham.'' "After  these  things,"  that  is,  after  he  had  underwent 
many  severe  trials  before,  after  he  was  old,  full  of  days,  and 
might  flatter  himself  perhaps  that  the  troubles  and  toils  of  life 
were  now  finished  ;  "  after  these  things,  God  did  tempt  Abra- 
ham." Christians,  you  know  not  Avhat  trials  you  may  mee^ 
with  before  you  die ;  notwithstanding  you  may  have  suffered, 
and  been  tried  much  already,  yet,  it  may  be  a  greater  measure 
is  still  behind,  which  you  are  to  fill  up.  "  Be  not  high-minded, 
but  fear."  Our  last  trials,  in  all  probability,  will  be  the  great- 
est :  and  we  can  never  say  our  warfare  is  accomplished,  or 
our  trials  finished,  till  we  bow  down  our  heads,  and  give  up 
the  ghost.  "  And  it  came  to  pass,  after  these  things,  that  God 
did  tempt  Abraham." 

"  God  did  tempt  Abraham."  But  can  the  scripture  contra- 
dict itself?  Does  not  the  apostle  James  tell  us,  that  God 
tempts  no  man  ;  and  God  does  tempt  no  man  to  evil,  or  on 
purpose  to  draw  him  into  sin  ;  for,  v/hen  a  man  is  thus  tempt- 


Serm.  4.]    Abraham's  offering  up  his  son  isaac.  341 

ed,  he  is  drawn  away  of  his  own  heart's  lust,  and  enticed. 
Bnt  in  another  sense,  God  may  be  said  to  ternpt,  I  mean,  to  try 
his  servants ;  and  in  this  sense  we  are  to  understand  that  pas- 
sage of  Matthew,  where  we  are  told,  that  "  Jesus  was  led  up 
by  the  Spirit  (the  good  Spirit)  into  the  wilderness,  to  be  tempt- 
ed of  the  devil."  And  our  Lord,  in  that  excellent  form  of  prayer 
which  he  has  been  pleased  to  give  us,  does  not  require  us  to 
pray  that  we  may  not  absolutely  be  led  into  temptation,  but 
delivered  from  the  evil  of  it ;  whence  we  may  plainly  infer, 
that  God  sees  fit  sometimes  to  lead  us  into  temptation,  that  is, 
to  brino^  us  into  such  circumstances  as  will  try  our  faith,  and 
other  Christian  graces.  In  this  sense  we  are  to  understand 
the  expression  before  us,  "  God  did  tempt  or  try  Abraham." 

How  God  was  pleased  to  re-veal  his  will  at  this  time  to  his 
faithful  servant,  whether  by  the  Shechinah,  or  divine  appear- 
ance, or  by  a  small  still  voice,  as  he  spoke  to  Elijah,  or  by  a 
whisper,  like  that  of  the  Spirit  to  Philip,  when  he  commanded 
him  to  join  himself  to  the  Eunuch's  chariot,  we  are  not  told, 
nor  is  it  material  to  inquire.  It  is  enough  that  we  are  informed, 
God  said  unto  him,  Abraham  ;  and  that  Abraham  knew  that 
it  was  the  voice  of  God :  for  "  he  said,  behold,  here  I  am."  O  what 
a  holy  familiarity  (if  I  may  so  speak)  is  there  between  God  and 
those  holy  souls  that  are  united  to  him  by  faith  in  Christ  Jesus  ! 
God  says,  Abraham  :  and  Abraham  said,  (it  should  seem  with- 
out the  least  surprise,)  "Behold,  here  1  am."  Being  reconciled 
to  God  by  the  death  and  obedience  of  Christ,  which  he  rejoiced 
in,  and  saw  by  faith  afar  off;  he  did  not,  like  guilty  Adam,  seek 
the  trees  of  the  garden  to  hide  himself  from,  but  takes  pleasure 
in  conversing  with  God,  and  talketh  with  him,  as  a  man  talk- 
eth  with  his  friend.  O  that  Christless  sinners  knew  what  it  is 
to  have  fellowship  with  the  Father  and  the  Son  !  They  would 
envy  the  happiness  of  saints,  and  count  it  all  joy  to  be  termed 
enthusiasts  and  fools  for  Christ's  sake. 

But  what  does  God  say  unto  Abraham ;  verse  2.  "  Take 
now  thy  son,  thine  only  son  Isaac,  whom  thou  lovest,  and  get 
thee  into  the  land  of  Moriah,  and  offer  him  there  for  a  burnt- 
offering  upon  one  of  the  mountains  which  I  shall  tell  thee  of" 

Every  word  deserves  our  particular  observation.  What- 
ever he  was  to  do,  he  must  do  it  now,  immediately,  without 
conferring  with  flesh  and  blood.  But  what  must  he  do?  Take 
now  thy  son.  Had  God  said,  take  now  a  firstling,  or  choicest 
lamb  or  beast  of  thy  flock,  and  offer  it  up  for  a  burnt-offerings 
it  would  not  have  appeared  so  ghastly :  but  for  God  to  say, 
<^  Take  now  thy  son,  and  offer  him  up  for  a  burnt-offering,'^ 
one  would  have  imagined,  was  enough  to  stagger  the  strongest 
faith.    But  this  is  not  all :  It  must  not  only  be  a  son,  but  thine 

29* 


342         Abraham's  offering  up  his  son  isaac.  [Serm.  4. 

only  son  Isaac,  whom  thou  lovest.  If  it  must  be  a  son,  and 
not  a  beast,  that  must  be  offered,  why  will  not  Ishmael  do,  the 
son  of  the  bond-woman  ?  No,  it  must  be  his  only  son,  the  heir 
of  all,  his  Isaac,  by  interpretation  laughter,  the  son  of  his  old 
age,  in  whom  his  soul  delighted ;  whom  thou  lovest,  says  God, 
in  whose  life  his  own  was  wrapped  up  :  And  this  son,  this  only 
son,  this  Isaac,  the  son  of  his  love,  must  be  taken  now,  even 
now  without  delay,  and  be  offered  up  by  his  own  father,  for  a 
burnt-offering,  upon  one  of  the  mountains  of  the  which  God 
would  tell  him. 

Well  might  the  apostle,  speaking  of  this  man  of  God,  sa^r, 
that  against  hope  he  believed  in  hope,  and,  being  strong  in 
faith,  gave  glory  to  God :  For,  had  he  not  been  blessed  with 
faith  which  man  never  before  had,  he  must  have  refused  to 
comply  with  this  severe  command.  For  how  many  arguments 
might  nature  suggest  to  prove  that  such  a  command  could 
never  come  from  God,  or  to  excuse  himself  from  obeying  it  ? 
^  What  !  (might  the  good  man  have  said)  butcher  my  child  ! 
.  t  is  contrary  to  the  very  law  of  nature  :  Much  more  to  butcher 
my  dear  son  Isaac,  in  whose  seed  God  himself  has  assured 
me,  that  all  the  families  of  the  earth  shall  be  blessed.  But  sup- 
posing I  could  give  up  my  own  affections,  and  be  willing  to  part 
with  him,  though  I  love  him  so  dearly,  yet,  if  I  murder  him, 
what  will  become  of  God's  promise  ?  Besides  I  am  now  like  a 
city  built  upon  a  hill ;  I  shine  as  a  light  in  the  world,  iu  the 
midst  of  a  crooked  and  perverse  generation  :  How  then  shall 
I  cause  God's  name  to  be  blasphemed,  how  shall  I  become  a 
by-word  among  the  heathen,  if  they  hear  that  I  have  committed 
a  crime  which  they  abhor  !  But,  above  all,  what  will  Sarah  my 
wife  say?  How  can  I  ever  return  to  her  again,  after  I  have  im- 
bued my  hands  in  my  dear  child's  blood  ?  O  that  God  would  par- 
don me  in  this  thing,  or  take  my  life  in  the  place  of  my  son's  !" 
Thus,  I  say,  Abraham  might  have  argued,  and  that  too  seem- 
ingly with  great  reason,  against  complying  with  the  divine 
command.  But,  as  before  by  faith  he  considered  not  the  dead- 
ness  of  Sarah's  womb,  when  she  was  past  age,  but  believed  on 
him,  who  said,  "  Sarah  thy  wife  shall  bear  thee  a  son  indeed ;" 
so  now  being  convinced  that  the  same  God  spoke  to,  and  com- 
manded him  to  offer  up  that  son,  and  knowing  that  God  was 
able  to  raise  him  from  the  dead,  without  delay  he  obeys  the 
heavenly  call. 

O  that  unbelievers  would  learn  of  faithful  Abraham,  and 
believe  whatever  is  revealed  from  God,  though  they  cannot 
fully  comprehend  it !  Abraham  knew  God  commanded  him 
to  offer  up  his  son,  and  therefore  believed,  notwithstanding 
carnal  reasoning  might  suggest  many  objections.     We  have 


« 


Serm.  4.]   Abraham's  offering  up  his  son  isaac.  343 

sufficient  testimony,  that  God  has  spoken  to  us  by  his  son ; 
why  should  we  net  also  believe,  though  many  things  in  the 
New  Testament  are  above  our  reason?  For,  where  reason 
ends  faith  begins.  And,  however  infidels  may  style  themselves 
reasoners,  of  all  men  they  are  the  most  unreasonable  :  For  is 
it  not  contrary  to  all  reason,  to  measure  an  infinite  by  a  finite 
understanding,  or  think  to  find  out  the  mysteries  of  godliness 
to  perfection? 

But  to  return  to  the  patriarch  Abraham.  We  observed  be- 
fore what  plausible  objections  he  might  have  made ;  but  he 
answered  not  a  single  word.  No,  without  replying  against 
his  Maker,  we  are  told,  ver.  3.  that  "  Abraham  rose  up  early 
in  the  morning,  and  saddled  his  ass,  and  took  two  of  his  young 
men  with  hini,  and  Isaac  his  son,  and  clave  the  wood  for  the 
l)urnt-offering,  and  rose  up  and  went  unto  the  place  of  which 
God  had  told  him." 

From  this  verse  we  may  gather  that  God  spoke  to  Abraham 
in  a  dream,  or  vision  of  the  night :  For  it  is  said,  he  rose  up 
early.  Perhaps  it  was  near  the  fourth  watch  of  the  night,  just 
before  break  of  day,  when  God  said,  Take  noio  thy  son  ;  and 
Abraham  rises  up  early  to  do  so ;  as  I  doubt  not  but  he  used 
to  rise  early  to  offer  up  his  morninsf  sacrifice  of  praise  and 
thanksgiving.  It  is  often  remarked  of  people  in  the  Old  Tes- 
tament, that  they  rose  early  in  the  morning ;  and  particularly  of 
our  Lord  in  the  New,  that  he  rose  a  great  while  before  day  to 
pray.  The  morning  befriends  devotion  :  and  if  people  cannot 
use  so  much  self-denial  as  to  rise  early  to  pray,  I  know  not  how 
they  will  be  able  to  die  at  a  stake  (if  called  to  it)  for  Jesus 
Christ. 

The  humility,  as  well  as  piety  of  the  patriarch,  is  observable. 
He  saddled  his  own  ass  (great  men  should  be  humble  ;)  and  to 
show  his  sincerity,  though  he  took  two  of  his  young  men  with 
him,  and  Isaac  his  son,  yet  he  keeps  his  design  as  a  secret  from 
them  all :  nay,  he  does  not  so  much  as  tell  Sarah  his  wife  :  for 
he  knew  not  but  she  might  be  a  snare  unto  him  in  this  affair ; 
and,  as  Rebecca  afterwards,  on  another  occasion,  advised  Jacob 
to  flee,  so  Sarah  also  might  persuade  Isaac  to  hide  himself;  or 
the  young  men,  had  they  known  of  it,  might  have  forced  him 
away,  as  in  after  ages  the  soldiers  rescued  Jonathan  out  of  the 
hands  of  Saul.  But  Abraham  sought  no  such  evasion,  and 
therefore,  like  an  Israelite  indeed,  in  whom  there  was  no  g-uile, 
he  himself  resolutely  "clave  the  wood  for  the  burnt  ofl^ering, 
rose  up  and  went  unto  the  place  of  which  God  had  told  him." 
In  the  second  verse,  God  commanded  him  to  offer  up  his  son 
upon  one  of  the  mountains  which  he  would  tell  him  of.  He 
commanded  him  to  offer  his  son  up,  but  would  not  then  direct- 


344  Abraham's  offering  up  his  son  isaac.    [Serm.  4. 

ly  tell  him  the  place  where.  This  Avas  to  keep  him  dependent 
and  watching  unto  prayer  :  For  there  is  nothing  like  being 
kept  Avaiting  upon  God  ;  and,  if  we  do,  assuredly  God  will  re- 
veal himself  unto  us  yet  further  in  his  own  time.  Let  us  practice 
what  we  know,  follow  providence  as  far  as  we  can  see  already; 
and  what  we  know  not,  what  we  see  not  as  yet,  let  us  only  be 
found  in  the  way  of  duty,  and  the  Lord  will  reveal  even  that 
unto  us.  Abraham  knew  not  directly  where  he  was  to  offer  up 
his  son ;  but  he  rises  up  and  sets  forward,  and  behold  now  God 
shows  him  ;  and  he  went  to  the  place  of  which  God  had  told 
him.     Let  us  go  and  do  likewise. 

Yer.  4.  Then  on  the  third  day,  Abraham  lifted  up  his  eyes, 
and  saw  the  place  afar  off. 

So  that  the  place,  of  which  God  had  told  him,  was  no  less 
than  three  days'  journey  distant  from  the  place  where  God  first 
appeared  to  him,  and  commanded  him  to  take  his  son.  Was 
not  this  to  try  his  faith,  and  to  let  him  see  what  he  did,  was  not 
merely  from  a  sudden  pang  of  devotion,  but  a  matter  of  choice 
and  deliberation  ?  But  who  can  tell  what  the  aged  patriarch 
felt  during  these  three  days  ?  Strong  as  he  was  in  faith,  I  am 
persuaded  his  bowels  often  yearned  over  his  dear  son  Isaac. 
Methinks  I  see  the  good  old  man  walking  with  his  dear  child 
in  his  hand,  and  now  and  then  looking  upon  him,  loving  him, 
and  then  turning  aside  to  weep.  And  perhaps,  sometimes  he 
stays  a  little  behind  to  pour  out  his  heart  before  God  ;  for  he 
had  no  mortal  to  tell  his  case  to.  Then,  methinks,  I  see  him 
join  his  son  and  servants  again,  and  talking  to  them  of  the 
things  pertaining  to  the  kingdom  of  God,  as  they  walked  by 
the  way.  At  length,  on  the  third  day,  he  lifted  up  his  eyes 
and  saw  the  place  afar  off.  And,  to  show  that  he  was  yet  sin- 
cerely resolved  to  do  whatsoever  the  Lord  required  of  him,  he 
even  now  will  not  discover  his  design  to  his  servants,  but  said, 
verse  5.  to  his  young  men,  (as  we  should  say  to  our  worldly 
thoughts  when  about  to  tread  the  courts  of  the  Lord's  house) 
"  abide  you  here  with  the  ass ;  and  I  and  the  lad  Avill  go  up 
yonder  and  worship,  and  come  again  'to  you."  This  was  a 
sufficient  reason  for  their  staying  behind ;  and,  it  being  their 
master's  custom  to  go  frequently  to  worship,  they  could  have 
no  suspicion  of  what  he  was  going  about.  And  from  Abra- 
ham's saying,  that  he  and  the  lad  would  come  again,  I  am  apt 
to  think  he  believed  God  would  raise  him  from  the  dead,  if  he 
permitted  him  to  offer  his  child  up  for  a  burnt  offering.  How- 
ever that  be,  he  is  yet  resolved  to  obey  God  to  the  uttermost ; 
and  therefore, 

Yer.  6.  "  Abraham  took  the  wood  of  the  burnt  offering,  and 
laid  it  upon  Isaac  his  son  ;  and  he  took  the  fire  in  his  hand, 


Serm.  4.]    Abraham's  offering  up  his  son  isaac.  345 

and  a  knife,  and  they  went  both  of  them  together."  Little  did, 
Isaac  think  that  he  was  to  be  offered  on  that  very  wood 
which  he  was  carrying  upon  his  shoulders  ;  and  therefore,  ver. 
7,  Isaac  innocently,  and  with  a  holy  freedom  (for  good  men 
should  not  keep  their  children  at  too  great  a  distance)  spake 
unto  Abraham  his  father,  and  said.  My  father ;  and  he  (with 
equal  affection  and  holy  condescension)  said,  Here  am  I,  my 
son.  And  to  show  how  careful  Abraham  had  been  (as  all 
christian  parents  ought  to  be)  to  instruct  his  Isaac  how  to  sacri- 
fice to  God,  like  a  youth  trained  up  in  the  way  wherein  he 
should  go  ;  Isaac  said.  Behold  the  fire  and  the  wood ;  but 
where  is  the  lamb  for  a  burnt  offering  ?  How  beautiful  is  early 
piety !  How  amiable,  to  hear  young  people  ask  questions  about 
sacrificing  to  God  in  an  acceptable  way  !  Isaac  knew  very 
well  that  a  lamb  was  wanting,  and  that  a  lamb  was  necessary 
for  a  proper  sacrifice:  Behold  the  fire  and  the  wood;  but 
where  is  the  lamb  for  a  burnt  offering?  Young  men  and 
maidens,  learn  of  him. 

Hitherto,  it  is  plain,  Isaac  knew  nothing  of  his  father's  design : 
but  I  believe,  by  what  his  father  said  in  answer  to  his  question, 
that  now  was  the  time  Abraham  revealed  it  unto  him. 

Verse  8.  "And  Abraham  said,  my  son,  God  will  provide 
himself  a  lamb  for  a  burnt  offering."  Some  think  that  Abra- 
ham by  faith  saw  the  Lord  Jesus  afar  off.  and  here  spake  pro- 
phetically of  that  Lamb  of  God  already  slain  in  decree,  and 
hereafter  to  be  actually  offered  up  for  sinners.  This  was  a 
lamb  of  God's  providing  indeed  (we  dared  not  have  thought 
of  it)  to  satisfy  his  own  justice,  and  to  render  him  just  in  jus- 
tifying the  ungodly.  What  is  all  our  fire  and  wood,  the  best 
preparation  and  performances  we  can  make  or  present,  unless 
God  had  provided  himself  this  Lamb  for  a  burnt  offering?  He 
could  not  avv^ay  with  them.  The  words  will  well  bear  this  in- 
terpretation. But,  whatever  Abraham  might  intend,  I  cannot 
but  think  he  here  made  an  application,  and  acquainted  his  son 
with  God's  dealing  with  his  soul ;  and  at  length,  with  tears  in 
his  eyes,  and  the  utmost  affection  in  his  heart,  cried  out,  "Thou 
art  to  be  the  lamb,  my  son ;  God  has  commanded  me  to  pro- 
vide thee  for  a  burnt  offering,  and  to  offer  thee  upon  the  moun- 
tain which  we  are  now  ascending."  And,  as  it  appears  from 
a  subsequent  verse,  Isaac,  convinced  that  it  was  the  divine  will, 
made  no  resistance  at  all :  for  it  is  said,  "  they  went  both  of 
them  together;"  and  again,  verse  9,  when  we  are  told  that 
Abraham  bound  Isaac,  we  do  not  hear  of  his  complaining,  or 
endeavoring  to  escape,  which  he  might  have  done,  being  (as 
some  think)  near  thirty  years  of  age,  and  it  is  plain,  was  capa- 
ble of  carrying  wood  enough  for  a  burnt  offering.  But  he  was 


346  Abraham's  offering  up  his  son  isaac.    [Serm.  4. 

partaker  of  the  like  precious  faith  with  his  aged  father,  and 
therefore  is  as  willing  to  be  offered,  as  Abraham  is  to  offer  him; 
and  so  they  went  both  of  them  together. 

Verse  9.  At  length  "they  came  to  the  place  of  which  God 
had  told  Abraham.  He  built  an  altar  there  and  laid  the  wood 
in  order,  and  bound  Isaac  his  son,  and  laid  him  on  the  altar 
upon  the  wood." 

And  here  let  us  pause  awhile,  and  by  faith  take  a  view  of 
the  place  where  the  father  has  laid  him.  I  doubt  not  but  the 
blessed  angels  hovered  round  the  altar  and  sang,  Glory  be  to 
God  in  the  highest,  for  giving  such  faith  to  man.  Come,  all 
ye  tender-hearted  parents,  who  know  what  it  is  to  look  over  a 
dying  child.  Fancy  that  you  saw  the  altar  erected  before  you, 
and  the  wood  laid  in  order,  and  the  beloved  Isaac  bound  upon 
it:  Fancy  that  you  saw  the  aged  parent  standing  by  weeping. 
(For,  why  may  we  not  suppose  that  Abraham  wept,  since  Jesus 
himself  wept  at  the  grave  of  Lazarus?)  O  what  pious  endear- 
ing expressions  passed  now  alternately  between  the  father  and 
the  son  !  Josephus  records  a  pathetic  speech  made  by  each, 
whether  genuine  I  know  not ;  but  methinks  I  see  the  tears  trickle 
down  the  patriarch  Abraham's  cheeks ;  and,  out  of  the  abun- 
dance of  the  heart,  he  cries.  Adieu,  adieu,  my  son ;  the  Lord 
gave  thee  to  me,  and  the  Lord  calls  thee  away;  blessed  be  the 
name  of  the  Lord;  adieu,  my  Isaac,  my  only  son,  whom  I  love 
OS  my  own  soul ;  adieu,  adieu.  I  see  Isaac  at  the  same  time 
meekly  resigning-  himself  into  his  heavenly  Father's  hands,  and 
praying  to  the  most  High  to  strengthen  his  earthly  parent  to 
strike  the  stroke.  But  why  do  I  attempt  to  describe  what  either 
son  or  father  felt?  It  is  impossible;  we  may  indeed  form  some 
faint  idea  of,  but  shall  never  fully  comprehend  it,  till  we  come 
and  sit  down  with  them  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  and  hear 
them  tell  the  pleasing  story  over  again.  Hasten,  O  Lord,  that 
blessed  time !     O  let  thy  kingdom  come ! 

And  now,  ver.  10.  The  fatal  blow  is  going  to  be  given. 
"And  Abraham  stretched  forth  his  hand,  and  took  the  knife 
to  slay  his  son."  But  do  you  not  think  he  intended  to  turn 
away  his  head,  when  he  gave  the  blow?  Nay,  why  may  we 
not  suppose  he  sometimes  drew  his  hand  in,  after  it  was  stretch- 
ed out,  willing  to  take  another  last  farewell  of  liis  beloved 
Isaac,  and  desirous  to  defer  it  a  little,  though  resolved  at  last 
to  strike  home?  Be  that  as  it  will,  his  arm  is  now  stretched 
out,  the  knife  is  in  his  hand,  and  he  is  about  to  put  it  to  his 
dear  son's  throat. 

But  sing,  O  heavens !  and  rejoice,  O  earth !  Man's  extremity 
is  God's  opportunity ;  for  behold,  just  as  the  knife,  in  all  proba- 
bility, was  near  his  throat,  ver.  11,  "  the  angel  of  the  Lord,  (or 


Serm.  4.]    Abraham's  offering  up  his  son  isaac.  347 

rather,  the  Lord  of  angels,  Jesus  Christ,  the  angel  of  the  ever- 
lasting covenant,)  called  unto  him,  (probably  in  a  very  audible 
manner,)  from  heaven,  and  said,  Abraham,  Abraham.  (The 
word  is  doubled,  to  engage  his  attention ;  and  perhaps  the 
suddenness  of  the  call  made  him  draw  back  his  hand,  just  as  he 
was  going  to  strike  his  son.)     And  Abraham  said.  Here  am  I." 

And  he  said,  verse  12.  "  Lay  not  thine  hand  upon  the  lad, 
neither  do  thou  any  thing  unto  him ;  for  now  know  I  that 
thou  fearest  God,  seeing  thou  hast  not  withheld  thy  son,  thine 
only  son  from  me." 

Here  then  it  was  that  Abraham  received  his  son  Isaac  from 
the  dead  in  a  figure.  He  was  in  effect  offered  upon  the  altar, 
and  God  looked  upon  him  as  offered  and  given  unto  him.  Now 
it  was  that  Abraham's  faith,  being  tried)  was  found  more  pre- 
cious than  gold  purified  seven  times  in  the  fire.  Now  as  a 
reward  of  grace,  though  not  of  debt,  for  this  signal  act  of  obe- 
dience, by  an  oath,  Qod  gives  and  confirms  the  promise,  "  that 
in  his  seed  all  the  nations  of  the  earth  should  be  blessed,"  verse 
17,  18.  With  what  comfort  may  we  suppose  the  good  old 
man  and  his  son  went  down  from  the  mount,  and  returned  unto 
the  young  men  !  With  what  joy  we  imagine  he  went  home, 
and  related  all  that  had  passed  to  Sarah  !  And  above  all.  with 
what  triumph  is  he  exulting  now  in  the  paradise  of  God,  and 
adoring  rich,  free,  distinguishing,  electing,  everlasting  love^ 
which  alone  made  him  to  differ  from  the  rest  of  mankind,  and 
rendered  him  worthy  of  that  title  which  he  will  have  so  long 
as  the  sun  and  the  moon  endure  :  "  The  father  of  the  faithful !" 

But  let  us  now  draw  our  eyes  from  the  creature,  and  do 
what  Abraham,  if  he  was  present,  would  direct ;  I  mean,  fix 
them  on  the  Creator,  God  blessed  for  evermore. 

I  see  your  hearts  affected,  I  see  your  eyes  weep,  (and  indeed, 
who  can  refrain  weeping  at  the  relation  of  such  a  story  ?)  But, 
behold,  I  show  you  a  mystery  hid  under  the  sacrifice  of  Abra- 
ham's only  son,  which,  unless  your  hearts  are  hardened,  must 
cause  you  to  weep  tears  of  love,  and  that  plentifully  too.  I 
would  willingly  hope  you  even  prevent  me  here,  and  are  ready 
to  say,  "  it  is  the  love  of  God,  in  giving  Jesus  Christ  to  die  for 
our  sins.  Yes,  that  is  it."  And  yet  perhaps  you  find  your 
hearts  at  the  mentioning  of  this,  not  so  much  affected.  Let  this 
convince  you,  that  we  are  fallen  creatures,  and  that  we  do  not 
love  God  or  Christ  as  we  ought  to  do  :  for,  if  you  admire 
Abraham  offering  up  his  Isaac,  how  much  more  ought  you  to 
extol,  magnify,  and  adore  the  love  of  God,  who  so  loved  the 
world,  as  to  give  his  only  begotten  Son,  Christ  Jesus  our  Lord, 
'•  that  whosoever  believeth  on  him  should  not  perish,  but  have 
everlasting  life  ?"    May  we  not  well  cry  out,  Now  know  we^ 


348  Abraham's  offering  up  his  son  isaac.    [Serm.4. 

O  Lord,  that  thou  hast  loved  us,  since  thou  hast  not  withheld 
thy  Son,  thine  only  son  from  us  ?  Abraham  was  God's  crea- 
ture, (and  God  was  Abraham's  friend)  and  therefore  under  the 
highest  obligation  to  surrender  up  his  Isaac.  But  O  stupend- 
ous love  !  Whilst  we  were  his  enemies,  God  sent  forth  his  Son, 
made  of  a  woman,  made  under  the  law,  that  he  might  become 
a  curse  for  us.  O  the  freeness,  as  well  as  the  infinity,  of  the 
love  of  God  our  Father  !  It  is  unsearchable :  I  am  lost  in 
contemplating  it ;  it  is  past  finding  out.  Think,  O  believers, 
think  of  the  love  of  God,  in  giving  Jesus  Christ  to  be  a  propi- 
tiation for  our  sins.  And  when  you  hear  how  Abraham  built 
an  altar,  and  laid  the  wood  in  order,  and  bound  Isaac  his  son, 
and  laid  him  on  the  altar  upon  the  wood ;  think  how  your 
heavenly  Father  bound  Jesus  Christ  his  only  Son,  and  offered 
him  upon  the  altar  of  his  justice,  and  laid  upon  him  the  iniqui- 
ties of  us  all.  When  you  read  of  Abraham's  stretching  forth 
his  hand  to  slay  his  son,  think,  O  think,  how  God  actually 
suffered  his  Son  to  be  slain,  that  we  might  live  for  evermore. 
Do  you  read  of  Isaac  carrying  the  wood  upon  his  shoulders, 
upon  which  he  was  to  be  offered  ?  Let  this  lead  you  to  Mount 
Calvary,  (this  very  mount  of  Moriah  where  Isaac  was  offered, 
as  some  think,)  and  take  a  view  of  the  antitype  Jesus 
Christ,  that  son  of  God,  bearing  and  ready  to  sink  under  the 
weight  of  that  cross  on  which  he  was  to  hang  for  us.  Do  you 
admire  Isaac  so  freely  consenting  to  die,  though  a  creature,  and 
therefore  obliged  to  go  when  God  called  ?  O  do  not  forget  to 
admire  infinitely  more  the  dear  Lord  Jesus,  that  promised  seed, 
who  willingly  said,  "  Lo,  I  come,"  though  under  no  obligation 
so  to  do,  "  to  do  thy  will,"  to  obey  and  die  for  men,  O  God  ! 
Did  you  weep  just  now  when  I  bid  you  fancy  that  you  saw 
the  altar,  and  the  wood  laid  in  order,  and  Isaac  laid  bound  on 
the  altar  ?  Look  up  by  faith,  behold  the  bJessed  Jesus,  our  all- 
glorious  Immanuel,  not  bound,  but  nailed  on  an  accursed  tree  : 
see  how  he  hangs  crowned  with  thorns,  and  had  in  derision  of 
all  that  are  round  about  him  :  see  how  the  thorns  pierce  him, 
and  how  the  blood  in  purple  streams  trickles  down  his  sacred 
temples  !  Hark  !  how  the  God  of  nature  groans  !  See  how 
he  bows  his  head,  and  at  length  humanity  gives  up  the  ghost ! 
Isaac  is  saved,  but  Jesus,  the  God  of  Isaac  dies  ;  a  ram  is  offer- 
ed up  in  Isaac's  room,  but  Jesus  has  no  substitute  ;  Jesus  must 
bleed,  Jesus  must  die  :  God  the  Father  provided  this  Lamb  for 
himself  from  all  eternity.  He  must  be  offered  in  time,  or  man 
must  be  damned  for  evermore.  And  now  where  are  all  your 
tears  ?  Shall  I  say,  refrain  your  voice  from  weeping  ?  No, 
rather  let  me  exhort  you  to  look  to  him  whom  you  have  pierced, 
and  mourn,  as  a  woman  mourneth  for  her  first  born  :  for  we 


Serm.  4.]    Abraham's  offering  up  his  son  isaac.  349 

have  been  the  betrayers,  we  have  been  the  murderers  of  this 
Lord  of  glory ;  and  shall  we  not  bewail  those  sins,  which 
brought  the  i3lessed  Jesus  to  the  accursed  tree  ?  Having  so 
much  done,  so  much  suffered  for  us,  so  much  forgiven,  shall 
we  not  love  much  ?  O  !  let  us  love  liim  with  all  our  hearts, 
and  minds,  and  strength,  and  glorify  him  in  our  souls  and 
bodies  ;  for  they  are  his.  Which  leads  me  to  a  second  infer- 
ence I  shall  draw  from  the  foregoing  discourse. 

From  hence  we  may  learn  the  nature  of  true  justifying  faith. 
AVhoever  understands  and  preaches  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus, 
must  acknowledge,  that  salvation  is  God's  free  gift,  and  that 
we  are  saved,  not  by  any  or  all  the  works  of  righteousness 
which  we  have  done  or  can  do  :  no  ;  we  can  neither  wholly 
nor  in  part  justify  ourselves  in  the  sight  of  God.  The  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  is  our  righteousness  ;  and  if  we  are  accepted  with 
God,  it  must  be  only  in  and  through  the  personal  righteous- 
ness, the  active  and  passive  obedience  of  Jesus  Christ  his  be- 
loved Son.  This  righteousness  must  be  imputed,  or  counted 
over  to  us,  and  applied  by  faith  to  onr  hearts,  or  else  we  can 
in  no  wise  be  justified  in  God's  sight :  and  that  very  moment 
when  a  sinner  is  enabled  to  lay  hold  on  Christ's  righteousness 
by  faith,  he  is  freely  justified  from  all  his  sins,  and  shall  never 
enter  into  condemnation,  notwithstanding  he  was  a  fire-brand 
of  hell  before.  Thus  it  was  that  Abrahani  was  justified  before 
he  did  any  good  work  :  he  was  enabled  to  believe  on  the  Lord 
Christ ;  it  was  accounted  to  him  for  righteousness  ;  that  ij-:, 
Christ's  righteousness  was  made  over  to  him,  and  so  accounted 
his.  This,  this  is  gospel ;  this  is  the  only  way  of  finding  ac- 
ceptance with  God  :  good  works  have  nothing  to  do  with  our 
justification  in  his  sight.  We  are  justified  by  faith  alone,  a$ 
saith  the  article  of  our  church  ;  agreeably  to  which  the  apos- 
tle Paul  says,  "  By  grace  ye  are  saved,  through  faith  ;  and  that 
not  of  yourselves  ;  it  is  the  gift  of  God."  Notwithstanding 
good  works  have  their  proper  place  :  they  justify  our  faith, 
though  not  our  persons  ;  they  follow  it,  and  evidence  our  justifi- 
cation in  the  sight  of  men.  Hence  it  is  that  the  apostle  James 
asks,  was  not  Abraham  justified  by  works,  (alluding,  no  doubt, 
to  the  story  on  which  we  have  been  discoursing,)  that  is,  did 
he  not  prove  he  was  in  a  justified  state,  because  his  faith  was 
productive  of  good  works  I  This  declarative  justification  in 
the  sight  of  men,  is  what  is  directly  to  be  understood  in  the  words 
of  the  text :  "  Now  know  I,"  says  God,  "  that  thou  fearest  me, 
since  thou  hast  not  withheld  thy  son,  thine  only  son  from  me.^ 
Not  but  that  God  knew  it  before ;  but  this  is  spoken  in  conde- 
scension to  our  weak  capacities,  and  plainly  shows,  that  his 
offering  up  his  son  was  accepted  with  God,  as  an  evidence  of 

30 


350  Abraham's  offering  up  nis  sox  isaac.    [Semi.  4. 

tlie  sincerity  of  his  faith,  and  for  this,  was  left  on  record  to  fu- 
ture ages.  Hence  tlien  you  may  learn,  whether  you  are  blessed 
with,  and  are  sons  and  dausfiiters  of  faithful  Abraham.  You 
say  you  believe  ;  you  talk  ot"^  free  grace,  and  free  justification  : 
you  do  well ;  the  devils  also  believe  and  tremble.  But  has  the 
faith  which  you  pretend  to.  influenced  your  hearts,  renewed 
yoiu"  souls,  and.  like  Abraham's,  worked  by  love  1  Are  your 
affections,  like  his.  set  on  things  above  ?  Are  you  heavenly- 
minded,  and  like  him.  do  you  confess  yourselves  strano-ers  and 
pilgrims  on  the  earth.  In  short,  has  your  faith  enabled  you 
to  overcome  the  v.'orld.  and  strengthened  you  to  give  up  your 
Isaacs,  your  laughter,  your  most  beloved  lusts,  friends,  pleas- 
ures, and  profits  for  God  )  If  so,  take  the  comfort  of  it ;  for 
justly  may  you  say.  '•  We  know  assuredly,  that  we  do  fear  and 
love  God.  or  rather  are  loved  of  him.*'  But  if  you  are  only 
talking  believers,  have  caily  a  faith  oi  the  head,  and  never  felt 
the  fovrer  of  it  in  your  hearts.  hov»-ever  you  may  bolster  your- 
selves up.  and  say.  ••  we  have  Abraham  for  our  father,  or  Christ 
is  our  Savior  :''  unless  you  get  a  faith  of  the  heart,  a  faith 
working  by  love,  you  shall  never  sit  with  Abraliam,  Isaac.  Ja- 
cob, or  Jesus  Christ  in  the  king-dom  of  heaven. 

But  I  must  draw  one  more  inference,  and  vrith  that  I  shall 
conclude. 

Leani.  O  saints  !  from  what  has  l^en  said,  to  sit  loose  to  all 
your  worldly  comforts  :  and  stand  ready  prepared  to  part  with 
every  thing,  when  God  shall  require  it  at  your  hand.  Some  of 
vou  perhaps  may  have  friends,  who  are  to  you  as  your  own  souls, 
and  others  may  have  children,  in  whose  lives  your  own  lives 
are  bound  up  :  all  I  believe  have  their  Isaacs,  their  particular 
delig-hts  of  some  kind  or  other.  Labor,  for  Christ's  sake,  labor, 
ve  sons  and  dau^-hters  of  Abraham,  to  resign  them,  dailv  in 
affection  to  God,  that,  when  he  shall  recjuire  you  really  to  sacri- 
fice them,  you  n:iay  not  confer  with  flesh  and  blood,  any  more 
than  the  blessed  patriarch  now  1  efore  us.  And  as  for  you  that 
have  been  in  any  measure  tried  like  unto  him.  let  his  example 
encourage  and  comfort  you.  Remember.  Abraham  your  father 
was  tried  so  before  3'ou  :  think.  O  think,  of  the  happiness  he 
novr  enjoys,  and  how  he  is  incessantly  thanking  God  for 
teUipting  and  tr^nne  him  when  liere  below.  Look  up  often  by 
the  eye  of  faith,  and  see  him  sitting  with  his  dearly  beloved 
Isaac  in  the  world  of  spirits.  Remember,  it  will  be  but  a  little 
while,  and  you  shall  sit  with  them  also,  and  tell  one  another 
what  God  has  done  for  your  souls.  There  I  hope  to  sit  with 
you.  and  hear  this  story  of  his  offering  up  his  son  from  his  own 
mouth,  and  to  praise  the  Lamb  that  sitteth  upon  the  throne,  for 
what  he  hath  done  for  all  our  souls,  for  ever  and  ever. 


Serm.  5.]  saul's  conversion.  351 

SERMON  V. 


Acts  ix.  22. 

But  Said  increased  the  more  in  strength,  and  confounded  the  Jews 
tchich  dwelt  at  Damascus,  proving  that  this  is  very  Christ. 

It  is  an  undoubted  truth,  however  it  may  seem  a  paradox 
to  natural  men,  that  "  whosoever  will  hve  godly  in  Christ  Jesus, 
shall  suffer  persecution."  And  therefore  it  is  very  remarkable, 
that  our  blessed  Lord,  in  his  glorious  sermon  on  the  Mount, 
after  he  had  been  pronouncing  those  blessed,  who  were  poor 
in  spirit,  meek,  pure  in  heart,  and  such  like,  immediately  adds, 
(and  spends  no  less  than  three  verses  in  this  beatitude.)  "Blessed 
are  they  who  are  persecuted  for  righteousness'  sake."  No  one 
ever  was  or  ever  will  be  endowed  with  the  forementioned 
graces  in  any  degree,  but  he  will  be  persecuted  for  it  in  a  mea- 
sure. There  is  an  irreconcilable  enmity  between  the  seed  ot 
the  woman,  and  the  seed  of  the  serpent.  And  if  we  are  not  of 
the  world,  but  show  by  our  fruits  that  we  are  of  the  number 
of  those  whom  Jesus  Christ  has  chosen  out  of  the  world,  for 
that  very  reason  the  world  will  hate  us.  As  this  is  true  of 
every  particular  christian,  so  it  is  true  of  every  christian 
church  in  general.  For  some  years  past  we  have  heard  but 
little  of  a  public  persecution  :  why !  Because  but  little  of  t?ie 
power  of  godliness  has  prevailed  amongst  all  denominations. 
The  strong  man  armed  has  had  full  possession  of  most  profess- 
ors' hearts,  and  therefore  he  has  let  them  rest  in  a  false  peace. 
But  we  may  assure  ourselves,  when  Jesus  Christ  begins  to 
gather  in  his  elect  in  any  remarkable  manner,  and  opens  an 
effectual  door  for  preaching  the  everlasting  gospel,  persecution 
will  flame  out,  and  Satan  and  his  emissaries  will  do  their 
utmost  (though  all  in  vain)  to  stop  the  work  of  God.  Thus  it 
was  in  the  first  ages,  thus  it  is  in  our  days,  and  thus  it  will  be 
till  time  shall  be  no  more. 

Christians,  and  christian  churches  must  then  expect  enemies. 
Our  chief  concern  should  be,  to  learn  how  to  behave  towards 
them  in  a  christian  manner ;  for  unless  we  take  good  heed  to 
ourselves,  we  shall  embitter  our  spirits,  and  act  in  a  manner 
unbecoming  the  followers  of  that  Lord,  "  who,  when  he  was 
reviled,  reviled  not  again  ;  when  he  suffered,  threatened  not ; 
and,  as  a  lamb  before  his  shearers  is  dumb,  so  opened  he  not 


332  Saul's  conversion.  fSerm.  5. 

his  mouth."  But  what  motive  shall  Ave  make  use  of  to  bring 
ourselves  to  this  blessed  lamb-like  temper  ?  Next  to  the  im- 
mediate operation  of  the  Holy  Spirit  upon  our  hearts,  I  know 
of  no  consideration  more  conducive  to  teach  us  long  suffering 
towards  our  most  bitter  persecutors,  than  this,  "  That,  for  all 
that  we  know  to  the  contrary,  some  of  those  very  persons,  who 
are  now  persecuting,  may  be  chosen  from  all  eternity  by  God, 
and  hereafter  called  in  time,  to  edify  and  build  up  the  church 
of  Christ." 

The  persecutor  Saul,  mentioned  in  the  words  of  the  text, 
(and  whose  conversion,  God  willing,  I  propose  to  treat  of  in 
the  following  discourse)  is  a  noble  instance  of  this  kind. 

I  say,  a  persecutor,  and  that  a  bloody  one  :  for  see  how  he 
is  introduced  in  the  beginning  of  this  chapter  ;  "  and  Saul  yet 
breathing  out  threatenings  and  slaughter  against  the  disciples 
of  our  Lord,  went  unto  the  high  priest,  and  desired  of  him 
letters  to  Damascus  to  the  synagogues,  that  if  he  found  any  of 
THIS  WAY,  whether  they  were  men  or  women,  he  might  bring 
them  bound  to  Jerusalem." 

'•  And  Saul  yet  breathing  out."  This  implies  that  he  had 
been  a  persecutor  before.  To  prove  which,  we  need  only  look 
back  to  the  seventh  chapter,  where  we  shall  find  him  so  very 
remarkably  active  at  Stephen's  death,  that  the  "  witnesses  laid 
down  their  clothes  at  a  young  man's  feet,  whose  name  was 
Saul."  He  seems,  though  young,  to  be  in  some  authority. 
Perhaps,  for  his  zeal  against  the  christians,  he  was  preferred  in 
the  church,  and  was  allowed  to  sit  in  the  great  council  or  san- 
hedrim :  for  we  are  told,  chap.  viii.  ver.  1.  "  That  Saul  was 
consenting  unto  his  death ;"  and  again,  at  ver.  3,  he  is  brought 
in  as  exceeding  all  in  his  opposition  ;  for  thus  speaks  the  evan- 
gelist, "  as  for  Saul,  he  made  havoc  of  the  church,  entering 
into  every  house,  and  hailing  men  and  women,  committed  them 
to  prison."  One  would  have  imagined,  that  this  should  have 
satisfied,  at  least  abated  the  fury  of  this  young  zealot.  No  : 
being  exceedingly  mad  against  them,  as  he  himself  informs 
Agrippa,  and  having  made  havoc  of  all  in  Jerusalem,  he  now 
is  resolved  to  persecute  the  disciples  of  the  Lord,  CA^en  to  strange 
cities  ;  and  therefore  yet  breathing  out  threatening.  "  Breath- 
ing out."  The  words  are  A^ery  emphatical,  and  expressive  of 
his  bitter  enmity.  It  Avas  as  natural  to  him  now  to  threaten 
the  christians,  as  it  Avas  for  him  to  breathe  ;  he  could  scarcely 
speak,  but  it  Avas  some  threatenings  against  them.  Nay,  he 
not  only  breathed  out  threatenings,  but  slaughter  also,  (and 
those  Avho  threaten,  Avould  also  slaughter,  if  it  were  in  their 
poAver)  against  the  disciples  of  the  Lord.  Insatiable  therefore 
as  hell,  finding  he  could  not  refute  or  stop  the  christians  by 


Serm.  5.]  saul's  conversion.  '  353 

force  of  argument,  he  is  resolved  to  do  it  by  force  of  arms  ; 
and  therefore  went  to  the  high  priest  (for  there  never  was  a 
persecution  yet  without  a  high  priest  at  the  head  of  it)  and  de- 
sired of  him  letters,  issued  out  of  his  spiritual  court,  to  the 
synagogues  or  ecclesiajstical  courts  at  Damascus,  giving  him 
authority,  "  that,  if  he  found  any  of  this  way,  whether  they 
were  men  or  Avomen.  he  might  bring  them  bound  unto  Jerusa- 
lem," I  suppose  to  be  arraigned  and  condemned  in  the  high 
priest's  court.  Observe  how  he  speaks  of  the  christians.  Luke, 
who  wrote  the  Acts,  calls  them  disciples  of  the  Lord,  and  Saul 
styles  them  men  and  women  of  this  xcay.  I  doubt  not  but  he 
represented  them  as  a  company  of  upstart  enthusiasts,  that  had 
lately  gotten  into  a  new  method  or  way  of  living  ;  that  would 
not  be  content  with  the  temple  service,  but  they  must  be  right- 
eous over  much,  and  have  their  private  meetings  or  conventi- 
cles ;  and  break  bread,  as  they  called  it,  from  house  to  house, 
to  the  great  disturbance  of  the  established  clergy,  and  to  the 
utter  subversion  of  all  order  and  decency.  I  do  not  hear  that 
the  high  priest  makes  any  objection :  no,  he  was  as  willing  to 
grant  letters,  as  Saul  was  to  ask  them  ;  and  wonderfully  pleased 
within  himself,  to  find  he  had  such  an  active  zealot  to  employ 
against  the  christians. 

Well  then,  a  judicial  process  is  immediately  issued  out,  with 
the  high  priest's  seal  affixed  to  it.  And  now  methinks  I  see 
the  young  persecutor  finely  equipped,  and  pleasing  himself 
with  thoughts  how  triumphantly  he  should  ride  back  with  men 
and  women  of  this  way,  dragging  after  him  to  Jerusalem. 

What  a  condition  may  we  imagine  the  poor  disciples  at 
Damascus  were  in  at  this  time  !  No  doubt  they  had  heard  of 
Saul's  imprisoning  and  making  havoc  of  the  saints  at  Jerusa- 
lem, and  we  may  well  suppose  were  apprised  of  his  design 
against  them.  I  am  persuaded  this  was  a  growing,  because  a 
trying  time  with  these  dear  people.  O  how  did  they  wrestle 
with  God  in  prayer,  beseeching  him  either  to  deliver  them  from, 
or  give  them  grace  sufficient  to  enable  them  to  bear  up  under 
the  fury  of  their  persecutors  ?  The  high  priest  doubtless  with 
the  rest  of  his  reverend  brethren,  flattered  themselves,  that  they 
should  now  put  an  effectual  stop  to  this  growing  heresy,  and 
waited  with  impatience  for  Saul's  return. 

But,  "  He  that  sitteth  in  heaven  laughs  them  to  scorn,  the 
Lord  has  them  in  derision."  And  therefore,  verse  3.  "  As  Saul 
journeyed,  and  came  even  near  unto  Damascus,"  perhaps  to 
the  very  gates,  (our  Lord  permitting  this,  to  try  the  faith  of  his 
disciples,  and  more  conspicuously  to  baffle  the  designs  of  his 
enemies)  "suddenly  (at  mid-day,  as  he  acquaints  Agrippa) 
there  shined  round  about  him  a  light  from  heaven,"  a  light 

30* 


354  Saul's  conversion.  [Serm.  5. 

brig:hter  than  the  sun :  "  and  he  fell  to  the  earth,  (why  not  into 
hell  ?)  and  heard  a  voice  saying  unto  him,  Saul,  Saul,  why 
persecutcst  thou  me  ?"  The'  word  is  doubled,  Saul,  Saul :  like 
that  of  our  Lord  to  Martha ;  Martha,  Martha ;  or  the  prophet, 
O  earth,  earth,  earth  !  Perhaps  tliese  words  came  like  thundei 
to  his  soul.  That  they  were  spoken  audibly,  we  are  assured 
fr)m  verse  7.     His  companions  heard  the  voice. 

Onr  Lord  now  arrests  the  persecuting  zealot,  calling  him  by 
name ;  for  the  word  never  does  us  good,  till  we  find  it  spoken 
to  us  in  particular.  "Saul,  Saul,  why  persecutest  thou  me?" 
Put  the  emphasis  upon  the  word  whi/,  what  evil  have  I  done  ? 
Put  it  upon  the  word  persecutest,  why  persecutest !  I  suppose 
Saul  thought  he  was  not  persecuting ;  no,  he  was  only  putting 
t;ie  laws  of  the  ecclesiastical  court  into  execution  ;  but  Jesus, 
whose  eyes  are  as  a  flame  of  fire,  saw  through  the  hypocrisy 
of  his  heart,  that,  notwithstanding  his  specious  pretenses,  all 
this  proceeded  from  a  persecuting  spirit,  and  secret  enmity  of 
heart  against  God  ;  and  therefore  says,  "  Why  persecutest  thou 
ME?"  Put  the  emphasis  upon  the  word  me,  Why  persecutest 
thou  me  ?  Alas  !  Saul  was  not  persecuting  Christ,  was  he  ? 
He  was  only  taking  care  to  prevent  innovations  in  the  church, 
and  bringing  a  company  of  enthusiasts  to  justice,  who  other- 
wise would  overturn  the  established  constitution.  But  Jesus 
says,  "  Why  persecutest  thou  me  ?"  For  what  is  done  to 
Christ's  disciples,  he  takes  as  done  to  himself,  whether  it  be 
good  or  whether  it  be  evil.  He  that  touches  Christ's  disciples, 
touches  the  apple  of  his  eye ;  and  they  that  persecute  the  fol- 
lowers of  our  Lord  would  persecute  our  Lord  himself,  were  he 
again  to  come  and  tabernacle  amongst  us. 

I  do  not  find  that  Saul  gives  any  reason  why  he  did  perse- 
cute ;  no,  he  was  struck  dumb  ;  as  every  persecutor  will  be, 
when  Jesus  Christ  puts  the  same  question  to  them  at  the  ter- 
rible day  of  judgment.  But  being  pricked  at  the  heart,  no 
doubt  with  a  sense  not  only  of  this,  but  of  all  his  other  ofllgnses 
against  the  great  God,  he  said,  ver.  5.  "  Who  art  thou.  Lord  ?" 
See  how  soon  God  can  change  the  heart  and  voice  of  his  most 
bitter  enemies.  Not  many  days  ago,  Saul  was  not  only  blas- 
pheming Christ  himself,  but,  as  much  as  in  him  lay,  compelling 
others  to  blaspheme  also :  but  now,  he  who  before  was  an  im- 
postor, is  called  Lord ;  "  who  art  thou.  Lord  ?"  This  admira- 
bly points  out  the  way  in  which  God's  spirit  works  upon  the 
heart :  It  first  powerfully  convinces  of  sin,  and  of  our  damna- 
ble state  ;  and  then  puis  us  upon  inquiring  after  Jesus  Christ. 
Saul  being  struck  to  the  ground,  or  pricked  to  the  heart,  cries 
out  after  Jesus,  "  Who  art  thou,  Lord  ?"  As  many  of  you  that 
were  never  so  far  made  sensible  of  your  damnable  state,  as  to 


Serm.  5.]  saul's  conversion.  355 

be  made  feelingly  to  seek  after  Jesus  Christ,  were  never  yet 
truly  convicted  by,  much  less  converted  to,  God.  May  the 
Lord  who  struck  Saul,  effectually  now  strike  all  my  Christless 
hearers,  and  set  them  upon  inquiring  after  Jesus,  as  their  all 
in  ALL  !  Saul  said,  "  Who  art  thou.  Lord  ?  And  the  Lord 
said,  I  am  Jesus,  whom  thou  persecutest."  Never  did  any  one 
inquire  truly  after  Jesus  Christ,  but  Christ  made  a  saving  dis- 
covery of  himself  to  his  soul.  It  should  seem,  our  Lord  ap- 
peared to  him  in  person  ;  for  Ananias  afterwards  says,  "  the 
Lord  who  appeared  to  thee  in  the  way  which  thou  camest ;" 
though  this  may  not  only  imply  Christ's  meeting  him  in  the 
way  ;  it  is  not  much  matter.  It  is  plain  Christ  here  speaks  to 
him,  and  says,  "  I  am  Jesus  whom  thou  persecutest."  It  is  re- 
markable, how  our  Lord  takes  to  himself  the  name  of  Jesus  ; 
for  it  is  a  name  in  which  he  delights.  I  am  Jesus,  a  Savior  of 
my  people,  both  from  the  guilt  and  power  of  their  sins ;  a 
''  Jesus,  whom  thou  persecutest."  This  seems  to  be  spoken  to 
convince  Saul  more  and  more  of  his  sin  ;  and  I  doubt  not, 
but  every  word  was  sharper  than  a  two-edged  sword,  and  came 
like  so  many  daggers  to  his  heart.  O,  how  did  these  words 
affect  him !  A  Jesus  !  a  Savior  !  and  yet  1  am  persecuting 
him  !  This  strikes  him  with  horror;  but  then  the  word  Jesus, 
though  he  was  a  persecutor,  might  give  him  some  hope.  How- 
ever, our  dear  Lord,  to  convince  Saul  that  he  was  to  be  saved 
by  grace,  and  that  he  was  not  afraid  of  his  power  and  enmity, 
tells  him,  "  It  is  hard  for  thee  to  kick  against  the  pricks."  As 
much  as  to  say,  though  he  was  persecuting,  yet  he  could  not 
overthrow  the  church  of  Christ :  for  he  would  set  as  King 
upon  his  holy  hill  of  Zion  ;  the  malice  of  men  or  devils  should 
never  be  able  to  prevail  against  him. 

Ver.  6.  '•  And  he,  trembling  and  astonished,  said,  Lord,  what 
wilt  thou  have  me  to  do  V  Those,  who  think  Saul  had  a  dis- 
covery of  Jesus  made  to  his  heart  before,  think  that  this  ques- 
tion is  the  result  of  his  faith,  and  that  he  now  desires  to  know 
what  he  shall  do,  out  of  gratitude,  for  what  the  Lord  had  done 
for  his  soul ;  in  this  sense  it  may  be  understood,*  and  I  have 
made  use  of  it  as  an  instance  to  prove  that  faith  will  work  by 
love  ;  but  perhaps  it  may  be  more  agreeable  to  the  context,  if 
we  suppose  that  Saul  had  only  some  distant  discovery  of  Christ 
made  to  him,  and  not  a  full  assurance  of  faith  ;  for  we  are  told, 
'•he  trembling  and  astonished,"  trembling  at  the  thoughts  of 
his  persecuting  a  Jesus,  and  astonished  at  his  own  vileness,  and 
the  infinite  condescension  of  this  Jesus,  cries  out,  "  Lord,  what 
wilt  thou  have  me  to  do  ?"     Persons  under  soul-trouble,  and 

♦  See  my  Sermon  on  What  think  ye  of  Christ  ? 


356  SAUL^s  CONVERSION.  [Sem.  5. 

sore  conviction,  would  be  glad  to  do  any  thing,  or  comply  on 
any  terms,  to  get  peace  with  God.  "  Arise,"  says  our  Lord, 
"  and  go  into  the  city,  and  it  shall  be  told  thee  what  thou 
shalt  do." 

And  here  we  will  leave  Saul  awhile,  and  see  what  is  become 
of  his  companions.  But  what  shall  we  say?  God  is  a  sove- 
reign agent;  his  sacred  Spirit  bloweth  when  and  where  it 
hsteth  ;  "  He  will  have  mercy  on  whom  he  will  have  mercy." 
Saul  is  taken,  but,  as  far  as  we  know  to  the  contrary,  his  fel- 
low travelers  are  left  to  perish  in  their  sins  ;  for  we  are  told, 
ver.  7.  "  That  the  men  who  journeyed  with  him  stood,  indeed 
speechless,  and  hearing  a  confused  voice."  I  say  a  confused 
voice,  for  so  the  word  signifies,  and  must  be  so  interpreted,  in 
order  to  reconcile  it  with  chap.  xxii.  ver.  9.  where  Saul  giving 
an  account  of  these  men,  tells  Agrippa,  "  They  heard  not  the 
voice  of  him  that  spake  to  me."  They  heard  a  voice,  a  con- 
fused noise,  but  not  the  articulate  voice  of  him  that  spake  to 
Saul,  and  therefore  remained  unconverted.  For  what  are  all 
ordinances,  all,  even  the  most  extraordinary  dispensations  of 
providence,  without  Christ  speaks  to  the  soul  in  them  ?  Thus 
it  is  now  under  the  word  preached :  many,  like  Saul's  com- 
panions, are  sometimes  so  struck  with  the  out-goings  of  God 
appearing  in  the  sanctuary,  that  they  even  stand  speechless : 
they  hear  the  preacher's  voice,  but  not  the  voice  of  the  Son  of 
God,  who,  perhaps,  at  the  same  time  is  speaking  effectually  to 
many  other  hearts  ;  this  I  have  known  often  ;  and  what  shall 
we  say  to  these  things  ?  O  the  depth  of  the  sovereignty  of 
God  !  It  is  past  finding:  out.  Lord.  I  desire  to  adore  what  I 
cannot  comprehend.  "Even  so, Father,  for  so  it  seemeth  good 
in  thy  sight !" 

But  to  return  to  Saul.  The  Lord  bids  him  arise  and  go  into 
the  city  ;  and  we  are  told,  verse  8.  that  ''  Saul  arose  from  the 
earth ;  and  when  his  eyes  were  opened,"  (for  he  was  so  over- 
powered with  the  greatness  of  the  light  that  shone  upon  them, 
that)  "  he  saw  no  man  ;  but  they  led  him  by  the  hand,  and 
brought  him  into  Damascus,"  that  very  city  which  was  to  be 
the  place  of  his  executing  or  imprisoning  the  disciples  of  the 
Lord.  "  And  he  was  three  days  without  sight,  and  neither  did 
eat  nor  drink."  But  who  can  tell  what  horrors  of  conscience, 
what  convulsion  of  soul,  what  deep  and  pungent  convictions 
of  sin  he  underwent  during  these  three  long  days  ?  It  was  this 
that  took  away  his  appetite,  (for  who  can  eat  or  drink  when 
under  a  sense  of  the  wrath  of  God  for  sin  ?)  and,  being  to  be 
greatly  employed  hereafter,  he  must  be  greatly  humbled  now ; 
therefore  the  Lord  leaves  him  three  days  groaning  under  the 
spirit  of  bondage,  and  buffeted,  no  doubt,  with  the  fiery  darts 


Serm.  5.]  saul's  conversion.  357 

of  the  devil,  that,  being  tempted  like  unto  his  brethren,  he 
might  be  able  hereafter,  to  succor  those  that  were  tempted. 
Had  Saul  applied  to  any  of  the  blind  guides  of  the  Jewish 
church  under  these  circumstances,  they  would  have  said  he 
was  mad,  or  going  beside  himself;  as  many  carnal  teachers 
and  blind  pharisees  now  deal  with,  and  so  more  and  more  dis- 
tress poor  souls  laboring  under  awakening  convictions  of  their 
damnable  state.  But  God  often  at  our  first  awakenings,  visits 
us  with  sore  trials,  especially  those  who  are,  like  Saul,  to  shine 
in  the  church,  and  to  be  used  as  instruments  in  bringing  many 
sons  to  glory :  those  who  are  to  be  highly  exalted,  must  first 
be  deeply  humbled  ;  and  this  I  speak  for  the  comfort  of  those, 
who  may  be  now  groaning  under  the  spirit  of  bondage,  and 
perhaps,  like  Saul,  can  neither  eat  nor  drink ;  for  I  have  gene- 
rally observed,  that  those  who  have  had  the  deepest  convic- 
tions, have  afterwards  been  favored  with  the  most  precious 
communications,  and  enjoyed  most  of  the  divine  presence  in 
their  souls.  This  was  afterwards  remarkably  exemplified  in 
Saul,  who  was  three  days  without  sight,  and  neither  did  eat 
nor  drink. 

But  will  the  Lord  leave  his  poor  servant  in  this  distress  ? 
No.  His  Jesus  (though  Saul  persecuted  him)  promised  and  he 
will  perform  that  it  "should  be  told  him  what  he  must  do. 
And  there  was  a  certain  disciple  at  Damascus,  named  Ananias, 
and  unto  him,  said  the  Lord  in  a  vision,  Ananias  ;  and  he  said, 
Behold,  I  am  here.  Lord."  What  a  holy  famiharity  is  there 
between  Jesus  Christ  and  regenerate  souls  !  Ananias  had  been 
used  to  such  love  visits,  and  therefore,  knew  the  voice  of  his 
beloved.  The  Lord  says,  Ananias ;  Ananias  says,  "Behold, 
I  am  here,  Lord."  Thus  it  is  that  Christ  now,  as  well  as  for- 
merly, often  talks  with  his  children  at  sundry  times,  and  after 
divers  manners,  as  a  man  talketh  with  his  friend.  But  what 
has  the  Lord  to  say  to  Ananias  ? 

Verse  11.  "And  the  Lord  said  unto  him,  arise,  and  go  into 
the  street,  which  is  called  Straight,  and  inquire  in  the  house  of 
Judas,  for  one  called  Saul  of  Tarsus  ;"  (see  here  for  your  com- 
fort, O  children  of  the  most  high  God,  what  notice  Jesus  Christ 
takes  of  the  street,  and  the  house  where  his  own  dear  servants 
lodge)  "  for  behold,  he  prayeth  ;"  but  why  is  this  ushered  in 
with  the  word  behold  7  What,  was  it  such  a  wonder  to  hear 
that  Saul  was  praying  ?  Why,  Saul  was  a  pharisee,  and  there- 
fore, no  doubt,  fasted  and  made  long  prayers  ;  and,  since  we  are 
told  that  he  profited  above  many  of  his  equals,  I  doubt  not  but  he 
was  taken  notice  of  for  his  gift  in  prayer  :  and  yet  it  seems, 
that  before  these  three  days,  Saul  never  prayed  in  his  life  : 
and  why  ?  Because,  before  these  three  days,  he  never  felt  himself 


358  Saul's  conversion.  [Serm.  5. 

a  condemned  creature ;  he  was  alive  in  his  own  opinion,  because 
without  a  knowledge  of  the  spiritual  meaning  of  the  law  ;  he 
felt  not  a  want  of,  and  therefore,  before  now,  cried  not  after  a 
Jesus,  and  consequently,  though  he  might  have  said,  or  made 
a  prayer,  as  many  Pharisees  do  in  these  days,  he  never  uttered 
a  prayer  ;  but  now,  behold  !  he  prayed  indeed  ;  and  this  was 
urged  as  one  reason  why  he  was  converted.  None  of  God's 
children,  as  one  observes,  come  into  the  world  still-born  ;  prayer 
is  the  very  breath  of  a  new  creature  ;  and  therefore,  if  we  are 
prayerless,  we  are  Christless  ;  if  we  never  had  the  spirit  of 
supplication,  it  is  a  sad  sign  that  we  never  had  the  spirit  of 
grace  in  our  souls  ;  and  you  may  be  assured  you  never  did 
pray,  unless  you  have  felt  yourselves  sinners,  and  seen  the 
want  of  Jesus  to  be  your  Savior.  May  the  Lord,  whom  I  serve 
in  the  gospel  of  his  dear  Son,  prick  you  all  to  the  heart,  and 
may  it  be  said  of  you  all  as  it  was  of  Saul,  Behold,  they  pray ! 

The  Lord  goes  on  to  encourage  Ananias  to  go  to  Saul :  says 
he,  verse  12.  "  For  he  hath  seen  in  a  vision  a  man  named 
Ananias,  coming  in,  and  putting  his  hand  on  him,  that  he 
might  receive  his  sight."  So  that  though  Christ  converted 
Saul  immediately  by  himself,  yet  he  will  carry  on  the  work, 
thus  begun,  by  a  minister.  Happy  they,  who  under  soul  trou- 
bles have  such  experienced  guides,  and  as  well  acquainted  with 
Jesus  Christ  as  Ananias  was  :  you  that  have  such,  make  much 
of  and  be  thankful  for  them ;  and  you  who  have  them  not, 
trust  in  God  ;  he  will  carry  on  his  own  work  without  them. 

Doubtless,  Ananias  was  a  good  man  ;  but  shall  I  commend 
him  for  his  answer  to  our  Lord  ?  I  commend  him  not ;  for 
says  he,  verse  13.  "  Lord,  I  have  heard  by  many  of  this  man, 
liow  much  evil  he  has  done  to  thy  saints  at  Jerusalem :  and 
here  he  hath  authority  from  the  chief  priests  to  bind  all  that 
call  upon  thy  name."  I  fear  this  answer  proceeded  from  some 
relics  of  self-righteousness,  as  well  as  infidelity,  that  lay  undis- 
covered in  the  heart  of  Ananias.  "Arise,  (said  our  Lord)  and 
go  into  the  street,  which  is  called  Straight,  and  inquire  in 
the  house  of  Judas,  for  one  called  Saul  of  Tarsus  ;  for  behold 
lie  prayeth  !"  One  would  think  this  was  sufficient  to  satisfy 
him :  but  says  Ananias,  "  Lord  I  have  heard  by  many  of  this 
man"  (he  seems  to  speak  of  him  with  much  contempt ;  for 
even  good  men  are  apt  to  think  too  contemptuously  of  those 
who  are  yet  in  their  sins)  '•  how  much  evil  he  hath  done  to  thy 
saints  ifi  Jerusalem  ;  and  here,  he  hath  authority  from  the  chief 
priests,  to  bind  all  that  call  upon  thy  name."  And  what  then, 
Ananias  ?  Is  any  thing  too  hard  for  the  Lord  ?  AVho  made 
thee  to  differ  ?  Could  not  he  who  converted  thee,  convert  him 
also  !    Surely  Ananias  here  forgets  himself,  or  perhaps  fears, 


Serm.  5.]  saul's  conversion.  359 

lest  this  man,  who  had  authority  from  the  chief  priests  to  bind 
all  that  call  upon  Christ's  name,  should  bind  him  also,  if  he 
went  unto  him  ;  but  the  Lord  silences  all  objections,  with  a 
'  Go  thy  way,  for  he  is  a  chosen  vessel  unto  me,  to  bear  my 
name  before  the  Gentiles,  and  kings,  and  the  children  of  Israel. 
For  I  will  show  him  how  great  things  he  must  suffer  for  my 
name's  sake."  Here  God  stops  his  mouth  immediately,  by  as- 
serting his  sovereignty,  and  preaching  to  him  the  doctrine  of 
election.  And  the  frequent  conversion  of  notorious  sinners  to 
God,  to  me  is  one  great  proof,  amongst  a  thousand  others,  of 
that  precious,  but  too  much  exploded,  and  sadly  misrepresented 
doctrine  of  God's  electing  love ;  for  whence  is  it  that  such  are  ta- 
ken, whilst  thousands  not  near  so  vile,  die  senseless  and  stupid? 
All  the  answer  that  can  be  given,  is,  "  They  are  chosen  vessels ; 
Go  thy  way,  (says  God)  for  he  is  a  chosen  vessel  unto  me,  to 
bear  my  name  before  the  Gentiles,  and  kings,  and  the  children 
of  Israel ;  for  I  will  show  him  how  great  things  he  must  suffer 
for  my  name's  sake."  Observe  what  a  close  connection  there 
is  between  doing  and  suffering  for  Christ.  If  any  of  my  breth- 
ren in  the  ministry  are  present,  let  them  hear  what  preferment 
we  must  expect,  if  we  are  called  out  to  work  remarkably  for 
God  ;  not  ^reat  prebendaries  or  bishoprics,  but  great  sufferings 
for  our  Lord's  name  sake ;  these  are  the  fruits  of  our  labor ;  and 
he  that  will  not  contentedly  suffer  great  things  for  preaching 
Christ,  is  not  worthy  of  him.  Suffering  will  be  found  to  be  the 
best  preferment,  when  we  are  called  to  give  an  account  of  our 
ministry  at  the  great  day. 

I  do  not  hear,  that  Ananias  quarreled  with  God  concerning 
the  doctrine  of  election  *  no  ;  O  that  all  good  men  would,  in 
this,  learn  of  him!  "He  went  his  way,  and  entered  into  the 
house ;  and  put  his  hands  on  him,  and  said,  brother  Saul ;" 
just  now  it  was  this  nian ;  now  it  is  brother  Saul:  It  is  no 
matter  what  a  man  has  been,  if  he  be  now  a  christian ;  the 
same  should  be  our  brother,  our  sister,  and  mother ;  God  blots 
out  every  convert's  transgressions  as  with  a  thick  cloud,  and  so 
should  we ;  the  more  vile  a  man  has  been,  the  more  should  we 
love  him  when  believing  in  Christ,  because  Christ  will  be  more 
glorified  on  his  behalf  I  doubt  not,  but  Ananias  was  wonder- 
fully delighted  to  hear  that  so  remarkable  a  persecutor  was 
brought  home  to  God  !  I  am  persuaded  he  felt  his  soul  immedi- 
ately united  to  him  by  love,  and  therefore  addresses  him  not  with 
''Thou  persecutor,  Thou  murderer,  that  comest  to  butcher 
me  and  my  friends  ;  but,  brother  Saul."  It  is  remarkable  that 
the  primitive  christians  much  used  the  word  brother  and  breth- 
ren ;  I  know  it  is  a  term  now  much  in  reproach ;  but  those 
who  despise  it,  I  believe  would  be  glad  to  be  of  our  brother- 


360  Saul's  conversion.  [Serm.  5. 

hood,  when  they  see  us  sitting  at  the  right  hand  of  the  Majes- 
ty on  high.  "  Brother  Saul,'  the  Lord  (even  Jesus  that  ap- 
peared unto  thee  in  the  way  as  thou  earnest)  hath  sent  me, 
that  thou  mightest  receive  thy  sight,  and  be  filled  with  the 
Holy  Ghost,"  At  this  time,  we  may  suppose,  he  laid  his  hands 
upon  him.     See  the  consequences. 

Verse  18.  "Immediately  there  fell  from  his  eyes  as  it  had 
been  scales,  and  he  received  sight  forthwith  ;"  and  not  only  bodi- 
ly, but  spiritual  sight ;  he  emerged  as  it  were  into  a  new 
world ;  he  saw,  and  felt  too,  things  unutterable ;  he  felt  a 
union  of  soul  with  God ;  he  received  the  spirit  of  adoption ; 
he  could  now,  with  a  full  assurance  of  faith,  cry,  Abba,  Fa- 
ther. Now  was  he  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost ;  and  had  the 
love  of  God  shed  abroad  in  his  heart ;  now  were  the  days  of 
his  mourning  ended ;  now  was  Christ  formed  in  his  soul ; 
now  he  could  give  men  and  devils  the  challenge,  knowing 
that  Christ  had  justified  him ;  now  he  saw  the  excellences  of 
Christ,  and  esteemed  him  the  fairest  among  ten  thousand. 
You  only  know  how  to  sympathize  with  the  apostle  in  his  joy, 
who,  after  a  long  night  of  bondage,  have  been  set  free  by  the 
Spirit,  and  have  received  joy  in  the  Holy  Ghost.  May  all  that 
are  now  mourning,  as  Saul  was,  be  comforted  in  like  rnanner  ! 

The  scales  then  are  now  removed  from  the  eyes  of  Saul's 
mind ;  Ananias  has  done  that  for  him,  under  God :  he  must 
now  do  another  oflice — baptize  him,  and  so  receive  him  into 
the  visible  church  of  Christ ;  a  good  proof  to  me  of  the  neces- 
sity of  baptism  where  it  may  be  had :  for  I  find  here,  as  well 
as  elsewhere,  that  baptism  is  administered  even  to  those  who 
had  received  the  Holy  Ghost ;  Saul  was  convinced  of  this, 
and  therefore  arose  and  was  baptized  ;  and  now  it  is  time  for 
him  to  recruit  the  outward  man,  which,  by  three  days  absti- 
nence and  spiritual  conflicts,  had  been  much  impaired:  we 
are  therefore  told,  (verse  19.)  "when  he  had  received  meat, 
he  was  strengthened." 

But  O,  with  what  comfort  did  the  apostle  now  eat  his  food  ? 
I  am  sure  it  was  with  singleness,  I  am  persuaded  also  with 
gladness  of  heart :  and  why '?  He  knew  that  he  was  reconciled 
to  God ;  and,  for  my  own  part,  did  I  not  know  how  blind  and 
flinty  our  hearts  are  by  nature,  I  should  wonder  how  any  one 
could  eat  even  his  common  food  with  any  satisfaction,  who 
has  not  some  well  grounded  hope  of  his  being  reconciled  to 
God.  Our  Lord  intimates  thus  much  to  us,  for  in  his  glori- 
ous prayer,  after  he  has  taught  us  to  pray  for  our  daily  bread, 
immediately  adds  that  petition,  "forgive  us  our  trespasses;"  as 
though  our  daily  bread  would  do  us  no  service,  unless  we  wero 
sensible  of  having  the  forgiveness  of  our  sins. 


Serm.  5.]  saul's  conversion.  361 

To  proceed:  Saul  hath  receiv^ed  meat,  and  is  strengthened; 
ajid  whither  will  he  go  now?  To  see  the  hrethren ;  "then 
was  Saul  certain  days  with  the  disciples  that  were  at  Damas- 
cus." If  we  know  and  love  Christ,  we  shall  also  love,  and 
desire  to  be  acquainted  with  the  brethren  of  Christ:  We  may 
generally  know  a  man  by  his  company.  And  though  all  are 
not  saints  that  associate  with  saints,  (for  tares  will  be  always 
springing  up  amongst  the  wheat  till  the  time  of  harvest,)  yet, 
if  we  never  keep  company,  but  are  shy  and  ashamed  of  the 
despised  children  of  God,  it  is  a  certain  sign  we  have  not  yet 
experimentally  learned  Jesus,  or  received  him  into  our  hearts. 
My  dear  friends,  be  not  deceived :  if  we  are  friends  to  the 
bridegroom,  we  shall  be  friends  to  the  children  of  the  bride- 
groom. Saul,  as  soon  as  he  was  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost, 
"  was  certain  days  with  the  disciples  that  were  at  Damascus." 

But  who  can  tell  what  joy  these  disciples  felt  when  Saul 
Cftme  amongst  them !  I  suppose  holy  Ananias  introduced  him. 
Methinks  I  see  the  once  persecuting  zealot,  when  they  came 
to  salute  him  with  a  holy  kiss,  throwing  himself  upon  each  of 
their  necks,  weeping  over  them  with  floods  of  tears,  and  saying, 
*•  O  my  brother,  O  my  sister,  Can  you  forgive  me  ?  Can  you 
give  such  a  wretch  as  I  the  right  hand  of  fellowship,  Avho  in- 
tended to  drag  you  behind  me  bound  unto  Jerusalem !"  Thus, 
I  say,  we  may  suppose  Saul  addressed  himself  to  his  fellow 
disciples ;  and  I  doubt  not  but  they  were  as  ready  to  forgive 
and  forget  as  Ananias  was,  and  saluted  him  with  the  endear- 
ing title  of  brother  Saul.  Lovely  was  this  meeting ;  so  lovely, 
that  it  seemed  Saul  continued  certain  days  with  them,  to  com- 
municate experiences,  and  to  learn  the  way  of  God  more  per- 
fectly, to  pray  for  a  blessing  on  his  future  ministry,  and  to 
praise  Christ  Jesus  for  what  he  had  done  for  their  souls.  Saul, 
perhaps,  had  sat  certain  years  at  the  feet  of  Gamaliel,  but  un- 
doubtedly learnt  more  these  certain  days,  than  he  had  learnt 
before  in  all  his  life.  It  pleases  me  to  think  how  this  great 
scholar  is  transformed  by  the  renewing  of  his  mind  :  what  a 
mighty  change  was  here  !  That  so  great  a  man  as  Saul  was, 
both  as  to  his  station  in  life,  and  internal  qualifications,  and 
such  a  bitter  enemy  to  the  christians  ;  for  him,  I  say,  to  go  and 
be  certain  days  with  the  people  of  this  mad  way^  and  to  sit 
quietly,  and  be  taught  of  illiterate  men,  as  many  of  these  dis- 
ciples we  may  be  sure  were,  what  a  substantial  proof  was  this 
of  the  reality  of  his  conversion  ! 

What  a  hurry  and  confusion  may  we  suppose  the  chief 
priests  now  were  in  !  I  warrant  they  were  ready  to  cry  out, 
what !  is  he  also  deceived  ?  As  for  the  common  people,  who 
knew  not  the  law  and  are  accursed,  for  them  to  be  carried 

31 


362  •  >  Saul's  conversiox.  [Serm.  5. 

away,  is  no  such  Avonder ;  but  for  a  man  bred  up  at  the  feet 
of  Gamahel,  for  such  a  scholar,  such  an  enemy  to  the  cause 
as  Saul ;  for  him  to  be  led  away  with  a  company  of  silly,  de- 
ceived men  and  women,  surely  it  is  impossible.  We  cannot 
believe  it.  But  Saul  soon  convinces  them  of  the  reality  of  his 
becoming  a  fool  for  Christ's  sake.  For  straightway,  instead  of 
going  to  deliver  the  letters  from  the  high  priests,  as  they  ex- 
pected, in  order  to  bring  the  disciples  that  were  at  Damascus 
bound  to  Jerusalem,  "he  preached  Christ  in  the  synagogues, 
that  he  is  the  Son  of  God."  This  was  another  proof  of  his 
being  converted.  He  not  only  conversed  with  christians  in 
private,  but  he  preached  Christ  publicly  in  the  synagogues. 
Especially,  he  insisted  on  the  divinity  of  our  Lord,  proving, 
notwithstanding  his  state  of  humihation,  that  he  was  really 
the  Son  of  God. 

But  why  did  Saul  preach  Christ  thus  ?  Because  he  had 
felt  the  power  of  Christ  upon  his  own  soul.  And  here  is  the 
reason  why  Christ  is  so  seldom  preached,  and  his  divinity  so 
slightly  insisted  on  in  our  synagogues,  because  the  generality 
of  ^hose  that  pretend  to  preach  him,  never  felt  a  saving  work , 
of  conversion  upon  their  own  souls.  How  can  they  preach, 
unless  they  are  first  taught  of,  and  then  sent  by  God  ?  Saul 
did  not  preach  Christ  before  he  knew  him ;  no  more  should 
any  one  else.  An  unconverted  minister,  though  he  could 
speak  with  the  tongues  of  men  and  angels,  will  be  but  as  sound- 
ing brass  and  tinkling  cymbal  to  those  whose  senses  are  exer- 
cised to  discern  spiritual  thinos.  Ministers  that  are  unconverted, 
may  talk  and  declaim  of  Christ,  and  prove  from  books  that  he 
is  the  Son  of  God ;  but  they  cannot  preach  with  the  demon- 
stration of  the  Spirit  and  with  power,  unless  they  preach  from 
experience,  and  have  had  a  proof  of  his  divinity,  by  a  work 
of  grace  wrought  upon  their  own  souls.  God  forgive  those 
who  lay  hands  on  an  unconverted  man,  knowing  that  he  is 
such  :  I  would  not  do  it  for  a  thousand  worlds.  Lord  Jesus, 
keep  thy  own  faithful  servants  pure,  and  let  them  not  be  then 
partakers  of  other  men's  sins  ! 

Such  an  instance  as  was  Saul's  conversion,  we  may  be  as- 
sured, must  make  a  great  deal  of  noise  ;  and  therefore,  no  won- 
der we  are  told,  ver.  21,  "  But  all  that  heard  him  were  amazed, 
and  said.  Is  not  this  he  that  destroyed  them  who  called  on  this 
name  in  Jerusalem,  and  came  hither  for  that  intent,  that  he 
might  bring  them  bound  to  the  chief  priests  ?" 

Thus  it  will  be  with  all  that  appear  publicly  for  Jesus  Christ; 
and  it  is  as  impossible  for  a  true  christian  to  be  hid,  as  a  city 
built  upon  a  hill.  Brethren,  if  you  are  faithful  to,  you  must 
be  reproached  and  have  remarks  made  on  you  for  Christ; 


Serm.  5.]  saul's  conversion.  363 

especially  if  you  have  been  remarkably  wicked  before  your 
conversion.  Your  friends  say,  is  not  this  he,  or  she,  who  a 
little  while  ago  would  run  to  as  great  excess  of  riot  and  vanity 
as  the  worst  of  us  all  ?  What  has  turned  your  brain  ?  Or  if 
you  have  been  close,  false,  formal  hypocrites,  as  Saul  was,  they 
will  wonder  that  you  should  be  so  deceived,  as  to  think  you 
were  not  in  a  safe  state  before.  No  doubt,  numbers  were  sur- 
prised to  hear  Saul,  who  was  touching  the  law  blameless, 
affirm  that  he  was  in  a  damnable  condition,  (as  in  all  proba- 
bility he  did)  a  few  days  before. 

Brethren,  you  must  expect  to  meet  with  many  such  difficul- 
ties as  these.  The  scourge  of  the  tongue  is  generally  the  first 
cross  we  are  called  to  bear  for  the  sake  of  Christ.  Let  not, 
therefore,  this  move  you  :  It  did  not  intimidate,  no,  it  rather 
encouraged  Saul. 

Says  the  text,  "  But  Saul  increased  the  more  in  strength,  and 
confounded  the  Jews  who  dwelt  at  Damascus,  proving  that 
this  is  very  Christ."  Opposition  never  yet  did,  nor  ever  will 
hurt  a  sincere  convert.  Nothing  like  opposition  to  make  the 
man  of  God  perfect.  None  but  a  hireling,  who  careth  not  for 
the  sheep,  will  be  aff'rio^hted  at  the  approach  or  barking  of 
wolves.  Christ's  ministers  are  as  bold  as  lions.  It  is  not  for 
such  men  as  they  to  flee. 

And  therefore  (that  I  may  draw  towards  a  conclusion)  let  the 
ministers  and  disciples  of  Christ  learn  from  Saul,  not  to  fear 
men  or  their  revilings  ;  but,  like  him,  increase  in  strength,  the 
more  wicked  men  endeavor  to  weaken  their  hands.  We  can- 
not be  christians  without  being  opposed.  No  ;  disciples  in 
general  must  sufier ;  ministers  in  particular  must  sufi?er  great 
things.  But  let  not  this  move  any  of  us  from  our  steadfast- 
ness in  the  gospel.  He  that  stood  by  and  strengthened  Saul, 
will  also  stand  by  and  strengthen  us.  He  is  a  God  mighty  to 
save  all  that  put  their  trust  in  him.  If  we  look  up  with  an 
eye  of  faith,  we,  as  well  as  the  first  martyr  St.  Stephen,  may 
see  Jesus  standing  at  the  right  liand  of  God,  ready  to  assist 
and  protect  us.  Though  the  Lord's  seat  is  in  heaven,  yet  he 
has  respect  to  his  saints  in  an  especial  manner,  when  suffering 
here  on  earth.  Then  the  Spirit  of  Christ  and  of  glory  rests 
upon  their  souls.  And,  if  I  may  speak  my  own  experience,  "  I 
never  enjoy  more  rich  communications  from  God,  than  when 
despised  and  rejected  of  men  for  the  sake  of  Jesus  Christ.'* 
However  little  they  may  design  it,  my  enemies  are  my  greatest 
friends.  What  I  most  fear,  is  a  calm ;  but  the  enmity  which 
is  in  the  hearts  of  natural  men  against  Christ,  will  not  suffer 
them  to  be  quiet  long.  No  ;  as  I  hope  the  work  of  God  will 
increase,  so  the  rage  of  men  and  devils  will  increase  also.  Let 


[Serm.  5. 

us  put  on,  therefore,  the  whole  armor  of  God.  Let  us  not  fear 
the  face  of  men.  Let  us  fear  him  only  who  can  destroy  both 
body  and  soul  in  hell.  I  say  unto  you,  let  us  fear  him  alone. 
You  see  how  soon  God  can  stop  the  fury  of  his  enemies. 

You  have  just  now  heard  of  a  proud,  powerful  zealot  stopped 
in  his  full  career,  struck  down  to  the  earth  with  a  light  from 
lieaven,  converted  by  the  almighty  power  of  efficacious  grace, 
and  thereupon  zealously  promoting^,  nay,  resolutely  suffering 
for,  the  faith  which  once  with  threatenings  and  slaughters  he 
endeavored  to  destroy.  Let  this  teach  us  to  pity  and  pray  for 
our  Lord's  most  inveterate  enemies.  Who  knows,  but  in  an- 
swer thereunto,  our  Lord  may  give  them  repentance  unto  life? 
Most  think,  that  Christ  had  respect  to  Stephen's  prayer,  when 
he  converted  Saul.  Perhaps  for  this  reason  God  suffers  his 
adversaries  to  go  on,  that  his  goodness  and  power  may  shine 
more  bright  in  their  conversion. 

But  let  not  the  persecutors  of  Christ  take  encouragement 
from  this  to  continue  in  their  opposition.  Remember,  thongh 
Saul  was  converted,  yet  the  high  priest  and  Saul's  companions, 
were  left  dead  in  trespasses  and  sins.  If  this  should  be  your 
case,  you  will  of  all  men  be  most  miserable.  For  persecutors 
have  the  lowest  place  in  hell.  And,  if  Saul  was  struck  to  the 
earth  by  a  light  from  heaven,  how  will  you  be  able  to  stand 
before  Jesus  Christ,  when  he  comes  in  terrible  majesty  to  take 
vengeance  on  all  those  who  have  persecuted  his  gospel?  Then 
the  question,  "Why  persecuted  thou  me  ?"  will  cut  you  through 
and  through.  The  secret  enmity  of  your  hearts  shall  be  then 
detected  before  men  and  angels,  and  you  shall  be  doomed  to 
dwell  in  the  blackness  of  darkness  for  evermore.  Kiss  the 
Son  therefore,  lest  he  be  angry  :  For  even  you  may  yet  find 
mercy,  if  you  believe  on  the  Son  of  God.  Though  you  per- 
secute him,  yet  he  will  be  your  Jesus.  I  cannot  despair  of 
any  of  you,  when  I  find  a  Saul  among  the  disciples  at  Damas- 
cus. Wliat  though  your  sins  are  as  scarlet,  the  blood  of  Christ 
shall  wash  them  as  white  as  snow.  Having  much  to  be  for- 
given, despair  not ;  only  believe,  and  like  Saul,  of  whom  I 
have  now  been  speaking,  love  much.  He  counted  himself  the 
chiefest  sinner  of  all,  and  therefore  labored  more  abimdantly 
than  all.  Who  is  there  among  you  fearing  the  Lord?  Whose 
hearts  hath  the  Lord  now  opened  to  hearken  to  the  voice  of 
his  poor  unworthy  servant !  Surely  the  Lord  will  not  let  me 
preach  in  vain.  Who  is  the  happy  soul  that  is  this  day  to  be 
washed  in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb  ?  Will  no  poor  sinner  take 
encouragement  from  Saul  to  come  to  Jesus  Christ  ?  You  are 
all  thronging  round,  but  which  of  you  will  touch  the  Lord 
Jesus  ?     What  a  comfort  will  it  be  to  Saul,  and  to  your  own 


Serm.  6.]      christ  the  believer's  wisdom,  &c.  365 

souls,  when  yon  meet  him  in  heaven,  to  tell  him,  that  hearing 
of  his,  was  a  means,  under  God,  of  your  conversion  !  Doubt- 
less it  was  written  for  the  encouragement  of  all  poor  returning 
sinners ;  he  himself  tells  us  so  :  For  ^'  in  me  God  showed  all 
iong-suffering  that  I  might  be  an  example  to  them  that  should 
hereafter  believe."  Were  Saul  here  himself,  he  would  tell  you 
so,  indeed  he  would ;  but  being  dead,  by  this  account  of  his 
conversion,  he  yet  speaketh.  O  that  God  may  speak  by  it  to 
your  hearts  !  O  that  the  arrows  of  God  might  this  day  stick 
fast  in  your  souls,  and  you  made  to  cry  out,  "Who  art  thou, 
Lord  ?"  Are  there  any  such  amongst  you  ?  Methinks  I  feel 
something  of  what  this  Saul  felt,  when  he  said,  "I  travail  in 
birth  again  for  you,  till  Christ  be  formed  again  in  your  hearts." 
O  come,  come  away  to  Jesus  on  whom  Saul  believed ;  and 
then  I  care  not  if  the  high  priests  issue  out  never  so  many 
writs,  or  injuriously  drag  me  to  a  prison.  The  thoughts  of 
being  instrumental  in  saving  you,  will  make  me  sing  praises 
even  at  midnight.  And  I  know  you  will  be  my  joy  and  crown 
of  rejoicing,  when  I  am  delivered  from  this  earthly  prison,  and 
meet  you  in  the  kingdom  of  God  hereafter. 


SERMON  VI. 


CHRIST    THE    BELIEVER's   WISDOM,  RIGHTEOUSNESS,  SANCTI- 
FICATION,  AND  REDEMPTION. 


1  Cor.  i.  30. 

But  of  him  are  ye  in  Christ  Jesus,  who  of  God  is  made  unto  us^ 
wisdom,  righteousness,  sanctijication,  and  redemption. 

Of  all  the  verses  in  the  book  of  God,  this  which  I  have  now 
read  to  you,  is,  I  believe,  one  of  the  most  comprehensive.  What 
glad  tidings  does  it  bring  to  believers  !  What  precious  privi- 
leges are  they  here  invested  with  !  How  are  they  here  led  to 
the  fountain  of  them  all,  I  mean,  the  love,  the  everlasting  love 
of  God  the  Father  !  "  Of  him  ye  are  in  Christ  Jesus,  who  of 
God  is  made  unto  us,  wisdom,  righteousness,  sanctification, 
and  redemption." 

Without  referring  you  to  the  context,  I  shall  from  these  words, 
First,  Point  out  to  you  the  fountain,  from  which  all  those 
blessings  flow,  which  the  elect  of  God  partake  of  in  Jesus  Christ, 
**  who  of  God  is  made  unto  us."    And, 

31* 


366  CHRIST  THE  believer's  [SeTm.  6. 

Secondly ^  I  shall  consider  what  these  blessings  are,  "  wisdom, 
righteousness,  sanctification.  and  redemption." 

First,  I  would  point  out  to  you  the  fountain  from  which  all 
those  blessings  flow,  that  the  elect  of  God  partake  of  in  Jesus, 
"  who  of  God  is  made  unto  us  :"  the  Father,  he  it  is  who  is 
spoken  of  here.  Not  as  though  Jesus  Christ  was  not  God  also ; 
but  God  the  Father  is  the  fountain  of  the  Deity  ;  and,  if  we 
consider  Jesus  Christ  acting  as  Mediator,  God  the  Father  is 
greater  than  he  ;  there  was  an  eternal  contract  between  the 
Father  and  the  Son  :  '- 1  have  made  a  cov'enant  with  my  chosen, 
and  I  have  sworn  unto  David  my  servant ;"  now  David  was  a 
type  of  Christ,  with  whom  the  Father  made  a  covenant,  that 
if  he  would  obey  and  sufler,  and  make  himself  a  sacrifice  for 
sin,  he  should  "  see  his  seed,  he  should  prolong  his  days,  and 
the  pleasure  of  the  Lord  should  prosper  in  his  hands."  This 
compact  our  Lord  refers  to,  in  that  glorious  prayer  recorded  in 
the  17th  chap,  of  John  ;  and  thereibre  lie  prays  for,  or  rather 
demands  with  a  full  assurance,  all  that  were  given  to  him  by 
the  Father  :  "  Father,  I  will  that  they  also  whom  thou  hast 
given  me,  be  with  me  where  I  am."  For  this  same  reason  the 
apostle  breaks  out  into  praises  of  God,  even  the  Father  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ ;  for  he  loved  the  elect  with  an  everlasting 
love,  or,  as  our  Lord  expresses  it,  "before  the  foundation  of  the 
world  ;"  and  therefore,  to  show  them  to  whom  they  were  be- 
holden for  their  salvation,  our  Lord,  in  the  25th  of  Matthew, 
represents  himself,  saying,  ''Come,  ye  blessed  children  of  my 
Father,  receive  the  kingdom  prepared  for  you  from  the  founda- 
tion of  the  world."  And  thus,  in  reply  to  the  mother  of  Zebe- 
dee's  children,  he  says,  '•  It  is  not  mine  to  give,  but  it  shall  be 
given  to  them  for  whom  it  is  prepared  of  the  Father."  The  apos- 
tle therefore,  when  here  speaking  of  the  Christian's  privileges, 
lest  they  should  sacrifice  to  their  own  worth,  or  think  tbxcir 
salvation  was  owing  to  their  own  faithfulness,  or  improvement 
of  their  own  free  will,  reminds  them  to  look  back  on  the  ever- 
lasting love  of  God  the  Father ;  who  of  God  is  made  unto  us,  <fcc. 

Would  to  God,  this  point  of  doctrine  was  considered  more, 
and  people  were  more  studious  of  the  covenant  of  redemption 
between  the  Father  and  the  Son  !  we  should  not  then  have  so 
much  disputing  against  the  doctrine  of  election,  or  hear  it  con- 
demned (even  by  good  men)  as  a  doctrine  of  devils.  For  my 
own  part,  I  cannot  see  how  true  humbleness  of  mind  can  be 
attained  without  a  knowledge  of  it ;  and  though  I  will  not  say, 
that  every  one  who  denies  election  is  a  bad  man,  yet  I  will 
say,  with  that  sweet  singer,  Mr.  Trail,  it  is  a  very  bad  sign : 
such  an  one,  whoever  he  be,  I  think  cannot  truly  know  him- 
self :  for,  if  we  deny  election,  we  must,  partly  at  least,  glory 


Serm.  6.]  wisdom  righteousness,  &c.  367 

in  ourselves  ;  but  our  redemption  is  so  ordered,  thut  no  flesh 
should  o^lory  in  the  divine  presence  ;  and  hence  it  is,  that  the 
pride  of  man  opposes  this  doctrine,  because  according  to  this 
doctrine,  and  no  other,  ''  he  that  glories  must  glory  only  in  the 
Lord."  But  what  shall  I  say  ?  Election  is  a  mystery  that  shines 
with  such  resplendent  brightness,  that,  to  make  use  of  the  words 
of  one  who  has  drank  deeply  of  electing  love,  it  dazzles  the 
weak  eyes  of  some  of  God's  dear  children  ;  however,  though 
they  know  it  not,  all  the  blessings  they  receive,  all  the  privi- 
leges they  do  or  will  enjoy,  through  Jesus  Christ,  flow  from 
the  everlasting  love  of  God  the  Father  :  "  Bnt  of  him  are  you 
in  Christ  Jesus,  who  of  God  is  made  unto  us,  wisdom,  right- 
eousness, sanctification,  and  redemption." 
.  Secondly,  I  come  to  show  what  these  blessings  are,  which 
are  here,  through  Christ,  made  over  to  the  elect.     And, 

First,  Christ  is  made  to  them  wisdom ;  but  wherein  does 
true  wisdom  consist  ?  Was  I  to  ask  some  of  you,  perhaps  you 
would  say,  in  indulging  the  lusts  of  the  flesh,  and  saying  to 
your  souls,  eat,  drink,  and  be  merry  ;  but  this  is  only  the  wis- 
dom of  brutes  ;  they  have  as  good  a  gust  and  relish  for  sensual 
pleasures,  as  the  greatest  epicure  on  earth.  Otiiers  would  tell 
me  true  wisdom  consisted  in  adding  house  to  house,  and  field 
to  field,  and  calling  lands  after  their  own  names  ;  but  this  can- 
not be  true  wisdom  ;  for  riches  often  take  to  them  wings  and 
fly  away,  like  an  eagle  towards  heaven.  Even  wisdom  itself 
assures  us,  '•'  that  a  man's  life  doth  not  consist  in  the  abundance 
of  tlie  things  which  he  possesses  ;"  vanity,  vanity,  all  these 
things  are  vanity  ;  for,  if  riches  leave  not  the  owner,  the  owner 
must  soon  leave  them  ;  "  for  rich  men  must  also  die,  and  leave 
their  riches  for  others  ;"  their  riches  cannot  procure  them  re- 
demption from  the  grave,  whither  we  are  all  hastening  apace. 

But  perhaps  you  despise  riches  and  pleasure,  and  therefore 
place  wisdom  in  the  Imowledge  of  books  :  but  it  is  possible  for 
you  to  tell  the  numbers  of  the  stars,  and  call  tliem  all  by  their 
names,  and  yet  be  mere  fools ;  learned  men  are  not  always 
wise  ;  nay,  oar  common  learning  so  much  cried  up,  makes 
men  only  so  many  accomplished  fools  ;  to  keep  you  tlierefore 
no  longer  in  suspense,  and  withal  to  humble  you,  I  will  send 
you  to  a  heathen  school,  to  learn  what  true  wisdom  is :  knoio 
thyself,  was  a  saying  of  one  of  the  wise  men  of  Greece  ;  this 
is  certainly  true  wisdom,  and  this  is  that  wisdom  spoken  of  in 
the  text,  and  which  Jesus  Christ  has  made  to  all  elect  sinners ; 
they  are  made  to  know  themselves,  so  as  not  to  think  more 
highly  of  themselves,  than  they  ought  to  think.  Before  they 
were  darkness  ;  now  they  are  light  in  the  Lord  ;  and  in  that 
light  they  see  their  own  darkness ;"  they  now  bewail  themselves 


368  CHRIST  THE  believer's  [Serin.  6. 

as  fallen  creatures  by  nature,  dead  in  trespasses  and  sins,  sons 
and  heirs  of  hell,  and  children  of  wrath  ;  they  now  see  that 
all  their  righteousnesses  are  but  as  filthy  rags ;  that  there  is  no 
health  in  their  souls ;  that  they  are  poor  and  miserable,  blind 
and  naked  ;  and  that  there  is  no  name  given  under  heaven, 
whereby  they  can  be  saved,  but  that  of  Jesus  Christ.  They 
see  the  necessity  of  closing  with  a  Savior,  and  behold  the  wis- 
dom of  God  in  appointing  him  to  be  a  Savior  ;  they  are  also 
made  willing  to  accept  of  salvation  upon  our  Lord's  own  terms, 
and  to  receive  him  as  their  all  in  all :  thus  Christ  is  made  to 
them  wisdom. 

Secondly^  Righteousness.  "  Who  of  God  is  made  unto  us, 
wisdom,  righteousness  ;"  Christ's  whole  personal  righteousness 
is  made  over  to,  and  accounted  theirs.  Being  enabled  to  lay 
hold  on  Christ  by  faith,  God  the  father  blots  out  their  trans- 
gressions, as  with  a  thick  cloud  ;  their  sins,  and  their  iniquities 
he  remembers  no  more  ;  they  are  made  the  righteousness  of 
God  in  Jesus,  who  is  the  end  of  the  law  for  righteousness  to 
every  one  that  believeth.  In  one  sense,  God  now  sees  no  sin 
in  them ;  the  whole  covenant  of  Avorks  is  fulfilled  in  them ; 
they  are  actually  justified,  acquitted,  and  looked  upon  as  right- 
eous in  the  sight  of  God  ;  they  are  perfectly  accepted  in  the 
Beloved ;  they  are  complete  in  him  ;  the  flaming  sword  of 
God's  wrath,  which  before  moved  every  way,  is  now  removed, 
and  free  access  given  to  the  tree  of  life  ;  they  are  enabled  now 
to  reach  out  the  arm  of  faith,  and  pluck  and  live  for  evermore. 
Hence  it  is  that  the  apostle,  under  a  sense  of  this  blessed  privi- 
lege, breaks  out  into  this  triumphant  language  ;  "  it  is  Christ 
that  justifies,  who  is  he  that  condemns  ?"  Does  sin  condemn  ? 
Christ's  righteousness  delivers  believers  from  the  guilt  of  it : 
Christ  is  their  Savior,  and  is  become  a  propitiation  for  their  sins  : 
who  therefore  shall  lay  any  thing  to  the  charge  of  God's  elect  ? 
Does  the  law  condemn  ?  By  having  Christ's  righteousness  im- 
puted to  them,  they  are  dead  to  the  law,  as  a  covenant  of 
works  ;  Christ  has  fulfilled  it  for  them,  and  in  their  stead.  Does 
death  threaten  them  ?  They  need  not  fear.  The  sting  of 
death  is  sin,  the  strength  of  sin  is  the  law  ;  but  God  has  given 
them  the  victory,  by  imputing  to  them  the  righteousness  of 
the  Lord  Jesus. 

And  what  a  priviles^e  is  here !  Well  might  the  angels  at  the 
birth  of  Christ,  say  to  the  humble  shepherds,  "  Behold,  I  bring 
you  glad  tidings  of  great  joy;"  unto  you  that  believe  in  Christ, 
"  a  Savior  is  born."  And  well  may  they  rejoice  at  the  conver- 
sion of  poor  sinners  :  for  the  Lord  is  their  righteousness  :  they 
have  peace  with  God,  through  faith  in  Christ's  blood,  and 
shall  never  enter  into  condemnation.     O  believers  !  (for  this 


Serm.  6.]  wisdom,  righteousness,  &c.  3C9 

discourse  is  intended  in  a  special  manner  for  you)  lift  up  your 
heads  ;  "  Rejoice  in  the  Lord  always  ;  again  I  say,  rejoice." 
Christ  is  made  to  you  of  God,  righteousness,  what  then  should 
you  fear  ?  you  are  made  the  righteousness  of  God  in  him ;  you 
may  be  called,  "  The  Lord  our  righteousness."  Of  what  then 
should  you  be  afraid  ?  What  shall  separate  you  henceforward 
from  the  love  of  Christ  ?  Shall  tribulation,  or  distress,  or  per- 
secution, or  famine,  or  nakedness,  or  peril,  or  sword  ?  No  :  I 
am  persuaded,  neither  death,  nor  life,  nor  angels,  nor  princi- 
palities, nor  powers,  nor  things  present,  nor  things  to  come,  nor 
heighth,  nor  depth,  nor  any  other  creature,  shall  be  able  to 
separate  you  from  the  love  of  God,  which  is  in  Christ  Jesus 
our  Lord,  who  of  God  is  made  unto  you  righteousness. 

This  is  a  glorious  privilege,  but  this  is  only  the  beginning  of 
the  happiness  of  believers  :  for, 

Thirdly,  Christ  is  not  only  made  to  them  righteousness,  but 
sanctifi cation.  By  sanctification,  I  do  not  mean  a  bare  hypo- 
critical attendance  on  outward  ordinances,  (though  rightly  in- 
formed christians  will  think  it  their  duty  and  privilege  con- 
stantly to  attend  on  all  outward  ordinances.)  Nor  do  I  mean 
by  sanctification,  a  bare  outward  reformation,  and  a  few  transient 
convictions,  or  a  little  legal  sorrow  ;  for  all  this  an  unsanctified 
man  may  have ;  but,  by  sanctification,  I  mean  a  total  renovation 
of  the  whole  man  ;  by  the  righteousness  of  Christ,  believers 
become  legally,  by  sanctification  they  are  made  spiritually, 
alive  ;  by  one  they  are  entitled  to,  by  the  other  they  are  made 
meet  for  glory.  They  are  sanctified  therefore  throughout,  in 
spirit,  soul  and  body. 

Their  understandings,  which  were  before  dark,  now  be- 
come light  in  the  Lord  :  and  their  wills,  before  contrary  to, 
now  become  one  with  the  will  of  God  :  their  afi^ections  are 
now  set  on  thino^s  above ;  their  memory  is  now  filled  with 
divine  things  ;  their  natural  consciences  are  now  enlighten- 
ed ;  their  members,  which  were  before  instruments  of  unclean- 
riess,  and  of  iniquity  unto  iniquity,  are  now  instruments  of 
righteousness  and  true  holiness  ;  in  short,  they  are  new  crea- 
tures ;  "  old  things  are  passed  away,  all  things  are  become 
new,"  in  their  hearts ;  sin  has  now  no  longer  dominion  over 
them ;  they  are  freed  from  the  power,  though  not  the  indwell- 
ing and  being  of  it ;  they  are  holy  both  in  heart  and  life,  in  all 
manner  of  conversation  ;  they  are  made  partakers  of  a  divine 
nature  ;  and  from  Jesus  Christ,  they  receive  grace  for  grace  ; 
and  every  grace  that  is  in  Christ,  is  copied  and  transcribed  into 
their  souls ;  they  are  transformed  into  his  likeness ;  he  is  form- 
ed within  them ;  they  dwell  in  him,  and  he  in  them  ;  they  are 
led  by  the  Spirit,  and  bring  forth  the  fruits  thereof ;  they  know 


370  CHRIST  THE  believer's  [Serin.  6. 

that  Christ  is  their  Immanuel,  God  with  and  in  them ;  they 
are  \iviug  temples  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  And  therefore,  being  a 
holy  habitation  unto  the  Lord,  the  whole  Trinity  dwells  and 
walks  in  them ;  even  here,  they  sit  together  with  Christ  in 
heavenly  places,  and  are  vitally  united  to  him,  their  head,  by 
a  living  faith  ;  their  Redeemer,  their  Maker,  is  their  Husband ; 
they  are  flesh  of  his  flesh,  bone  of  his  bone  ;  they  talk,  they 
walk  with  him,  as  a  man  talketh  and  walketh  with  his  friend  : 
in  short,  they  are  one  with  Christ,  even  as  Jesus  Christ  and 
the  Father  are  one. 

Thus  is  Christ  made  to  believers  sanctification.  And  O  ! 
what  a  privilege  is  this  !  To  be  changed  from  beasts  into 
saints,  and  from  a  devilish  to  be  made  partakers  of  a  divine 
nature ;  to  be  translated  from  the  kingdom  of  Satan,  into  the 
kingdom  of  God's  dear  Son  !  To  put  ofl*  the  old  man,  which 
is  corrupt,  and  to  put  on  the  new  man,  which  is  created  after 
God,  in  righteousness  and  true  holiness.  O  what  an  unspeak- 
able blessing  is  this  !  I  almost  stand  amazed  at  the  contem- 
plation thereof  Well  might  the  apostle  exhort  believers  to  re- 
joice in  the  Lord  ;  indeed  they  have  reason  always  to  rejoice, 
yea,  to  rejoice  on  a  dying  bed  ;  for  the  kingdom  of  God  is  in 
them ;  they  are  changed  from  glory  to  glory,  even  by  the 
Spirit  of  the  Lord.  Well  may  this  be  a  mystery  to  the  natural, 
for  it  is  a  mystery  even  to  the  spiritual  man  himself — a  mys- 
tery which  he  cannot  fathom.  -  Does  it  not  often  dazzle  your 
eyes,  O  ye  children  of  God,  to  look  at  your  own  brightness, 
when  the  candle  of  the  Lord  shines  out,  and  your  Redeemer 
lifts  up  the  light  of  his  blessed  countenance  upon  your  souls  ? 
Are  you  not  astonished,  when  you  feel  the  love  of  God  shed 
abroad  in  your  hearts,  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  God  holds  out  the 
golden  sceptre  of  his  mercy,  and  bids  you  ask  what  you  will, 
and  it  shall  be  given  you  ?  Does  not  that  peace  of  God,  which 
keeps  and  rules  your  hearts,  surpass  the  utmost  limits  of  your 
understandings  ?  And  is  not  the  joy  you  feel  unspeakable  ? 
Is  it  not  full  of  glory  ?  I  am  persuaded  it  is ;  and  in  your  se- 
cret communion,  when  the  Lord's  love  flows  in  upon  your 
souls,  you  are  as  it  were  swallowed  up  in,  or,  to  use  the  apos- 
tle's phrase,  "  filled  with  all  the  fullness  of  God."  Are  you  not 
ready  to  cry  out  with  Solomon,  "  And  will  the  Lord,  indeed, 
dwell  thus  with  men  ?  How  is  it  that  we  should  be  thus  thy 
sons  and  daughters,  O  Lord  God  Almighty  !" 

If  you  are  children  of  God,  and  know  what  it  is  to  have 
fellowship  with  the  Father  and  his  Son ;  if  you  walk  by  faith, 
and  not  by  sight,  I  am  assured  this  is  frequently  the  language 
of  your  hearts. 

But  look  forward,  and  see  an  unbounded  prospect  of  eternal 


Serm.  6.]  wisdom,  righteousness,  &c.  371 

happiness  lying;  before  thee,  O  beUever !  What  thou  hast 
already  receiv^ed,  are  only  the  first  fruits,  hke  the  cluster  of 
grapes  brought  out  of  the  land  of  Canaan ;  only  an  earnest  and 
pledge  of  yet  infinitely  better  things  to  come :  the  harvest  is  to 
follow;  thy  grace  is  hereafter  to  be  swallowed  up  in  glory. 
Thy  great  Joshua,  and  merciful  High  Priest,  shall  administer 
an  abundant  entrance  to  thee  into  the  land  of  promise,  that 
rest  which  awaits  the  children  of  God :  for  Christ  is  not  only 
made  to  believers,  wisdom,  righteousness,  and  sanctification, 
but  also  redemption. 

But,  before  we  enter  upon  the  explanation  and  contemplation 
of  this  privilege, 

Fi?'st,  liCarn  hence  the  great  mistake  of  those  writers,  and 
clergy,  who,  notwithstanding  they  talk  of  sanctification  and 
inward  holiness,  (as  indeed  sometimes  they  do,  though  in  a 
very  loose  and  superficial  manner)  yet  they  generally  make  it 
the  cause,  whereas  they  should  consider  it  as  the  effect,  of  our 
justification.  Of  him  -'are  ye  in  Christ  Jesus,  who  of  God  is 
made  unto  us  wisdom,  righteousness,"  and  then  sanctification. 
For  Christ's  righteousness,  or  that  which  Christ  has  done  in 
our  stead  without  us,  is  the  sole  cause  of  onr  acceptance  in  the 
sight  of  God,  and  of  all  holiness  wrought  in  us.  To  this,  and 
not  to  the  light  within,  or  any  thing  wrought  within,  should 
poor  sinners  look  for  justification  in  the  sight  of  God :  for  the 
sake  of  Christ's  righteousness  alone,  and  not  any  thing  wrought 
in  us,  does  God  look  favorably  upon  us ;  our  sanctification  at 
best,  in  this  life,  is  not  complete.  Though  we  are  delivered 
from  the  power,  we  are  not  freed  from  the  in-being  of  sin ;  but 
not  only  the  dominion,  but  the  in-being  of  sin,  is  forbidden  by 
the  perfect  law  of  God :  for  it  is  not  said,  thou  shall  not  give 
way  to  lust,  but,  thou  shalt  not  hrst.  So  that  whilst  the  prin- 
ciple of  lust  remains  in  the  least  degree  in  our  hearts,  though 
we  are  otherwise  never  so  holy,  yet  we  cannot,  on  account  of 
that,  hope  for  acceptance  with  God.  We  must  first  therefore 
look  for  a  righteousness  without  us,  even  the  righteousness  of 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  For  this  reason  the  apostle  mentions 
it,  and  puts  it  before  sanctification  in  the  words  of  the  text.  And 
whosoever  teach eth  any  other  doctrine,  doth  not  preach  the 
truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus. 

Secondly,  From  hence  also,  the  Antinomians  and  formal 
hypocrites  may  be  confuted,  who  talk  of  Christ  without,  but 
know  nothing  experimentally,  of  a  work  of  sanctification 
wrought  within  them.  Whatever  they  may  pretend  to,  since 
Christ  is  not  in  them,  the  Lord  is  not  their  righteousness,  and 
they  have  no  well  grounded  hope  of  glory.  For  though 
sanctification  is  not  the  cause,  yet  it  is  the  effect  of  our  accept- 


372  CHRIST  THE  believer's  [Scrm.  6. 

ance  with  God;  "who  of  God  is  made  unto  us  righteousness 
and  sanctification."  He  therefore,  that  is  really  in  Christ,  is  a 
new  creature ;  it  is  not  going  back  to  a  covenant  of  works,  to 
look  into  our  hearts,  and,  seeing  that  they  are  changed  and  re- 
newed, from  thence  form  a  comfortable  and  well  grounded 
assurance  of  the  safety  of  our  states.  No,  but  this  is  what  we 
are  directed  to  in  scripture ;  by  our  bringing  forth  the  fruits, 
we  are  to  judge  whether  or  no  we  ever  did  truly  partake  of 
the  Spirit  of  God.  "We  know  (says  John)  that  we  are  passed 
from  death  unto  life,  because  we  love  the  brethren."  And 
however  we  may  talk  of  Christ's  righteousness,  and  exclaim 
against  legal  preachers ;  yet,  if  we  are  not  holy  in  heart  and 
life,  if  we  are  not  sanctified  and  renewed  by  the  spirit  in  our 
minds,  we  are  self-deceivers,  we  are  only  formal  hypocrites:  for 
Ave  must  not  put  asunder  what  God  has  joined  together.  We 
must  keep  the  medium  between  the  two  extremes  ;  not  insist  so 
much  on  the  one  hand  upon  Christ  without,  as  to  exclude 
Christ  within,  as  an  evidence  of  our  being  his,  and  as  a  prepara- 
tion for  future  happiness  ;  nor  on  the  other  hand,  so  depend  on 
inherent  righteousness  or  holiness  wrought  in  us,  as  to  exclude 
the  righteousness  of  Jesus  Christ  without  us.     But, 

Fourthly^  Let  us  now  go  on,  and  take  a  view  of  the  other 
link,  or  rather  the  end,  of  the  believer's  golden  chain  of  privi- 
leges— redemption.  But  we  must  look  very  high ;  for  the  top 
of  it,  like  Jacob's  ladder,  reaches  heaven,  where  all  believers 
will  ascend,  and  be  placed  at  the  right  hand  of  God.  "Wlio 
of  God  is  made  unto  us,  wisdom,  righteousness,  sanctification, 
and  redemption." 

This  is  a  golden  chain  indeed !  And,  what  is  best  of  all, 
not  one  link  can  ever  be  broken  assunder  from  another.  Were 
there  no  other  text  in  the  book  of  God,  this  single  one  suffi- 
ciently proves  the  final  perseverance  of  all  true  behevers:  for 
never  did  God  yet  justify  a  man,  whom  he  did  not  sanctify ; 
nor  sanctify  one  whom  he  did  not  completely  redeem  and  glo- 
rify: no,  as  for  God,  his  way,  his  work,  is  perfect;  he  always 
carried  on  and  finished  the  work  he  began ;  thus  it  was  in  the 
first,  so  it  is  in  the  new  creation  ;  when  God  says,  "let  there 
be  light,"  there  is  light,  that  shines  more  and  more  unto  the 
perfect  day,  when  believers  enter  into  their  eternal  rest,  as  God 
entered  into  his.  Those  whom  God  has  justified,  he  has  in 
effect  glorified:  for  as  a  man's  worthiness  was  not  the  cause  of 
God's  giving  him  Christ's  righteousness,  so  neither  shall  his 
unworthiness  be  a  cause  of  his  taking  it  away;  God's  gifts  and 
callings  are  without  repentance ;  and  I  cannot  think,  they  are 
clear  in  the  notion  of  Christ's  righteousness,  who  deny  the  final 
perseverance  of  the  saints;  I  fear,  they  understand  justification 


Serm.  6.]  wisdom,  righteousness,  &c.  373 

in  that  low  sense,  in  which  I  understood  it  a  few  years  ago,  as 
implying  no  more  than  remission  of  sins  :  hut  it  not  only  signi- 
fies remission  of  sins  past,  but  also  a  federal  right  to  all  good 
things  to  come.  If  God  has  given  us  his  only  Son,  how  will 
he  not  with  him  freely  give  us  all  things?  Therefore,  the 
apostle,  after  he  sa^^s,  "who  of  God  is  made  unto  us  righteous- 
ness,'' does  not  say,  perhaps  he  may  be  made  to  us  sanctifica- 
tion  and  redemption ;  but  he  is  made :  for  there  is  an  eternal, 
indissoluble  connection  between  these  blessed  privileges.  As 
the  obedience  of  Christ  is  imputed  to  believers,  so  his  persever- 
ance in  that  obedience  is  imputed  to  them  also :  and  it  argues 
great  ignorance  of  the  covenant  of  grace  and  redemption  to 
object  against  it. 

By  the  word  redemption,  we  are  to  understand,  not  only  a 
comjplete  deliverance  from  all  evil,  but  also  a  full  enjoyment  of 
all  good  both  in  body  and  soul.  I  say  both  in  body  and  soul ; 
for  the  Lord  is  also  for  the  body ;  the  bodies  of  tlie  saints  in 
this  life  are  temples  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  God  makes  a  covenant 
with  the  dust  of  believers  ;' after  death,  though  worms  destroy 
them,  yet,  even  in  their  flesh  shall  they  see  God.  1  fear,  indeed, 
there  are  some  sadducees  in  our  days,  or  at  least  heretics,  who 
say,  either  that  there  is  no  resurrection  of  the  body,  or  that  the 
resurrection  is  past  already,  namely,  in  our  regeneration.  Henc<j 
it  is,  that  our  Lord's  coming  in  the  flesh,  at  the  day  of  judg- 
ment, is  denied :  and  consequently,  we  must  throw  aside  the 
sacrament  of  the  Lord's  Supper.  For  why  should  we  remem- 
ber the  Lord's  death  until  he  come  to  judgment,  when  he  is 
already  come  to  judge  our  hearts,  and  will  not  come  a  second 
time  ?  But  all  this  is  only  the  reasoning  of  unlearned,  unsta- 
ble men,  who  certainly  know  not  what  they  say,  or  whereof 
they  affirm.  That  we  must  follow  our  Lord  in  the  regenera- 
tion, be  partakers  of  a  new  birth,  and  that  Christ  must  come 
into  our  hearts,  we  freely  confess,  and  we  hope,  when  speaking 
of  these  things,  we  speak  no  more  than  what  we  know  and 
feel :  but  then  it  is  plain,  that  Jesus  Christ  will  come,  hereafter, 
to  judgment,  and  that  he  ascended  into  heaven  with  the  body 
which  he  had  here  on  earth ;  for  says  he,  after  his  resurrection, 
"  handle  me,  and  see  ;  a  spirit  has  not  flesh  and  bones,  as  you 
see  me  have."  And  it  is  plain,  that  Christ's  resurrection  Wcus 
an  earnest  of  ours  :  for  says  the  apostle,  '•  Christ  is  risen  from 
the  dead,  and  become  the  first  fruits  of  them  that  slept ;"  and 
as  in  Adam  all  die  and  are  subject  to  mortality ;  so  all  that 
are  in  Christ,  the  second  Adam,  who  represented  believers  as 
their  federal  head,  shall  certainly  be  made  alive,  or  rise  again 
with  their  bodies  at  the  last  day. 

Here  then,  O  believers  !  is  one,  though  the  lowest,  degree  of 

32 


374  CHRIST  THE  believer's  [Serm.  6. 

that  redemption  which  you  are  to  be  partakers  of  hereafter ;  I 
mean,  the  redemption  of  your  bodies.  For  this  corruptible 
must  put  on  incorruption,  this  mortal  must  put  on  immortahty. 
Your  bodies,  as  well  as  souls,  were  given  to  Jesus  Christ  by 
the  Father:  they  have  been  companions  in  watching,  and 
fasting,  ^nd  praying.  Your  bodies  therefore,  as  well  as  souls, 
sliall  Jesus  Christ  raise  up  at  the  last  day.  Fear  not,  therefore, 
O  believers,  to  look  into  the  grave  ;  for  to  you  it  is  no  other 
than  a  consecrated  dormitory,  where  your  bodies  shall  sleep 
quietly  until  the  morning  of  the  resurrection  ;  when  the  voice 
of  the  archangel  shall  sound,  and  the  trump  of  God  give  the 
general  alarm,  "  Arise,  ye  dead,  and  come  to  judgment ;"  earth, 
air,  fire,  water,  shall  give  up  your  scattered  atoms,  and  both  in 
body  and  soul  shall  you  be  ever  with  the  Lord.  I  doubt  not 
but  many  of  you  are  groaning  under  crazy  bodies,  and  com- 
plain often  that  the  mortal  body  weio;hs  down  the  immortal 
soul ;  at  least  this  is  my  case  :  but  let  us  have  a  little  patience, 
and  we  shall  be  delivered  from  our  earthly  prisons ;  ere  long, 
these  tabernacles  of  clay  shall  be  dissolved,  and  we  shall  be 
clothed  with  our  house  which  is  from  heav^en  :  hereafter,  our 
bodies  shall  be  spiritualized,  and  shall  be  so  far  from  hindering 
our  souls  through  weakness,  that  they  shall  become  strong  ;  so 
strong,  as  to  bear  up  under  an  exceeding  and  eternal  w^eight 
of  glory  ;  others  again  may  have  deformed  bodies,  emaciated 
also  with  sickness,  and  worn  out  with  labor  and  age  ;  but  wait 
a  little,  until  your  blessed  change  by  death  comes  ;  then  your 
bodies  shall  be  renewed  and  made  glorious,  like  unto  Christ's 
glorious  body ;  of  which  we  may  form  some  faint  idea,  from 
the  account  given  us  of  our  Lord's  transfiguration  on  the 
Mount,  when  it  is  said,  "His  raiment  became  bright  and  glisten- 
ing, and  his  face  brighter  than  the  sun."  Well  then  may  a 
believer  break  out  into  the  apostle's  triumphant  language,  "O 
death,  where  is  thy  sting  !    O  grave,  where  is  thy  victory  I" 

But  wliat  is  the  redemption  of  the  body,  in  comparison  of 
the  redemption  of  the  better  part,  our  souls?  I  must,  there- 
fore, say  to  you  believers,  as  the  angel  said  to  John,  "  Come 
up  higher,"  and  let  us  take  as  clear  a  view  as  we  can.  at  such 
a  distance,  of  the  redemption  Christ  has  purchased  for,  and  will 
shortly  put  you  in  actual  possession  of  Already  you  are  jus- 
tified, already  you  are  sanctified,  and  thereby  freed  from  the 
guilt  and  dominion  of  sin  :  but,  as  I  have  observed,  the  being 
and  indwelling  of  sin  yet  remains  in  you  ;  God  sees  it  proper 
to  leave  some  Amalekites  in  the  land,  to  keep  his  Israel  in 
action.  The  most  perfect  Christian,  I  am  persuaded,  must 
agree,  according  to  one  of  our  articles,  "  that  the  corruption  of 
nature  remains  even  in  the  regenerate ;  that  the  flesh  lusteth 


Serm,  6.]  wisdom,  righteousness,    &c.  375 

always  against  the  spirit,  and  the  spirit  against  the  flesh."  So 
that  behevers  cannot  do  things  for  God  with  that  perfection 
they  desire  :  this  grieves  their  righteous  souls  day  by  day,  and, 
with  the  holy  apostle,  makes  them  to  cry  out,  "  Who  shall  deli- 
ver us  from  the  body  of  this  death  !"  I  thank  God,  our  I^ord 
Jesus  Christ  will,  but  not  completely  before  the  day  of  our  disso- 
lution ;  then  will  the  very  being  of  sin  be  destroyed,  and  an 
eternal  stop  put  to  inbred,  indwelling  corruption.  And  is  not 
this  a  great  redemption  7  I  am  sure  believers  esteem  it  so  :  for 
there  is  nothing  grieves  the  heart  of  a  child  of  God  so  much,  as 
the  remains  of  indwellino:  sin.  Again,  believers  are  often  in 
heaviness  through  manifold  temptations ;  God  sees  that  it  is 
needful  and  good  for  them  so  to  be ;  and  though  they  may  be 
highly  favored,  and  wrapped  up  in  communion  with  God,  even 
to  the  third  heavens,  yet  a  messenger  of  Satan  is  often  sent  to 
buffet  them,  lest  they  should  be  puffed  up  with  the  abundance 
of  revelations.  But  be  not  weary,  be  not  faint  in  your  minds  : 
the  time  of  your  complete  redemption  draweth  nigh.  In  heaven 
the  wicked  one  shall  cease  from  troubling  you,  and  your  weary 
souls  shall  enjoy  an  everlasting  rest ;  his  fiery  darts  calinot 
reach  those  blissful  regions :  Satan  will  never  come  any  more  to 
appear  with,  disturb,  or  accuse  the  sons  of  God,  when  once  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  shuts  the  door.  Your  righteous  souls  are  now 
grieved,  day  by  day,  at  the  ungodly  conversation  of  the  wicked  ; 
tares  now  grow  up  among  the  wheat ;  wolves  come  in  sheep's 
clothing :  but  the  redemption  spoken  of  in  the  text  will  free 
our  souls  from  all  anxiety  on  these  accounts ;  hereafter  you 
shall  enjoy  a  perfect  communion  of  saints ;  nothing  that  -is 
unholy  or  unsanctified  shall  enter  into  the  holy  of  holies,  which 
is  prepared  for  you  above.  This,  and  all  manner  of  evil  what- 
soever, you  shall  be  delivered  from,  when  your  redemption  is 
hereafter  made  complete  in  heaven  ;  not  only  so,  but  you  shall 
enter  into  the  full  enjoyment  of  all  good.  It  is  true,  all  saints 
will  not  have  the  same  degree  of  happiness,  but  all  will  be  as 
happy  as  their  hearts  can  desire.  Believers,  you  shall  judge 
evil,  and  familiarly  converse  with  good,  angels ;  you  shall  sit 
down  with  Abraham,  Isaac,  Jacob,  and  all  the  spirits  of  just 
men  made  perfect ;  and,  to  sum  up  all  your  happiness  in  one 
word,  you  shall  see  God  the  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost; 
and,  by  seeing  God,  be  more  and  more  like  unto  him,  and  pass 
from  glory  to  glory,  even  to  all  eternity. 

But  I  must  stop :  the  glories  of  the  upper  world  crowd  in  so 
fast  upon  my  soul,  that  I  am  lost  in  the  contemplation  of  theuL 
Brethren,  the  redemption  spoken  of  is  uiuUterable;  we  cannot 
here  find  it  out ;  eye  hath  not  seen,  nor  ear  heard,  nor  hath  it 
entered  into  the  hearts  of  the  most  holy  men  living,  to  conceive 


376  CHRIST  THE  believer's  [Seim.  6. 

how  great  it  is.  Were  I  to  entertain  yon  whole  ages  with  an 
account  of  it,  when  you  come  to  heaven,  you  must  say,  with 
the  <|ueen  of  Sheba,  "Not  half,  no,  not  one  thousandth  part 
was  told  us."'  All  we  can  do  here,  is  to  go  upon  Mount  Pisgah, 
and,  by  the  eye  of  faith,  take  a  distant  view  of  the  promised 
land :  we  may  see  it,  as  Abraham  did  Christ,  afar  off,  and  re- 
joice in  it ;  but  here  we  only  know  in  part.  Blessed  be  God, 
there  is  a  time  coming,  when  we  shall  know  God,  even  as  we 
are  known,  and  God  be  all  in  all.  '•  Lord  Jesus,  accomplish 
the  number  of  thine  elect !  Lord  Jesus,  hasten  thy  kingdom  !" 
And  now,  where  are  the  scoffers  of  these  last  days,  who 
count  the  lives  of  Christians  to  be  madness,  and  tbeir  end  to 
be  without  honor  ?  Unhappy  men  !  you  know  not  what  you 
do.  Were  your  eyes  open,  and  had  you  senses  to  discern 
spiritual  things,  you  would  not  speak  all  manner  of  evil  against 
the  children  of  God,  but  you  wonld  esteem  them  as  the  excel- 
lent ones  of  the  earth,  and  envy  their  happiness :  your  souls 
v/ould  hunger  and  thirst  after  it :  you  also  would  become  fools 
for  Christ's  sake.  You  boast  of  wisdom :  so  did  the  philoso- 
phers of  Corinth :  but  your  wisdom  is  the  foolishness  of  folly 
in  the  sight  of  God.  What  will  your  wisdom  avail  you,  if  it 
does  not  make  you  wise  unto  salvation?  Can  you,  with  all 
your  wisdom,  propose  a  more  consistent  scheme  to  build  your 
iiopes  of  salvation  on,  than  what  has  been  now  laid  down  be- 
fore 3^ou  ?  Can  you,  with  all  the  strength  of  natural  reason, 
find  out  a  better  way  of  acceptance  with  God,  than  by  the 
righteousness  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  ?  Is  it  right  to  think 
your  own  works  can  in  any  measure  deserve  or  procure  it? 
If  not,  why  will  you  not  believe  in  him  ?  Why  will  you  not 
submit  to  his  righteousness  ?  Can  you  deny  that  you  are  fallen 
creatures  ?  Do  not  you  find  that  you  are  full  of  disorders,  and 
that  these  disorders  make  you  unhappy  ?  Do  not  you  find 
that  you  cannot  change  your  own  hearts  ?  Have  you  not  re- 
solved many  and  many  a  time,  and  have  not  your  corruptions 
yet  dominion  over  yon  ?  Are  you  not  bond-slaves  to  your  lusts, 
and  led  captive  by  the  devil  at  his  will  ?  Why  then  will  you 
not  come  to  Christ  for  sanctification  ?  Do  you  not  desire  to 
die  the  death  of  the  righteous,  and  that  your  future  state  may 
be  like  theirs?  I  am  persuaded  you  cannot  bear  the  thougtit 
of  being  annihilated,  much  less  of  being  miserable  for  ever. 
Whatever  you  may  pretend,  if  you  speak  truth,  you  must  con- 
fess, that  conscience  breaks  in  upon  you  in  your  more  sober 
intervals,  whether  you  Avill  or  not,  and  even  constrains  you  to 
believe,  that  hell  is  no  painted  fire.  And  why  then  will  you 
not  come  to  Christ  ?  He  alone  can  procure  you  everlasting 
redemption.     Haste,  haste  away  to  him,  poor  beguiled  sinners. 


Serm.  6.]  wisdom,  righteousness,  &c.  377 

You  lack  wisdom ;  ask  it  of  Christ.  Who  knows  but  he  may- 
give  it  you  ?  He  is  able  :  for  he  is  the  wisdom  of  the  Father ; 
re  is  that  wisdom  which  was  from  everlasting.  You  have  no 
i'?>hteousness ;  away,  therefore,  to  Christ.  He  is  the  end  of 
die  law  for  righteousness  to  every  one  that  believeth.  You 
are  unholy ;  flee  to  the  Lord  Jesus ;  he  is  full  of  grace  and 
truth  ;  and  of  his  fullness,  all  may  receive  that  believe  in  him. 
You  are  as  if  afraid  to  die  ;  let  this  drive  you  to  Christ :  he 
has  the  keys  of  death  and  hell ;  in  him  is  plenteous  redemp- 
tion ;  he  alone  can  open  the  door  which  leads  to  everlasting 
h;fe.     Let  not,  therefore,  the  deceived  reasoner  boast  any  longer 

his  pretended  reason.  Whatever  you  may  think,  it  is  the 
nost  unix5?sonable  thing  in  the  world  not  to  believe  on  Jesus 
Christ,  whom  God  hath  sent.  Why,  why  will  you  die  ?  Why- 
will  you  not  come  unto  him,  that  you  may  have  life  ?  Ho  ! 
every  one  that  thirsteth,  come  unto  the  waters  of  life  and 
drink  freely :  Come,  buy  without  money  and  without  price. 
Were  these  blessed  privileges  in  the  text  to  be  purchased  with 
money,  you  might  say,  we  are  poor  and  cannot  buy :  or,  were 
they  to  be  conferred  only  on  sinners  of  such  a  rank  or  degree, 
then  you  might  say,  how  can  such  sinners  as  we  expect  to  be 
so  highly  favored  ?  But  they  are  to  be  freely  given  of  God  to 
the  worst  of  sinners.  To  us,  says  the  apostle  ;  to  me  a  perse- 
cutor, to  you,  Corinthians,  who  were  unclean,  drunkards, 
covetous  persons,  idolaters.  Therefore,  each  poor  sinner  may- 
say  then,  why  not  unto  me  ?  Has  Christ  but  one  blessing  ? 
What  if  he  has  blessed  millions  already,  by  turning  them  away 
froni  their  iniquities  ;  yet,  he  still  continues  the  same :  he  lives 
for  ever  to  make  intercession,  and  therefore  will  bless  you, 
even  you  also.  Though  Esau-like,  you  have  been  profane, 
and  hitherto  despised  your  heavenly  Father's  birth-right ;  even 
now,  if  you  believe,  Christ  will  be  made  to  you  of  God,  "  wis- 
dom, righteousness,  sanctification,  and  redemption." 

But  I  must  turn  again  to  believers,  for  whose  instruction,  as 
I  observed  before,  this  discourse  was  particularly  intended. 
You  see,  brethren,  partakers  of  the  heavenly  calling,  what 
great  blessings  are  treasured  up  for  you  in  Jesus  Christ  your 
head,  and  what  you  are  entitled  to  by  believing  on  his  name. 
Take  heed,  therefore,  that  ye  walk  worthy  of  the  vocation 
wherewith  ye  are  called.  Think  often  how  highly  you  are 
favored :  and  remember,  you  have  not  chosen  Christ,  but 
Christ  hath  chosen  you.  Put  on  (as  the  elect  of  God)  hum- 
bleness of  mind,  and  glory,  but  let  it  be  only  in  the  Lord  :  for 
you  have  nothing  but  what  you  have  received  of  God.  By 
nature,  ye  were  as  foolish,  as  legal,  as  unholy,  and  in  as  damna- 
ble a  condition  as  others.    Be  pitiful,  therefore,  be  courteous ; 

32* 


378  THE  PHARISEE  AND  PUBLICAN.  [Seim.  7. 

and,  as  sanctification  is  a  progressive  work,  beware  of  thinking 
you  have  already  attained.  Let  him  that  is  holy,  be  holy 
still :  knowing  that  he  who  is  most  pure  in  heart,  shall  here- 
after enjoy  the  clearest  vision  of  God.  Let  indwelling  sin  be 
your  daiJy  burden  ;  and  not  only  bewail  and  lament,  but  see 
that  you  subdue  it  daily  by  the  power  of  divine  grace ;  and 
look  up  to  Jesus  continually  to  be  the  finisher,  as  well  as  the 
author  of  your  faith.  Build  not  on  your  own  faithfulness,  but 
on  God's  unchangeableness.  Take  lieed  of  thinking  you  stand 
by  the  power  of  your  own  free-will.  The  everlasting  love  of 
God  the  Father  must  be  your  only  hope  and  consolation  :  let 
this  support  you  under  all  trials.  Remember  that  God's  gifts 
and  callings  are  without  repentance  ;  that  Christ  having  once 
loved  you,  will  love  you  to  the  end.  Let  this  constrain  you  to 
obedience,  and  make  you  long  and  look  for  that  blessed  time, 
when  he  shall  not  only  be  your  wisdom,  and  righteousness,  and 
sanctification,  but  also  complete  and  everlasting  redemption. 
"  Glory  be  to  God  in  the  highest." 


SERMON  VII. 


THE    PHARISEE    AND    PUBLICAN. 


Luke  xviii.  14. 

t  tell  yoUy  this  man  went  down  to  his  house  justified  rather  than  the 
other :  For  every  one  that  exalteth  himself,  shall  he  abased;  and 
he  that  humbleth  himself,  shall  be  exalted. 

Though  there  be  some  wlio  dare  deny  the  Lord  Jesus,  and 
disbelieve  the  revelation  he  has  been  pleased  to  give  us,  and 
thereby  bring  upon  themselves  swift  destruction  ;  yet  I  would 
charitably  hope  there  are  but  few,  if  any  such  among  you  to 
whom  1  am  now  to  preach  the  kingdom  of  God.  Were  1  to  ask 
you,  "  how  you  expect  to  be  justified  in  tlie  sight  of  an  offended 
God  ?''  I  suppose  you  would  answer,  only  for  the  sake  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ.  But,  were  I  to  come  more  home  to  your 
consciences,  I  fear  most  would  make  the  Lord  Jesus  but  in 
part  their  Savior,  and  go  about,  as  it  were,  to  establish  a  righte- 
ousness of  their  own.  And  this  is  not  thinking  contrary  to 
the  rules  of  christian  charity  :  For  we  are  all  self-righteous  by 
nature ;  it  is  as  natural  for  us  to  turn  back  to  a  covenant  of 
works,  as  for  the  sparks  to  fly  upwards.     We  have  had  so 


Serm.  7.]  the  Pharisee  and  publican.  379 

many  legal  and  so  few  free  grace  preachers,  for  these  many 
years,  that  most  professors  now  seem  to  be  settled  upon  their 
lees,  and  rather  deserve  the  title  of  pharisees  than  christians. 

Thus  it  was  with  the  generality  of  the  people  during  the 
time  of  our  Lord's  public  ministrations :  and  therefore,  in  al- 
most all  his  discourses,  he  preached  the  gospel  to  poor  sinners, 
and  denounced  terrible  woes  against  proud  self-justifiers.  The 
parable  to  which  the  words  of  the  text  belong,  looks  both  these 
ways :  for  the  evangelist  informs  us,  (verse  9.)  that  our  Lord 
"  spake  it  unto  certain  who  trusted  in  themselves,  that  they 
were  righteous,  and  despised  others."  And  a  notable  parable 
it  is  ;  a  parable  worthy  your  most  serious  attention.  '•  He  that 
hath  ears  to  hear  let  him  hear"  what  Jesus  Christ  speaks  to  all 
visible  professors  in  it. 

Yer.  10.  '•  Two  men  went  up  into  the  temple  to  pray,"  (and 
never  two  men  of  more  opposite  characters)  '•  the  one  a  phari- 
see,  and  the  other  a  publican."  The  pharisees  were  the  strict- 
est sect  among  the  Jews.  I  was  of  the  strictest  sect  of  the 
pharisees,  says  Paul.  They  prayed  often  ;  not  only  so,  but 
they  made  long  prayers ;  and,  that  they  might  appear  extraor- 
dinarily devout,  they  would  pray  at  the  corners  of  the  street, 
where  two  ways  met,  that  people  going  or  coming,  both  ways, 
miffht  see  them.  "  They  made  broad  (as  our  Lord  informs  us) 
the  borders  of  their  philacteries  :"  they  had  pieces  of  parchment 
sewed  to  their  long  robes,  on  which  some  parts  of  the  scrip- 
ture were  written,  that  people  might  from  thence  infer,  that 
they  were  lovers  of  the  law  of  God.  They  were  so  very  punc- 
tual and  exact  in  outward  purifications,  that  they  washed  at 
their  going  out  and  coming  in.  They  held  to  the  washinof  of 
pots,  brazen  vessels  and  tables,  and  many  other  like  thincrsthey 
did.  They  were  very  zealous  for  the  traditions  of  the  fathers, 
and  for  the  observation  of  the  rites  and  ceremonies  of  the  church, 
notwithstanding  they  frequently  made  void  the  law  of  God  by 
their  traditions.  And  they  were  so  exceedingly  exact  in  the 
outward  observation  of  the  Sabbath,  that  they  condemned  our 
Lord  for  making  a  little  clay  with  his  spittle  ;  and  called  him  a 
sinner,  and  said  he  was  not  of  God,  because  he  had  given  sight 
to  a  man  born  blind,  on  the  Sabbath  day.  For  these  reasons,  they 
were  had  in  high  veneration  among  the  people,  who  were  sadly 
misled  by  these  blind  guides :  they  had  the  uppermost  places  in 
the  synagogues,  and  greetings  in  the  market  places,  (which  they 
loved  dearly)  and  were  called  of  men.  Rabbi ;  in  short,  they 
had  such  a  reputation  for  piety,  that  it  became  a  proverb  among 
the  Jews,  that  if  there  were  but  two  men  saved,  the  one  of  them 
must  be  a  pharisee. 

As  for  the  publicans,  it  was  not  so  with  them.    It  seems 


380  THE    PHARISEE    AND    PUBLICAN.  [Semi.  7. 

they  were  sometimes  Jews,  or  at  least  proselytes  of  the  gate  ; 
for  we  find  the  one  here  coming  up  to  the  temple  ;  but  for  the 
generality,  I  am  apt  to  think  they  were  Gentiles;  for  they 
were  gatherers  of  the  Roman  taxes,  and  used  to  amass  much 
wealth  (as  appears  from  the  confession  of  Zaccheus,  one  of  the 
chief  of  them.)  by  wronging  men  by  false  accusations.  They 
were  so  universally  infamous,  that  our  Lord  himself  tells  his 
disciples,  the  excommunicated  man  should  be  to  them  as, a 
heathen  man,  or  a  publican.  And  the  pharisees  thought  it  a 
sufficient  impeachment  of  our  Lord's  character,  that  he  was 
a  friend  to  publicans  and  sinners,  and  went  to  sit  down  with 
them  at  meat. 

But,  however  they  disagreed  in  other  things,  they  agreed 
in  this,  that  public  worship  is  a  duty  incumbent  upon  all :  for 
they  both  came  up  to  the  temple.  The  very  heathens  were 
observers  of  temple  worship.  We  have  very  early  notice  of 
men's  sacrificing  to,  and  calling  upon,  the  name  of  the  Lord, 
in  the  Old  Testament !  and  I  find  it  no  where  contradicted  in 
the  New.  Our  Lord,  and  his  apostles,  went  up  to  the  temple ; 
and  we  are  commanded  by  the  apostle,  "  not  to  forsake  the  as- 
sembling of  ourselves  together,"  as  the  manner  of  too  many 
is  in  our  days ;  and  such,  too,  as  would  have  us  think  well  of 
them,  though  they  seldom  or  never  tread  the  courts  of  the 
Lord's  house.  But,  though  our  devotions  begin  in  our  closets, 
they  must  not  end  there.  And,  if  people  never  show  their  de- 
votions abroad,  I  must  suspect  they  have  little  or  none  at  home. 
"  Two  men  went  up  into  the  temple."  And  what  went  they 
thither  for  ?  Not,  (as  multitudes  amongst  us  do)  to  make  the 
house  of  God  a  house  of  merchandise,  or  to  turn  it  into  a  den  of 
thieves ;  much  less  to  ridicule  the  preacher,  or  disturb  the  con- 
gregation. No,  they  came  to  the  temple,  says  our  Lord,  to 
pray.  Thither  should  the  tribes  of  God's  spiritual  Israel  go 
up,  to  walk  with  and  pour  out  their  hearts  before  the  mighty 
God  of  Jacob. 

"  Two  men  went  up  into  the  temple  to  pray."  I  fear  one 
of  them  forgot  his  errand.  I  have  often  been  at  a  loss  what  to 
call  the  Pharisee's  address.  It  certainly  does  not  deserve  the 
name  of  a  prayer.  He  may  rather  be  said  to  come  to  the  tem- 
ple to  boast,  than  to  pray ;  for  I  do  not  find  one  word  of  con- 
fession of  his  original  guilt;  not  one  single  petition  for  pardon 
of  his  past  actual  sins,  or  for  grace  to  help  and  assist  him  for 
the  time  to  come ;  he  only  brings  in  God,  as  it  were,  a  reckon- 
ing of  his  performances,  and  does  that,  which  no  flesh  can  justly 
do,  I  mean,  glory  in  his  presence. 

Verse  11.  "  The  pharisee  stood,  and  prayed  thus  with  him- 


Sena.  7.]  the  Pharisee  and  publican.  381 

self:  God,  I  thank  thee  that  I  am  not  as  other  men  are,  extor- 
tioners, unjust,  adulterers,  or  even  as  this  publican." 

Our  Lord  first  takes  notice  of  his  posture ;  the  pharisee 
stood,  he  is  not  to  be  condemned  for  that ;  for  standing,  as 
well  as  Imeeling,  is  a  proper  posture  for  prayer.  When  you 
stand  praying,  says  our  Lord ;  though  sometimes  our  Lord 
kneeled,  nay,  lay  flat  on  his  face  upon  the  ground ;  his  apos- 
tles also  kneeled,  as  we  read  in  the  Acts,  which  has  made  me 
wonder  at  some,  who  are  so  bigoted  to  standing  in  family  as 
well  as  public  prayer,  that  they  will  not  kneel,  notwithstand- 
ing all  kneel,  that  are  around  them.  I  fear  there  is  something 
of  the  pharisee  in  this  conduct.  Kneeling  and  standing  arc 
indifferent,  if  the  knee  of  the  soul  be  bent,  and  the  heart  upright 
towards  God.  We  should  study  not  to  be  particular  in  indif- 
ferent things,  lest  we  offend  weak  minds.  What  the  pharisee  is 
remarked  for,  is  his  standing  by  himself:  for  the  words  maybe 
rendered,  he  stood  by  himself,  upon  some  eminent  place,  at  the 
upper  part  of  the  temple,  near  the  holy  of  holies,  that  the  con- 
gregation might  see  what  a  devout  man  he  was.  Or  it  may 
be  understood  as  we  read  it,  he  prayed  by  himself  or  of  him- 
self, out  of  his  own  heart ;  he  did  not  pray  by  form,  it  was  an 
extempore  prayer ;  for  there  are  many  pharisees  that  pray  and 
preach  too  extempore.  I  do  not  see  why  these  may  not  be  ac- 
quired, as  well  as  other  arts  and  sciences.  A  man,  with  a 
good  elocution,  ready  turn  of  thought,  and  good  memory,  may 
repeat  his  own  or  other  men's  sermons,  and  by  the  help  of  a 
Wilkins  or  Henry,  may  pray  seemingly  excellently  well,  and 
yet  not  have  the  least  grain  of  true  grace  in  his  heart ;  and  I 
speak  this,  not  to  cry  down  extempore  prayer,  or  to  discourage 
those  dear  souls  who  really  pray  by  the  Spirit ;  I  only  would 
hereby  give  a  word  of  reproof  to  those  who  are  so  bigoted  to 
extempore  prayer,  that  they  condemn,  at  least  judge,  all  that 
use  forms,  as  though  they  were  not  so  holy  and  heavenly,  as 
otliers  who  pray  without  them.  Alas !  this  is  wrong.  Not 
every  one  that  prays  extempore  is  a  spiritual,  nor  every  one 
that  prays  with  a  form,  a  formal  man.  liCt  us  not  jadge  one 
another ;  let  not  him  that  uses  a  form,  judge  him  that  prays 
extempore,  on  that  account ;  and  let  not  hfm  that  prays  ex- 
tempore, despise  him  who  uses  a  form.  "  The  pharisee  stood, 
and  prayed  thus  by  himself"  Which  may  sig^nify  also  pray- 
ing inwardly  in  his  heart ;  for  there  is  a  way  (and  that  an 
excellent  one  too)  of  praying  when  we  cannot  speak ;  thus 
Anna  prayed,  when  she  spoke  not  aloud,  only  her  lips  moved. 
Thus  God  says  to  Moses,  "  Why  criest  thou  ?"  when  it  is  plain 
he  did  not  speak  a  word.  This  is  what  the  apostle  means  by 
the  "  Spirit  making  intercession  (for  behevers)  with  groaiiiiigs 


382  THE  PHARISEE  AND  PUBLICAN.  [Serm.  7. 

which  cannot  be  uttered."  For  there  are  times  when  the  soul 
is  too  big  to  speak ;  when  God  fills  as  it  were,  and  overshadows 
it  with  his  presence,  so  that  it  can  only  fall  down,  worship, 
adore,  and  lie  in  the  dust  before  the  Lord.  Again,  there  is  a 
time  when  the  soul  is  benumbed,  barren,  and  dry,  and  the  be- 
liever has  not  a  word  to  say  to  his  heavenly  Father  ;  and  then 
the  heart  only  can  speak.  And  I  mention  this  for  the  encour- 
agement of  weak  christians,  who  think  they  never  are  accept- 
ed but  when  they  have  a  flow  of  words,  and  fancy  they  do  not 
please  God  at  the  bottom,  for  no  other  reason  but  because  they 
do  not  please  themselves.  Such  would  do  well  to  consider, 
that  God  knows  the  language  of  the  heart,  and  the  mind  of 
the  spirit ;  and  that  we  make  use  of  words,  not  to  inform  God, 
but  to  aifect  ourselves.  Whenever  therefore  any  of  you  find 
yourselves  in  such  a  frame,  be  not  discouraged  :  ofifer  your- 
selves up  in  silence  before  God,  as  clay  in  the  hands  of  the 
potter,  for  him  to  write  and  stamp  his  own  divine  image  upon 
your  souls.  But  I  believe  the  pharisee  knew  nothing  of  this 
way  of  prayer :  he  was  self-righteous,  a  strangfer  to  the  divine 
life  ;  and  therefore  either  of  the  former  explanations  may  be 
best  put  upon  these  words.  "He  stood,  and  prayed  thus 
with  himself  God,  I  thank  thee  that  I  am  not  as  other  men 
are,  extortioners,  unjust,  adulterers,  or  even  as  this  publican." 
Here  is  some  appearance  of  devotion,  but  it  is  only  in  appear- 
ance. To  thank  God,  that  we  are  not  extortioners,  unjust, 
adulterers,  and  as  wicked  in  our  practices,  as  other  men  are,  is 
certainly  meet,  right,  and  our  bounden  duty  :  for  whatever  de- 
grees of  goodness  there  may  be  in  us,  more  than  in  others,  it  is 
owing  to  God's  restraining,  preventing,  and  assisting  grace. 
We  are  all  equally  conceived  and  born  in  sin ;  all  are  fallen 
short  of  the  glory  of  God,  and  liable  to  all  the  curses  and 
maledictions  of  the  law  ;  so  that  he  that  glorieth,  must  glory 
only  in  the  Lord.  For  none  of  us  have  any  thing  which  he  did 
not  receive ;  and  whatever  we  have  received,  we  did  not  in  the 
least  merit  it,  nor  could  we  lay  the  least  claim  to  it  on  any 
account  whatever  :  we  are  wholly  indebted  to  free  grace  for 
all.  Had  the  pharisee  thought  thus,  when  he  said,  "  God,  I 
thank  thee  that  I  am  not  as  other  men  are,"  it  would  have  been 
an  excellent  introduction  to  his  prayer :  but  he  was  a  free  wilier, 
as  well  as  self-righteous,  (for  he  that  is  the  one  must  be  the 
other)  and  thought  by  his  own  power  and  strength  he  had  kept 
himself  from  these  vices.  And  yet  I  do  not  see  what  reason 
he  had  to  trust  in  himself  that  he  was  righteous,  merely  be- 
cause he  was  not  an  extortioner,  unjust,  adulterer  ;  for  all  this 
while  he  might  be,  as  he  certainly  was,  (as  is  also  every  self- 
righteous  person)  as  proud  as  the  devil.  But  he  not  only  boasts, 


Serm.  7.]  the  Pharisee  and  publican.  383 

but  lies  before  God  (as  all  self-jiistifiers  will  be  found  liars  here 
or  hereafter.)  He  thanks  God  that  he  was  not  unjust ;  but  is 
it  not  an  act  of  the  highest  injustice  to  rob  God  of  his  preroga- 
tive! Is  it  not  an  act  of  injustice  to  judge  our  neighbor?  And 
yet  of  both  these  crimes  this  self-righteous  vaunter  is  guilty. 
"  Even  as  this  publican  !"  He  seems  to  speak  with  the  utmost 
disdain  ;  this  puhlicaii !  Perhaps  he  pointed  at  the  poor  man, 
that  others  might  treat  him  with  the  like  contempt.  Thou 
proud,  confident  boaster,  what  hadst  thou  to  do  with  that  poor 
publican  ?  Supposing  other  publicans  were  unjust,  and  extor- 
tioners, did  it  therefore  follow  that  he  must  be  so  7  Or,  if  he 
had  been  such  a  sinner,  how  knowest  thou  but  he  has  repented 
of  those  sins  ?  His  coming  up  to  the  temple  to  pray,  is  one 
good  sign  of  a  reformation  at  least.  Thou  art  therefore  inex- 
cusable, O  pharisee,  who  thus  judgest  the  publican  :  for  thou 
that  judgest  him  to  be  unjust,  art,  in  the  very  act  of  judging, 
unjust  thyself:  thy  sacrifice  is  only  the  sacrifice  of  a  fool. 

We  have  seen  what  the  phari see's  negative  goodness  comes 
to ;  I  think,  nothing  at  all.  Let  us  now  see  how  far  his  positive 
goodness  extends  ;  for,  if  we  are  truly  religious,  we  shall  not 
only  esche^v  evil,  but  also  do  good  :  "  I  fast  twice  in  the  week, 
I  ffive  tithes  of  all  that  J  possess." 

The  pharisee  is  not  here  condemned  for  his  fasting,  for  fast- 
ing is  a  christian  duty ;  "  when  you  fast,"  says  our  Lord,  there- 
by taking  it  for  granted,  that  his  disciples  would  fast.  And 
"when  fhe  bridegroom  shall  be  taken  away,  then  shall  they 
fast  in  those  days."  In  fasting  often,  says  the  apostle.  And  all 
that  would  not  be  cast-aways,  will  take  care,  as  their  privilege, 
without  legal  constraint,  to  "  keep  their  bodies  under,  and 
])ring  them  into  subjection."  The  pharisee  is  only  condemned 
for  making  a  righteousness  of  his  fasting,  and  thinking  that 
God  would  accept  him,  or  that  he  was  any  better  than  his 
neighbors,  merely  on  account  of  his  fasting :  this  is  what  he 
was  blamed  for.  The  pharisee  was  not  to  be  discommended  for 
fasting  twice  in  a  week  ;  I  wish  some  christians  would  imitate 
him  more  in  this  :  but  to  depend  on  fasting  in  the  least,  for  his 
jUvStifi cation  in  the  sight  of  God  was  really  abominable.  "  I 
give  tithes  of  all  that  I  possess."  He  might  as  well  have  said, 
I  pay  tithes.  But  self-righteous  people  (whatever  they  may  say 
to  the  contrary)  think  they  give  something  to  God.  I  give 
tithes  of  all  that  I  possess.  I  make  conscience  of  giving  tithes, 
not  only  of  all  that  the  law  requij-es,  but  of  my  mint,  anise,  and 
cummin,  of  all  things  whatever  I  possess  ;  this  was  well ;  but 
to  boast  of  such  things,  or  of  fasting,  is  pharisaical  and  devihsh. 
Now  then  let  us  sum  up  all  the  righteousness  of  this  boasting 
pharisee,  and  see  what  little  reason  he  had  to  trust  in  himself, 


384  THE  PHARISEE  AND  PUBLICAN.  [Serm.  7 

that  he  was  righteous,  or  to  despise  others.  He  is  not  unjust, 
(but  we  have  only  his  word  for  that,  and  1  think  I  have  proved 
the  contrary  ;)  he  is  no  adulterer,  no  extortioner  ;  he  fasts  twice 
in  the  week,  and  gives  tithes  of  all  that  he  possesses  ;  and  all 
this  he  might  do,  and  a  great  deal  more,  and  yet  be  a  child  of 
the  devil  :  for  here  is  no  mention  made  of  his  loving  the  Lord 
his  God  with  all  his  heart,  which  was  the  "  first  and  great 
commandment  of  the  law ;"  here  is  not  a  single  syllable  of  in- 
ward religion  ;  and  he  was  not  a  true  Jew,  who  was  only  one 
outwardly.  It  is  only  an  outside  piety  at  the  best ;  inwardly 
he  is  full  of  pride,  self-justification,  free-will,  and  great  unchari- 
tableness. 

Were  not  the  pharisees,  do  you  think,  highly  offended  at 
this  character?  For  they  might  easily  know  that  it  was  spo- 
ken against  them.  And  though  perhaps  some  of  you  may  be 
offended  at  me,  yet,  out  of  love,  I  must  tell  you,  I  fear  this 
parable  is  spoken  against  many  of  you.  For  are  there  not 
many  of  you,  who  go  up  to  the  temple  to  pray,  with  no  better 
spirit  than  this  pharisee  did  ?  And  because  you  fast,  it  may 
be  in  Lent,  or  every  Friday;  and  because  you  do  nobody  any 
harm,  receive  the  sacrament,  pay  tithes,  and  give  an  alms  now 
and  then ;  you  think  that  you  are  safe,  and  trust  in  yourselves 
that  you  are  righteous,  and  inwardly  despise  those,  who  do 
not  come  up  to  you  in  these  outward  duties.  This,  I  am  per- 
suaded, is  the  case  of  many  of  you,  though,  alas  !  it  is  a  despe- 
rate one,  as  I  shall  endeavor  to  show  at  the  close  of  this  discourse. 

Let  us  now  take  a  view  of  the  publican,  verse  13.  "And 
the  publican  standing  afar  off,  would  not  lift  up  so  much  as 
his  eyes  unto  heaven,  but  smote  upon  his  breast,  saying,  God 
be  merciful  to  me  a  sinner." 

The  "  publican  standing  afar  off."  Perhaps  in  the  outward 
cO'Urt  of  the  temple,  conscious  to  himself  that  he  was  not  wor- 
thy to  approach  the  holy  of  holies :  so  conscious,  and  so 
weighed  down  with  a  sense  of  his  own  unworthiness,  that  he 
would  not  so  much  as  lift  up  his  eyes  unto  heaven,  which  he 
knew  was  God's  throne.  Poor  heart !  what  did  he  ieel  at  this 
time !  None  but  returning  publicans,  like  himself,  can  tell. 
Methinks  I  see  him  standing  afar  off,  pensive,  oppressed,  and 
even  overwhelmed  with  sorrow ;  sometimes  he  attempts  to 
look  up  ;  but  then,  thinks  he,  the  heavens  are  unclean  in  God's 
sight,  and  the  very  angels  are  charged  with  folly ;  how  then 
shall  such  a  wretch  as  I,  dare  to  lift  up  my  guilty  head  !  And 
to  show  that  his  heart  was  full  of  holy  self-resentment,  and 
that  he  sorrowed  after  a  godly  sort,  he  smote  upon  his  breast ; 
the  word  in  the  original  implies,  that  he  struck  hard  upon  his 
breast :  he  will  lay  "the  blame  upon  none  but  his  own  wicked 


Serm.  7.]  the  Pharisee  and  publican.  385 

heart.  He  will  not,  like  luihumbled  Adam,  tacitly  lay  the  fault 
of  his  vileness  upon  God,  and  say,  the  "  passions  which  thou 
gavest  me,  they  deceived  me,  and  I  sinned  :"  he  is  too  penitent 
thus  to  reproach  his  Maker  ;  he  smites  upon  his  breast,  his 
treacherous,  uns^rateful,  desperately  wicked  breast ;  a  breast 
now  ready  to  burst :  and  at  length,  out  of  the  abundance  of 
his  heart,  I  doubt  not  with  many  tears,  he  at  last  cries  out, 
'^  God  be  merciful  to  me  a  sinner."  Not,  God  be  merciful  to 
yonder  proud  pharisee.  He  found  enough  in  him^self  to  vent 
his  resentment  against,  without  looking  abroad  upon  others. 
Not,  God  be  merciful  to  me  a  saint ;  for  he  knew  all  his  right- 
eousness were  but  filthy  rags.  Not,  God  be  merciful  to  such  or 
such  a  one  ;  but,  God  be  merciful  to  me,  even  to  me  a  sinner ; 
a  sinner  by  birth  ;  a  sinner  in  thought,  word,  and  deed  ;  a  sin- 
ner as  to  my  person  ;  a  sinner  as  to  all  my  performances  ;  a 
sinner  in  whom  is  no  health,  in  whom  dwelleth  no  good  thing ; 
a  sinner,  poor,  miserable,  blind,  and  naked,  from  the  crown  of 
the  head  to  the  soul  of  the  feet,  full  of  wounds,  and  bruises, 
and  putrifying  sores  ;  a  self-accused,  self-condemned  sinner. 
What  think  you  ?  would  this  publican  have  been  offended  if 
any  minister  had  told  him  that  he  deserved  to  be  damned  ? 
would  he  have  been  angry,  if  any  one  had  told  him,  that  by 
nature  he  was  half  a  devil  and  half  a  beast  ?  No  :  he  would 
have  confessed  a  thousand  hells  to  have  been  his  due,  and  that 
he  was  an  earthly,  devilish  sinner.  He  felt  now  what  a  dread- 
ful  thing  it  was  to  depart  from  the  living  God  :  he  felt  that  he 
was  inexcusable  every  way ;  that  he  could  in  no  wise,  upon 
account  of  any  thing  in  himself,  be  justified  in  the  sight  of 
God  ;  and  therefore  lays  himself  at  the  feet  of  sovereign  mer- 
cy :  "  God  be  merciful  to  me  a  sinner."  Here  is  no  confidence 
in  the  flesh,  no  plea  fetched  from  fasting,  paying  tithes,  or  the 
performance  of  any  other  duty ;  here  is  no  boasting  that  ho 
was  not  an  extortioner,  unjust,  or  an  adulterer.  Perhaps  he 
had  been  guilty  of  all  these  crimes,  at  least  he  knew  he  would 
have  been  guilty  of  all  these^  had  he  been  left  to  follow  the 
devices  and  desires  of  his  own  heart ;  and  therefore,  with  a 
brok-en  and  contrite  spirit,  he  cries  out,  "  God  be  merciful  to  me 
a  sinner." 

This  man  came  up  to  the  temple  to  pray,  and  he  prayed 
indeed.  And  a  broken  and  contrite  heart  God  will  not  despise. 
I  tell  you,  says  our  Lord,  I  who  lay  in  the  bosom  of  the  father 
from  all  eternicy ;  I  who  am  God,  and  therefore  know  all  things  ; 
I  who  can  neither  deceive,  nor  be  deceived,  whose  judgment 
is  according  to  right ;  I  tell  you,  whatever  you  may  think  of 
it,  or  of  me  for  telling  you  so,  this  man,  this  publican,  this  des- 
pised, sinful,  but  broken-hearted  man,  went  down  to  his  house 

33 


3S6  THE  PHARISEE  AND  PUBLICAN.  [Seim.  7. 

justified  (acquitted,  and  looked  upon  as  righteous  in  the  sight 
of  God)  rather  than  the  other. 

Let  Pharisees  take  heed  that  they  do  not  pervert  this  text : 
for  when  it  is  said,  "  this  man  went  down  to  his  house  justified 
rather  than  the  other,"  our  lord  does  not  mean  that  both  were 
justified,  and  the  publican  had  rather  more  justification  than 
tlie  pharisee  :  but  it  implies,  either  that^the  publican  was  actu- 
ally justified,  but  the  pharisee  was  not;  or,  that  the  publican 
was  in  a  better  way  to  receive  justification,  than  the  pharisee; 
according  to  our  Lord's  saying,  "  the  publicans  and  harlots 
enter  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven  before  you."  That  the  pha- 
risee was  not  justified  is  certain,  for  God  resisteth  the  proud  ; 
and  that  the  publican  was  at  this  time  actually  justified  (and 
perhaps  went  home  with  a  sense  of  it  in  his  heart)  we  have 
great  reason  to  infer  from  the  latter  part  of  the  text,  "  For  every 
one  that  exalteth  himself  shall  be  abased,  and  he  that  hum- 
bleth  himself  shall  be  exalted." 

The  parable  therefore  now  speaks  to  all  who  hear  me  this 
day :  for  that  our  Lord  intended  it  for  our  learning,  is  evident, 
from  his  making  such  a  general  application  ;  "  for  every  one 
that  exalteth  himself  shall  be  abased,  and  he  that  humbleth 
himself  shall  be  exalted." 

The  parable  of  the  publican  and  pharisee,  is  but  as  it  were 
a  glass,  wherein  we  may  see  the  different  dispositions  of  all 
mankind  ;  for  all  mankind  may  be  divided  into  two  general 
classes.  Either  they  trust  wholly  in  themselves,  or  in  part,  that 
they  are  righteous,  and  then  they  are  pharisees  ;  or  they  have 
no  confidence  in  the  flesh,  are  self-condemned  sinners,  and  then 
they  come  under  the  character  of  the  publican  just  now  des- 
cribed. And  we  may  add  also,  that  the  different  reception 
these  men  met  with,  points  out  to  us  in  lively  colors,  the  differ- 
ent treatment  the  self-jirstifier  and  self-condemned  criminal  will 
meet  with  at  the  terrible  day  of  judgment.  "  Every  one  that 
exalts  himself  shall  be  abased,  but  he  that  humbleth  himself 
shall  be  exalted." 

Every  one,  without  exception,  young  or  old,  high  or  low, 
rich  or  poor,  (for  God  is  no  respecter  of  persons)  every  one, 
whosoever  he  be,  that  exalteth  himself,  and  not  free-grace  ;  every 
one  that  trusteth  in  himself  that  he  is  righteous,  that  rests  in 
his  duties  ;  or  thinks  to  join  them  with  the  righteousness  of 
Jesus  Christ,  for  justification  in  the  sight  of  God.  though  he 
be  no  adulterer,  no  extortioner,  though  he  be  not  outwardly 
unjust,  nay  though  he  fast  twice  in  the  week,  and  give  tithes 
of  all  that  he  possesses  ;  yet  shall  he  be  abased  in  the  sight  of 
all  good  men  who  know  him  here,  and  before  men  and  angels, 
and  God  himself,  when  Jesus  Christ  comes  to  appear  in  judg- 


Serm.  7.]  the  Pharisee  and  publican.  387 

ment  hereafter.  How  low,  none  but  the  Almighty  God  can  tell. 
He  shall  be  abased  to  live  with  devils,  and  make  his  abode  in 
the  lowest  hell  for  evermore. 

Hear  this,  all  ye  self-jiistifiers,  tremble,  and  behold  your  doom ! 
a  dreadful  doom,  more  dreadful  than  words  can  express,  or 
thought  conceive  !  If  you  refuse  to  humble  yourselves,  aftei 
hearing  this  parable,  I  call  heaven  and  earth  to  witness  against 
you  this  day,  that  God  shall  visit  you  with  all  his  storms,  and 
pour  all  the  vials  of  his  wrath  upon  your  rebellious  heads  ;  you 
exalted  yourselves  here,  and  God  shall  abase  you  hereafter  ; 
you  are  as  proud  as  the  devil,  and  with  devils  shall  you  dwell 
to  all  eternity.  Be  not  deceived,  God  is  not  mocked  ;  he  sees 
your  hearts,  he  knows  all  things.  And  notwithstanding  you 
may  come  up  to  the  temple  to  pray,  your  prayers  are  turned 
into  sin,  and  you  go  down  to  your  houses  not  justified,  if  you 
are  self-justifiers  ;  and  do  you  know  what  it  is  not  to  be  justi- 
fied 7  Why,  if  you  are  not  justified,  the  wrath  of  God  abideth 
upon  you  ;  you  are  in  your  blood  ;  all  the  curses  of  the  lavv' 
belong  to  you.  Cursed  are  you  when  you  go  out ;  cursed  are 
you  when  you  come  in ;  cursed  are  your  thoughts ;  cursed  are 
your  words  ;  cursed  are  your  deeds  ;  every  thing  you  do,  say, 
or  think  from  morning  to  night,  is  only  one  continued  series 
of  sin.  Howev^er  highly  you  may  be  esteemed  in  the  sight  of 
men  ;  however  you  may  be  honored  with  the  uppermost  seats 
in  the  synagogues  in  the  church  militant,  you  will  have  no 
place  in  the  church  triumphant.  Humble  yourselves  therefore 
under  the  mighty  hand  of  God.  Pull  down  every  self-right- 
eous thought,  and  every  proud  imagination,  that  now  exalt- 
eth  itself  against  the  perfect,  personal,  imputed  righteousness 
of  the  dear  Lord  Jesus.  For  he  (and  he  alone)  that  humbleth 
himself  shall  be  exalted. 

He  that  humbleth  himself,  whatever  he  be  ;  if,  instead  of 
fasting  twice  in  a  week,  he  has  been  drunk  twice  in  the  week  ; 
if,  instead  of  giving  tithes  of  all  that  he  possesses,  he  has  cheat- 
ed the  minister  of  his  tithes,  and  the  king  of  his  taxes  ;  not- 
withstanding he  be  unjust,  an  extortioner,  an  adulterer,  nay, 
notwithstanding  the  sins  of  all  mankind  centre  and  unite  in 
him ;  yet,  if  through  grace,  like  the  publican,  he  is  enabled  to 
humble  himself,  he  shall  be  exalted  ;  not  in  a  temporal  man- 
ner ;  for  christians  must  rather  expect  to  be  abased,  and  to  have 
their  names  cast  out  as  evil,  and  to  lay  down  their  lives  for 
Christ  Jesus  in  this  world.  But  he  sliall  be  exalted  in  a  spirit- 
ual sense  ;  he  shall  be  freely  justified  from  all  his  sins  by  the 
blood  of  Jesus  ;  he  shall  have  peace  with  God — a  peace  which 
passeth  all  understanding ;  not  only  peace,  but  joy  in  believing ; 
he  shall  be  translated  from  the  kingdom  of  Satan,  to  the  king- 


388  THE  PHARISEE  AND  PUBLICAN.  [Seim.  7. 

dom  of  God's  dear  Son  :  he  shall  dwell  in  Christ,  and  Christ 
in  him  :  he  shall  be  one  with  Christ,  and  Christ  one  with  him: 
he  shall  drink  of  divine  pleasures  as  out  of  a  river  :  he  shall 
he  sanctified  throughout  in  spirit,  soul,  and  body  ;  in  one  word, 
he  shall  be  filled  with  all  the  fullness  of  God.  Thus  shall  the 
man  who  humbleth  himself  be  exalted  here  ;  but  O  how  high 
shall  he  be  exalted  hereafter  !  as  high  as  the  highest  heavens, 
even  to  the  right  hand  of  God,  There  he  shall  sit,  happy  both 
in  soul  and  body,  and  judge  angels ;  high,  out  of  the  reach 
of  all  sin  and  trouble,  eternally  secure  from  all  danger  of  fall- 
ing. O  sinners,  did  you  but  know  how  highly  God  intends 
to  exalt  those  who  humble  themselves  and  believe  in  Jesus, 
surely  you  would  humble  yourselves,  at  least  beg  of  God  to 
humble  you  ;  for  it  is  he  that  must  strike  the  rock  of  your  hearts, 
and  cause  floods  of  contrite  tears  to  flow  therefrom.  O  that 
God  would  give  this  sermon  such  a  commission,  as  he  once 
gave  to  the  rod  of  Moses  !  I  would  strike  you  through  and 
through  wath  the  rod  of  his  word,  until  each  of  you  was  brought 
to  cry  out  with  the  poor  publican,  "  God  be  merciful  to  me  a 
sinner."  What  pleasant  language  would  this  be  in  the  ears 
of  the  Lord  of  Sabbaoth  ! 

Are  there  no  poor  sinners  among  ^rou  ?  What,  are  you  all 
pharisees  ?  Surely,  you  cannot  bear  the  thoughts  of  returning 
home  not  justified  ;  can  you  ?  What  if  a  fit  of  the  apoplexy 
should  seize*  you,  and  yoTir  souls  be  hurried  away  before  the 
awful  judge  of  quick  and  dead  ?  What  will  you  do  without 
Christ's  righteousness  ?  If  you  go  out  of  the  world  not  jus- 
tified, you  must  remain  so  for  ever.  O  that  you  would  hum- 
ble yourselves  !  then  would  the  Lord  exalt  you ;  it  niay  be, 
that,  whilst  I  am  speaking,  the  Lord  might  justify  you  freely 
by  his  grace.  I  observed,  that  perhaps  the  publican  had  a 
sense  of  his  justification  before  he  went  from  the  temple,  and 
knew  that  his  pardon  Avas  sealed  in  heaven.  And  who  knows 
but  you  may  be  thus  exalted  before  you  go  home,  if  you  hum- 
ble yourselves  ?  O  what  peace,  love,  and  joy  would  you  then 
feel  in  your  hearts  !  You  would  have  a  heaven  upon  earth. 
O  that  I  could  hear  any  of  you  say  (as  I  once  heard  a  poor 
sinner,  under  my  preaching-,  cry  out)  "  He  is  come,  he  is  come  !" 
How  would  you  then,  like  him,  extol  a  precious,  a  free-hearted 
Christ !  How  would  you  magnify  him  for  being  such  a  friend 
to  publicans  and  sinners !  Greater  love  can  no  man  show, 
than  to  lay  down  his  life  for  a  friend  ;  but  Christ  laid  down 
his  life  for  his  enemies,  even  for  you,  if  you  are  enabled  to 
humble  yourselves,  as  the  publican  did.  Sinners,  1  know  not 
liow  to  leave  ofi^  talking  with  you  ;  I  would  fill  my  mouth  with 
arguments,  I  would  plead  with  you.     Come,  let  us  reason  to- 


I 


Serm.8.]         the  holy  spirit  convincing,  &c.  389 

gether  ;  though  your  sins  be  as  scarlet,  yet  if  you  humble  your- 
selves, they  shall  be  as  white  as  snow.  One  act  of  true  faith 
in  Christ  justifies  you  for  ever  and  ever  ;  he  has  not  promised 
you  what  he  cannot  perform ;  he  is  able  to  exalt  you.  For  God 
hath  exalted,  and  given  him  a  name  above  every  name,  that  at 
the  name  of  Jesus  every  knee  shall  bow;  nay,  God  hath  ex- 
alted him  to  be  not  only  a  Prince,  but  a  Savior.  May  he  be  a 
Savior  to  you  !  and  then  I  shall  have  reason  to  rejoice  in  the 
day  of  judgment,  that  I  have  not  preached  in  vain,  nor  labored 
ia  vain. 


SERMON  VIII. 


THE    HOLY   SPIRIT    CONVINCING  THE  WORLD  OF  SIN,  RIGHT- 
EOUSNESS, AND  JUDGMENT. 


John  xvi.  8. 

And  when  he  is  come^  he  will  reprove  the  world  of  sin^  and  of  right- 
eousness, and  of  judgment. 

These  words  contain  part  of  a  gracious  promise,  which  the 
blessed  Jesus  was  pleased  to  make  to  his  weeping  and  sorrow- 
ful disciples.  The  time  was  now  drawing  near,  in  which  the 
Son  of  man  was  first  to  be  lifted  upon  the  cross,  and  after- 
wards to  heaven.  Kind,  wondrous  kind  !  had  this  merciful 
High  priest  been  to  his  disciples,  during  the  time  of  his  taber- 
nacling amongst  them.  He  had  compassion  on  their  infirmi- 
ties, answered  for  them  when  assaulted  by  their  enemies,  and 
s^t  them  right  when  out  of  the  way  either  in  principle  or  prac- 
tice. He  neither  called  or  used  them  as  servants,  but  as 
friends  ;  and  he  revealed  his  secrets  to  them  from  time  to  time. 
He  opened  their  understandings,  that  they  might  understand 
the  scriptures ;  explained  to  them  the  hidden  mysteries  of  the 
kingdom  of  God,  when  he  spoke  to  others  in  parables.  Nay, 
he  became  the  servant  of  them  all,  and  even  condescended  to 
wash  their  feet.  The  thoughts  of  parting  with  so  dear  and 
loving  a  master  as  this,  especially  for  a  long  season,  must  needs 
affect  them  much.  When  on  a  certain  occasion  he  intended 
to  be  absent  from  them  only  for  a  night,  we  are  told,  he  was 
obliged  to  constrain  them  to  leave  him  :  no  wonder  then,  that 
when  he  now  informed  them  he  must  entirely  go  away,  and 
that  the  pharisees  in  his  absence  would  put  them  out  of  their 

33* 


390  THE  HOLY  SPIRIT  CONVINCING  [Serm.  8. 

synagogues,  and  excommunicate  them  ;  yea,  that  the  time 
should  come,  that  whosoever  killed  them,  would  think  they 
did  God  service  (a  prophecy,  one  would  imagine,  in  an  especial 
manner  designed  for  the  suffering  ministers  of  this  generation ;) 
no  wonder,  1  say,  considering  all  this  that  we  are  told,  ver.  6. 
Sorrow  had  filled  their  hearts.  "  Because  I  have  said  these 
things  unto  you,  sorrow  hath  filled  your  hearts."  The  expres- 
sion is  very  emphatic ;  their  hearts  were  so  full  of  concern, 
that  they  were  ready  to  burst.  In  order,  therefore,  to  reconcile 
them  to  this  mournful  dispensation,  our  dear  and  compassionate 
Hedeemer  shows  them  the  necessity  he  lay  under  to  leave  them. 
*•  Nevertheless  I  tell  you  the  truth  ;  it  is  expedient  for  you  that 
I  go  away."  As  though  he  had  said,  Think  not  my  dear  dis- 
ciples, that  I  leave  you  out  of  anger :  no,  it  is  for  your  sakes, 
for  your  profit  that  I  go  away :  for  if  I  go  not  away,  if  I  die 
not  upon  the  cross  for  your  sins,  and  rise  again  for  your  justi- 
fication, and  ascend  into  heaven  to  make  intercession,  and  plead 
my  merits  before  my  Father's  throne,  the  Comforter,  the  Holy 
Ghost,  will  not,  cannot  come  unto  you  ;  but  if  I  depart,  I  will 
send  him  unto  you.  And,  that  they  might  know  what  he  was 
to  do,  '•  When  he  is  come,  he  will  reprove  the  world  of  sin, 
and  of  righteousness,  and  of  judgment." 

The  person  referred  to  in  the  words  of  the  text,  is  plainly  the 
Comforter,  the  Holy  Ghost ;  and  the  promise  was  first  made  to 
our  Lord's  apostles.  But  though  it  was  primarily  made  to 
them,  and  was  literally  and  remarkably  fulfilled  at  the  day  of 
pentecost,  w^hen  the  Holy  Ghost  came  down  as  a  mighty  rush- 
ing vv^ind,  and  also  when  three  thousand  were  pricked  to  the 
heart  by  Peter's  preaching ;  yet,  as  the  apostles  were  the  repre- 
sentatives of  the  whole  body  of  believers,  we  must  infer,  that 
this  promise  must  be  looked  upon  as  spoken  to  us  and  to  our 
children,  and  to  as  many  as  the  Lord  our  God  shall  call. 

My  design  from  these  words,  is  to  show  the  manner  in  which 
the  Holy  Ghost  generally  works  upon  the  hearts  of  those,  who, 
through  grace,  are  made  vessels  of  mercy,  and  translated  from 
the  kingdom  of  darkness,  into  the  Idngdom  of  God's  dear 
Son. 

I  say,  generally  :  for  as  God  is  a  sovereig^n  agent,  his  sacred 
Spirit  bloweth  not  only  on  whom,  but  when  and  how  it  listeth. 
Therefore,  far  be  it  from  me  to  confine  the  Almighty  to  one  way 
of  acting ;  or  to  say,  that  all  undergo  an  equal  degree  of  convic- 
tion ;  no,  there  is  a  holy  variety  in  God's  methods  of  calling 
home  his  elect.  But  this  we  may  affirm  assuredly,  that,  wher- 
ever there  is  a  work  of  true  conviction  and  conversion  wrought 
upon  a  sinner's  heart,  the  Holy  Ghost,  whether  by  a  greater  or 
less  degree  of  inward  soul-trouble,  does  that  which  our  Lord 


Serm.  8.]  the  world  of  sin,  &c.  391 

Jesus  told  the  disciples,  in  the  words  of  the  text,  that  he  should 
do  when  he  came. 

If  any  of  you  ridicule  inward  religion,  or  think  there  is  no 
such  thing  as  our  feeling  or  receiving  the  Holy  Ghost,  I  fear 
my  preaching  will  be  quite  foolishness  to  you,  and  that  you 
will  understand  me  no  more  than  if  I  spoke  to  you  in  an  un- 
known tongue.  But  as  the  promise  in  the  text  is  made  to  the 
world,  and  as  I  know  it  will  be  fulfilling  till  time  shall  be  no 
more,  I  shall  proceed  to  explain  the  general  way  whereby  the 
Holy  Ghost  works  upon  every  converted  sinner's  heart ;  and  I 
hope  that  the  Lord,  even  whilst  I  am  speaking,  will  be  pleased  to 
fulfill  it  in  many  of  your  hearts.  '•  And  when  he  is  come,  he  will 
reprove  the  world  of  sin,  and  of  righteousness,  and  of  judgment." 

The  word  which  we  translate  reprove,  ought  to  be  rendered 
convince  ;  and  in  the  original  it  implies  a  conviction  by  way 
of  argumentation,  and  coming  with  a  power  upon  the  mind 
equal  to  a  demonstration.  A  great  many  scoffers  of  these  last 
days,  will  ask  such  as  they  term  pretenders  to  the  Spirit,  how 
they  feel  the  Spirit,  and  how  they  know  the  Spirit?  They  might 
as  well  ask,  how  they  know,  and  how  they  feel  the  sun  when  it 
shines  upon  the  body?  For  with  equal  power  and  demonstration 
does  the  Spirit  of  God  work  upon  and  convince  the  soul.    And, 

Flrst^  It  convinces  of  sin  ;  and  generally  of  some  enormous 
sin,  the  worst  perhaps  the  convicted  person  ever  was  guilty  of 
Thus,  when  our  Lord  was  conversing  with  the  woman  of 
Samaria,  he  convinced  her  first  of  her  adultery  :  "  Woman,  go 
call  thy  husband.  The  woman  answered,  and  said,  I  have  no 
husband.  Jesus  said  unto  her,  Thou  hast  well  said,  I  have  no 
husband  :  for  thou  hast  had  five  husbands,  and  he  whom  thou 
now  hast,  is  not  thy  husband  ;  in  this  saidst  thou  truly."  With 
this,  there  went  such  a  powerful  conviction  of  all  her  other 
actual  sins,  that  soon  after,  she  "  left  her  water  pot,  and  went 
her  way  into  the  city,  and  saith  to  the  men.  Come,  and  see  a 
man  that  told  me  all  things  that  ever  I  did :  Is  not  this  the 
Christ  ?"  Thus  our  Lord  also  dealt  with  the  pesecutor  Saul : 
he  convinced  him  first  of  the  horrid  sin  of  persecution  :  "  Saul, 
Saul,  why  persecutest  thou  me  !"  Such  a  sense  of  all  his  other 
sins,  probably  at  the  same  time  revived  in  his  mind,  that  imme- 
diately he  died  ;  that  is,  died  to  all  his  false  confidences,  and 
was  thrown  into  such  an  agony  of  soul,  that  he  continued  three 
days,  and  neither  did  eat  nor  drink.  This  is  the  method  the 
Spirit  of  God  generally  takes  in  dealing  with  sinners  ;  he  first 
convinces  them  of  some  heinous  actual  sin,  and  at  the  same 
time  brings  all  their  other  sins  into  remembrance,  and  as  it 
were,  sets  them  in  battle-array  before  them.  "  When  he  is  come, 
he  will  reprove  the  world  of  sin." 


392  THE  HOLY  SPIRIT  CONVINCING  [Serm.  8. 

And  was  it  ever  thus  with  you,  my  dear  hearers  ?  (For  I 
must  question  you  as  I  go  along,  because  I  intend,  by  the  divine 
help,  to  preach  not  only  to  your  heads,  but  your  hearts.)  Did 
the  Spirit  of  God  ever  brina:  all  your  sins  thus  to  remembrance, 
and  make  you  cry  out  to  God,  "  thou  writest  bitter  things 
against  me  ?"  Did  your  actual  sins  ever  appear  before  you,  as 
though  drawn  in  a  map  ?  If  not,  you  have  great  reason  (unless 
you  were  sanctified  from  the  womb)  to  suspect  that  you  are  not 
convicted,  much  more  not  converted,  and  that  the  promise  of 
the  text  was  never  yet  fulfilled  in  your  hearts. 

Farther  :  When  the  Comforter  comes  into  a  sinner's  heart, 
though  it  generally  convinces  the  sinner  of  his  actual  sin  first, 
yet  it  leads  him  to  see  and  bewail  his  original  sin,  the  fountain 
from  which  all  these  polluted  streams  do  flow. 

Though  every  thing  in  the  earth,  air  and  water ;  every  thing 
both  without  and  within,  concur  to  prove  the  truth  of  that  as- 
sertion in  the  scripture,  "  in  Adam  we  all  have  died  ;"  yet  most 
are  so  hardened  through  the  deceitfulness  of  sin,  that  notwith- 
standing they  may  give  an  assent  to  the  truth  of  the  proposition 
in  their  heads,  yet  they  never  felt  it  really  in  their  hearts.  Nay, 
some  in  words  professedly  deny  it,  though  their  works  too 
plainly  prove  them  to  be  degenerate  sons  of  a  degenerate  father. 
But  when  the  Comforter,  the  Spirit  of  God,  arrests  a  sinner, 
and  convinces  him  of  sin,  all  carnal  reasoning  against  original 
corruption,  every  proud  and  high  imagination,  which  exalteth 
itself  against  that  doctrine,  is  immediately  thrown  down  ;  and 
he  is  made  to  cry  out,  "  Who  shall  deliver  me  from  the  body  of 
this  death  ?"  He  now  finds  that  concupiscence  is  sin  ;  and  does 
not  so  much  bewail  his  actual  sins,  as  the  inward  perverseness 
of  ?iis  heart,  which  he  now  finds  not  only  to  be  an  enemy  to, 
but  also  direct  enmity  against  God. 

And  did  the  Comforter,  my  dear  friends  ever  come  with  such 
a  convincing  power  as  this  into  your  hearts  ?  Were  you  ever 
made  to  see  and  feel,  that  in  your  flesh  dwelleth  no  good  thing ; 
that  you  are  conceived  and  born  in  sin  ;  that  you  are  by  na- 
ture children  of  wrath  ;  that  God  would  be  just  if  he  damned 
you,  though  you  never  committed  an  actual  sin  in  your  lives  ? 
So  often  as  you  have  been  at  church  and  sacrament,  did  you 
ever  feelingly  confess,  that  there  was  no  health  in  you ;  that 
the  remembrance  of  your  original  and  actual  sins  was  grievous 
unto  you,  and  the  burden  of  them  intolerable  ?  If  not,  you  hav^e 
been  only  offering  to  God  vain  oblations  ;  you  never  yet  pray- 
ed in  your  lives  ;  the  Comforter  never  yet  came  effectually  into 
your  souls  :  consequently  you  are  not  in  the  faith  properly  so 
called  ;  no,  you  are  at  present  in  a  state  of  death  and  damnation. 

Again,  the  Comforter,  when  he  comes  effectually  to  work 


Serm.  8.]  the  world  of  sin,  &c.  393 

upon  a  sinner,  not  only  convinces  him  of  the  sin  of  his  nature, 
and  the  sin  of  his  Hfe,  but  also  of  the  sin  of  his  duties. 

We  all  naturally  are  legalists,  thinking  to  be  justified  by  the 
works  of  the  law.  When  somewhat  awakened  by  the  terrors 
of  the  Lord,  we  immediately,  like  the  pharisees  of  old,  go  about 
to  establish  our  own  righteousness,  and  think  we  shall  find  ac- 
ceptance with  God,  if  we  seek  it  with  tears  ;  finding  ourselves 
damned  by  nature  and  our  actual  sins,  we  then  think  to  re- 
commend ourselves  to  God  by  our  duties,  and  hope,  by  our 
doings  of  one  kind  or  another,  to  inherit  eternal  life.  But, 
whenever  the  Comforter  comes  into  the  heart,  it  convinces  the 
soul  of  these  false  rests,  and  makes  the  sinner  to  see  that  all  his 
righteousness  is  but  as  filthy  rags  :  that  his  best  works  are  but 
so  many  splendid  sins :  and  that,  for  the  most  pompous  ser- 
vices he  deserves  a  doom  no  better  than  of  the  unprofitable  ser- 
vant, to  be  thrown  into  outer  darkiless,  where  is  weeping,  and 
waiUnof,  and  gnashing  of  teeth. 

And  was  this  degree  of  conviction  ever  wrought  in  any  of 
your  souls  ?  Did  the  Comforter  ever  come  into  your  hearts, 
so  as  to  make  you  sick  of  your  duties,  as  well  as  your  sins  ? 
Were  you  ever,  with  the  great  apostle  of  the  Gentiles,  made  to 
abhor  your  own  righteousness  which  is  by  the  law,  and  ac- 
knowledge that  you  deserve  to  be  damned,  though  you  should 
give  all  your  goods  to  feed  the  poor  ?  Were  you  made  to  feel,  that 
yoLir  very  repentance  needed  to  be  repented  of,  and  that  every 
thing  in  yourselves  is  but  dung  and  dross  ?  And  that  all  the 
arguments  you  can  fetch  for  mercy,  must  be  out  of  the  heart 
and  the  pure  unmerited  love  of  God  ?  Were  you  ever  made 
to  lie  at  the  feet  of  sovereign  grace,  and  to  say.  Lord,  if  thou 
wilt,  thou  mayest  save  me  ;  if  not,  thou  mayest  justly  damn  me  ; 
I  have  nothing  to  plead,  I  can  in  no  wise  justify  myself  in  thy 
sight ;  my  best  performances,  I  see  will  condemn  me  ;  and  all 
I  hav^  to  depend  upon  is  thy  free  grace  ?  What  say  yon  ?  Was 
ihis  ever,  or  is  this  now,  the  habitual  language  of  your  hearts  ? 
You  have  been  frequently  at  the  temple  ;  but  did  you  ever 
approach  it  in  the  temper  of  the  poor  publican  ;  and,  after  you 
have  done  all,  acknowledge  that  you  have  done  nothing  ;  and 
upon  a  feeling  experimental  sense  of  your  own  unworthiness 
and  sinfulness  every  way,  smite  upon  your  breasts,  and  say, 
"  God  be  merciful  to  us  sinners  ?"  If  you  never  were  thus 
minded,  the  Comforter  never  yet  efiectually  came  into  your 
souls ;  you  are  out  of  Christ ;  and  if  God  should  require  your 
souls  in  that  condition,  he  would  be  no  better  to  you  than  a 
consuming  fire. 

But  there  is  a  fourth  sin,  of  which  the  Comforter,  when  he 
comes  convinces  the  soul,  and  which  alone  (it  is  very  remark- 


4 


394  THE  noLTc  SPIRIT  CONVINCING  [Serin.  8. 

able)  our  Lord  mentions  as  though  it  was  the  only  sin  worth 
mentioning ;  for  indeed  it  is  the  root  of  all  other  sins  whatso- 
ever. It  is  the  reigning  as  well  as  the  damning  sin  of  the  world. 
And  what  now  do  you  imagine  that  sin  may  be  ?  It  is  that 
cursed  sin,  that  root  of  all  other  evils,  I  mean  the  sin  of  unbelief. 
"  Of  sin  because  they  believe  not  on  me." 

But  does  the  christian  world  or  any  of  you  that  hear  me  this 
day  want  the  Holy  Ghost  to  convince  you  of  unbelief?  Are 
there  any  infidels  here  ?  Yes,  (O  that  I  had  not  too  great  rea- 
son to  think  so)  I  fear  most  are  such.  Not  indeed  such  infidels 
as  professedly  deny  the  Lord  that  bought  us  (though  I  fear  too 
many  even  of  such  monsters  are  in  every  country ;)  but  I  mean 
such  unbehevers,  as  have  no  more  faith  in  Christ  than  the 
devils  themselves.  Perhaps  you  may  think  you  believe,  be- 
cause you  repeat  the  creed,  or  subscribe  to  a  confession  of 
faith ;  because  you  go  to  church  or  meeting,  receive  the 
sacrament,  and  are  taken  into  full  communion.  These  are 
blessed  privileges  ;  but  all  this  may  be  done,  without  our  being 
true  believers.  And  I  know  not  how  to  detect  your  false  hy- 
pocritical faith  better  than  by  putting  to  you  this  question  : 
How  long  have  you  believed  ?  Would  not  most  of  you  say, 
as  long  as  we  can  remember,  we  never  did  disbelieve.  Then 
this  is  a  certain  sign  that  you  have  no  true  faith  at  all :  no,  not 
so  much  as  a  grain  of  mustard  seed  :  for  if  you  believe  now, 
(unless  you  were  sanctified  from  your  infancy,  which  is  the  case 
of  some)  you  must  know  that  there  was  a  time  in  which  you 
did  not  believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  ;  and  the  Holy  Ghost, 
if  ever  you  received  it,  convinced  you  of  this.  Eternal  Truth 
has  declared,  "  when  he  is  come  he  will  convince  the  world  of 
sin,  because  they  believe  not  on  me." 

None  of  us  believe  by  nature  ;  but  after  the  Holy  Ghost  has 
convinced  us  of  our  natures,  and  the  sin  of  our  lives  and  duties, 
in  order  to  convince  us  of  our  utter  inability  to  save  ourselves, 
and  that  we  must  be  beholden  to  God,  as  for  every  thing  else, 
so  for  faith  (without  which  it  is  impossible  to  please,  or  be  saved 
by  Christ)  he  convinces  us  also  that  we  have  no  faith.  Dost 
thou  believe  on  the  Son  of  God  ?  is  the  grand  question  which 
the  Holy  Ghost  now  puts  to  the  soul.  At  the  same  time  he 
works  with  such  power  and  demonstrations,  that  the  soul  sees, 
and  is  oblis^ed  to  confess,  that  it  has  no  faith. 

This  is  a  thing  little  thought  of  by  most  who  call  themselves 
believers.  They  dream  they  are  christians  because  they  live 
in  a  christian  country  ;  if  they  were  born  Turks,  they  would 
believe  on  Mahomet ;  for  what  is  that  which  men  commonly 
call  faith,  but  an  outward  consent  to  the  established  religion  7 
But  do  not  you  thus  deceive  your  own  selves ;  true  faith  is 


Serm.  8.]  the  world  of  sin,  &c.  395 

quite  another  thinof.  Ask  yourselves,  therefore,  whether  or 
not  the  Holy  Ghost  ever  powerfully  convinced  you  of  the  sin 
of  unbelief?  You  are  perhaps  so  devout  (you  may  imagine) 
as  to  get  a  catalogue  of  sins,  which  you  look  over,  and  confess 
in  a  formal  manner,  as  often  as  you  go  to  the  holy  sacrament. 
But  among  all  your  sins,  did  you  ever  once  confess  and  bewail 
that  damning  sin  of  unbelief?  Were  you  ever  made  to  cry 
out,  Lord,  give  me  faith  ;  Lord,  give  me  to  believe  on  thee  ; 
D  that  I  had  faith  !  O  that  I  could  believe  !  If  you  never  were 
thus  distressed,  at  least  if  you  never  saw  and  felt,  that  you  had 
no  faith,  it  is  a  certain  sign  that  the  Holy  Ghost  the  Comforter, 
never  came  into  and  worked  savingly  upon  your  souls. 

But  is  it  not  odd,  that  the  Holy  Ghost  should  be  called  a 
Comforter,  wlien  it  is  plain,  by  the  experience  of  all  God's  chil- 
dren, that  this  work  of  conviction  is  usually  attended  with  sore 
inward  conflicts,  and  a  great  deal  of  soul-trouble  ?  I  answer, 
the  Holy  Ghost  may  well  be  termed  a  Comforter,  even  in  this 
work  ;  because  it  is  the  only  way  to,  and  ends  in,  true  solid 
comfort.  Blessed  are  they  that  are  thus  convicted  by  him ; 
for  they  shall  be  comforted.  Nay,  not  only  so,  but  there  is 
present  comfort,  even  in  the  midst  of  these  convictions.  The 
soul  secretly  rejoices  in  the  sight  of  its  own  misery,  blesses  God 
for  bringing  it  out  of  darkness  into  light,  and  looks  forward 
with  a  comfortable  prospect  of  future  deliverances,  knowing, 
that,  "  though  sorrow  may  endure  for  a  night,  joy  will  come  in 
the  morning." 

Thus  it  is  that  the  Holy  Ghost  convinces  the  soul  of  sin. 
And,  if  so,  how  wretchedly  are  they  mistaken,  that  blend  the 
light  of  the  Spirit  with  the  light  of  conscience,  as  all  those  do, 
who  say,  that  Christ  lighteth  every  man  that  cometh  into  the 
world,  and  that  light,  if  improved,  will  bring  us  to  Jesus  Christ? 
If  such  doctrine  be  true,  the  promise  in  the  text  was  needless: 
our  Lord's  apostles  had  already  that  light ;  the  world  hereafter 
to  be  convinced,  had  that  light ;  and,  if  that  was  sufficient  to 
bring  them  to  Christ,  why  was  it  expedient  that  Christ  should 
go  away  to  heaven,  to  send  down  the  Holy  Ghost  to  do  this  for 
them?  Alas!  all  have  not  this  Spirit:  it  is  the  special  gift 
of  God,  and,  without  this  special  gift,  we  can  never  come  to 
Christ. 

The  light  of  conscience  will  accuse  or  convince  us  of  any 
common  sin  ;  but  the  light  of  natural  conscience  never  did, 
never  will,  and  never  can  convince  us  of  unbelief.  If  it  could, 
how  comes  it  to  pass,  that  not  one  of  the  heathen,  who  improv- 
ed the  light  of  nature  in  such  an  eminent  degree,  was  ever 
convinced  of  unbelief?  No,  natural  conscience  cannot  effect 
this ;  it  is  the  peculiar  property  of  the  Holy  Ghost  the  Com- 


396  THE  HOLY  SPIRIT  CONVINCING  [Serm.  8. 

forter.  "  When  he  is  come,  he  will  reprove  (or  convince)  the 
world  of  sin,  of  rio;hteousness,  and  judgment." 

We  have  heard  how  he  convinces  of  sin.  We  come  now  to 
show, 

Secondly^  What  is  the  righteousness,  of  which  the  Comforter 
convinces  the  world. 

By  the  word  righteousness^  in  some  places  of  scripture,  we 
are  to  understand  that  common  justice  which  we  ought  to 
practice  between  man  and  man  ;  as  when  Paul  is  said  to  rea- 
son of  temperance  and  righteousness  before  a  trembling  Felix. 
But  here  (as  in  a  multitude  of  other  places  in  holy  writ)  we 
are  to  understand  by  the  word  righteousness,  the  active  and 
passive  obedience  of  the  dear  Lord  Jesus  ;  even  that  perfect, 
personal,  all-sufficient  righteousness,  which  he  has  wrought  out 
for  that  world  which  the  Spirit  is  to  convince.  "  Of  righteous- 
ness, (says  our  Lord)  because  I  go  to  the  Father,  and  ye  see 
me  no  more."  This  is  one  argument  that  the  Holy  Spirit 
makes  use  of  to  prove  Christ's  righteousness,  because  he  is  gone 
to  the  Father,  and  we  see  him  no  more.  For  had  he  not 
wrought  out  a  sufficient  righteousness,  the  Father  would  have 
sent  him  back,  as  not  having  done  what  he  undertook ;  and  we 
should  have  seen  him  again. 

O  the  righteousness  of  Christ !  It  so  comforts  my  soul,  that 
I  must  be  excused  if  I  mention  it  in  almost  all  my  discourses. 
I  would  not,  if  I  could  help  it,  have  one  sermon  without  it. 
Whatever  infidels  may  object,  or  Arminians  sophistically  argue 
against  an  imputed  righteousness ;  yet  whoever  know  them- 
selves and  God,  must  acknowledge,  that  "  Jesus  Christ  is  the 
end  of  the  law  for  righteousness,  (and  perfect  justification  in 
the  sight  of  God,)  to  every  one  that  believeth,"  and  that  we  are 
to  be  made  the  righteousness  of  God  in  him.  This,  and  this 
only,  a  poor  sinner  can  lay  hold  of,  as  a  sure  anchor  of  his 
hope.  Whatever  other  scheme  of  salvation  men  may  lay,  I 
acknowledge  I  can  see  no  other  foundation  whereon  to  build 
my  hopes  of  salvation,  but  on  the  rock  of  Christ's  personal 
righteousness,  imputed  to  my  soul. 

Many,  I  believe,  have  a  rational  conviction  of,  and  agree 
with  me  in  this.  But  rational  convictions,  if  rested  in,  avail 
but  little  ;  it  must  be  a  spiritual,  experimental  conviction  of 
the  truth  which  is  saving.  And  therefore  our  Lord  says,  when 
the  Holy  Ghost  comes  in  the  day  of  his  power,  it  convinces  of 
this  righteousness,  of  the  reality,  completeness  and  sufficiency 
of  it,  to  save  a  poor  sinner. 

We  have  seen  how  the  Holy  Ghost  convinces  the  sinner  of 
the  sin  of  his  nature,  life,  duties,  and  of  the  sin  of  unbelief; 
and  what  then  must  the  poor  creature  do  ?    He  must  inevita- 


Serm.  8.]  the  world  of  sin,  &c.  397 

bly  despair,  if  there  be  no  hope  but  in  himself.  When  there- 
fore the  Spirit  has  hunted  the  sinner  out  of  all  his  false  rests 
and  hiding  places,  taken  off  the  pitiful  fig-leaves  of  his  own 
works,  and  driven  him  out  of  the  trees  of  the  garden,  (his 
outward  reformations)  and  placed  him  naked  before  the  bar  of 
a  sovereign,  holy,  just,  and  sin-avenging  God ;  then,  then  it  is, 
when  the  soul,  having  the  sentence  of  death  within  itself  be- 
cause of  unbelief,  has  a  sweet  display  of  Christ's  righteousness 
made  to  it  by  the  holy  Spirit  of  God.  Here  it  is,  that  he  begins 
more  immediately  to  act  in  the  quality  of  a  Comforter,  and  to 
convince  the  soul  so  powerfully  of  the  reality  and  all-sufficiency 
of  Christ's  righteousness,  that  the  soul  is  immediately  set  a 
hungering  and  thirsting  after  it.  Now  the  sinner  begins  to  see, 
that  though  he  has  destroyed  himself,  yet  in  Christ  is  his  help ; 
that,  though  he  has  no  righteousness  of  his  own  to  recommend 
him,  there  is  a  fullness  of  grace,  a  fullness  of  truth,  a  fullness 
of  righteousness  in  the  dear  Lord  Jesus,  which,  if  once  impu- 
ted to  him,  would  make  him  happy  for  ever  and  ever. 

None  can  tell,  but  those  happy  souls  who  have  experienced 
it,  with  what  demonstration  of  the  Spirit  this  conviction  comes. 
O  how  amiable,  as  well  as  all-sufficient,  does  the  blessed  Jesus 
now  appear  !  With  what  new  eyes  does  the  soul  now  see  the 
Lord  its  righteousness  !  Brethren,  it  is  unutterable.  If  you 
were  never  thus  convinced  of  Christ's  righteousness  in  your 
own  souls,  though  you  may  believe  it  doctrinally,  it  will  avail 
you  nothing ;  if  the  Comforter  never  came  savingly  into  your 
souls,  then  you  are  comfortless  indeed.  But  what  will  this 
righteousness  avail,  if  the  soul  has  it  not  in  possession  ? 

Thirdly,  The  next  thing  therefore  the  Comforter,  when  he 
comes,  convinces  the  soul  of,  is  judgment. 

By  the  word  judgment,  I  imderstand  that  well-grounded 
peace,  that  settled  judgment,  which  the  soul  forms  of  itself, 
when  it  is  enabled  by  the  Spirit  of  God  to  lay  hold  on  Christ's 
righteousness,  which  I  believe  it  always  does,  when  convinced 
in  the  manner  before  mentioned.  "  Of  judgment,  (says  our 
Lord)  because  the  prince  of  this  world  is  judged."  The  soul, 
being  enabled  to  lay  hold  on  Christ's  perfect  righteousness  by 
a  lively  faith,  has  a  conviction  wrought  in  it  by  the  Holy  Spirit, 
that  the  "  prince  of  this  world  is  judged."  The  soul  being  now 
justified  by  faith,  has  peace  with  God,  through  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  and  can  triumphantly  say,  it  is  Christ  that  justifies  me, 
who  is  he  that  condemns  me  ?  The  strong  man  armed  is  now 
cast  out ;  my  soul  is  in  a  true  peace  ;  the  prince  of  this  world 
will  come  and  accuse,  but  he  has  now  no  share  in  me.  The 
blessed  Spirit  which  I  have  received,  and  whereby  I  am  ena-. 
bled  to  apply  Christ's  righteousness  to  my  poor  soul,  powerfully 

34 


398  THE  HOLY  SPIRIT  CONVINCING  [SeriTl.  8, 

convinces  me  of  this.  Why  should  I  fear  ?  Or  of  what  sliall 
I  be  afraid,  since  God's  spirit  witnesses  with  my  spirit,  that  I 
am  a  child  of  God  ?  The  Lord  is  ascended  up  on  high  ;  he 
has  led  captivity  captive  ;  he  has  received  the  Holy  Ghost  the 
Comforter,  that  best  of  gifts  for  men  :  and  that  Comforter  is- 
come  into  my  heart :  he  is  faithful  that  hath  promised :  I,  even 
I,  am  powerfully,  rationally,  spiritually  convicted  of  sin,  right- 
eousness, and  judgment.  B}^  this  I  know  the  prince  of  this 
world  is  judged. 

Thus,  I  say,  may  we  suppose  that  soul  to  triumph,  in  which 
the  promise  of  the  text  is  happily  fulfilled.  And  though,  at  the 
beginning  of  this  discourse,  I  said,  most  had  never  experienced 
any  thing  of  this,  and  that  therefore  this  preaching  must  be 
foolishness  to  such  ;  yet  I  doubt  not  but  there  are  some  few 
happy  souls,  who,  through  grace,  have  been  enabled  to  follow 
me  step  by  step  ;  and  notwithstanding  the  Holy  Ghost  might 
not  directly  work  in  the  same  order  as  I  have  described,  and 
perhaps  they  cannot  exactly  say  the  time  when,  yet  they  have 
a  well  grounded  confidence  that  the  work  is  done,  and  that 
they  have  really  been  convinced  of  sin,  righteousness,  and 
judgment,  in  some  way,  or  at  some  time  or  another. 

And  now  what  shall  I  say  to  you  ?  O  thank  God,  thank  the 
Lord  Jesus,  thank  the  ever  blessed  Trinity,  for  this  unspeaka- 
ble gift :  for  you  would  never  have  been  thus  highly  favored, 
had  not  he  who  first  spoke  darkness  into  light,  loved  you  with 
an  everlasting  love,  and  enlightened  you  by  his  Holy  Spirit, 
and  that  too,  not  on  account  of  any  good  thing  foreseen  in 
you,  but  for  his  own  name's  sake. 

Be  humble  therefore,  O  believers  be  humble.  Look  at  the 
rock  from  whence  you  have  been  hewn.  Extol  free  grace  ; 
admire  electing  love,  which  alone  has  made  you  to  differ  from 
the  rest  of  your  brethren.  Has  God  brought  you  into  hght? 
Walk  as  becometh  the  children  of  light.  Provoke  not  the 
Holy  Spirit  to  depart  from  you  :  for  though  he  hath  sealed  you 
to  the  day  of  redemption,  and  you  know  that  the  prince  of  this 
world  is  judo^ed  ;  yet  if  you  backslide,  grow  lukewarm,  or  for- 
get your  firsl  love,  the  Lord  will  visit  your  offenses  with  the 
rod  of  affliction,  and  your  sin  with  spiritual  scourges.  Be  not 
therefore  high-minded,  but  fear.  Rejoice,  but  let  it  be  with 
trembling.  As  the  elect  of  God,  put  on,  not  only  humbleness 
of  mind,  but  bowels  of  compassion  ;  and  pray,  O  pray  for  your 
unconverted  brethren  !  Help  me,  help  me  now,  O  children  of 
God,  and  hold  up  my  hands,  as  Aaron  and  Hur  once  held  up 
the  hands  of  Moses.  Pray  whilst  I  am  preaching,  that  the 
Lord  may  enable  me  to  say,  This  day  is  the  promise  in  the 
text  fulfilled  in  some  poor  sinners'  hearts.     Cry  mightily  to 


Serm.  8.]  the  world  of  sin,  &c.  399 

Ood,  and,  with  the  cords  of  a  holy  violence,  pull  down  bless- 
ino;s  on  your  neighbors'  heads.  Christ  yet  lives  and  reigns  in 
heaven.  The  residue  of  the  Spirit  is  yet  in  his  hand,  and  a 
plentiful  effusion  of  it  is  promised  in  the  latter  days  of  the 
church.  And  O  that  the  Holy  Ghost,  the  blessed  Comforter, 
would  now  come  down,  and  convince  those  that  are  Christless 
among  you,  "  of  sin,  of  righteousness,  and  of  judgment !"  O 
that  you  were  once  made  willing  to  be  convinced  ! 

But  perhaps  you  had  rather  be  filled  with  wine  than  with 
the  Spirit,  and  are  daily  chasing  that  Holy  Ghost  from  your 
souls.  What  shall  I  say  for  you  to  God?  '-Father,  forgive 
them,  for  they  know  not  what  they  do."  What  shall  I  say  from 
God  to  you  ?  Why,  '•  that  God  was  in  Christ  reconciling  the 
world  unto  himself :"  therefore  I  beseech  you,  as  in  Christ's 
stead,  be  ^''e  reconciled  to  God.  Do  not  go  away  contradicting 
and  blaspheming.  I  know  Satan  would  have  you  begone. 
Many  of  you  may  be  uneasy,  and  are  ready  to  cry  out,  "  W'hat 
a  weariness  is  this  !''  But  I  will  not  let  you  go  :  I  have  wres- 
tled with  God  for  my  hearers  in  private,  and  I  must  wrestle 
with  you  here  in  public.  Though  of  myself  J  can  do  nothing, 
and  you  can  no  more  by  your  own  power  come  to  and  believe 
on  Christ,  than  Lazarus  could  come  forth  from  the  grave ;  yet 
who  knows  but  God  may  beget  some  of  you  again  lo  a  lively 
hope  by  this  foolishness  of  preaching,  and  that  you  may  be  some 
of  that  world,  which  the  Comforter  is  to  convince  "  of  sin,  of 
righteousness,  and  of  judgment !"  Poor  Christless  souls  !  do 
you  know  what  a  condition  you  are  in  ?  Why,  you  are  lying  in 
the  wicked  one,  the  devil ;  he  rules  in  you,  he  walks  and  dwells 
in  you,  unless  you  dwell  in  Christ,  and  the  Comforter  is  come 
into  your  hearts.  And  will  you  contentedly  lie  in  that  wicked 
one,  the  devil  ?  What  wages  will  he  give  you  ?  Eternal 
death.  O  that  you  would  come  to  Christ  I  The  free  gift  of 
God  through  him  is  eternal  life.  He  will  accept  of  you  even 
now,  if  you  will  believe  in  him.  Tlie  Comforter  may  yet 
come  into  your  hearts,  even  yours.  All  that  are  now  his-  living 
temples,  were  once  lying  in  the  wicked  one  as  well  as  you. 
This  blessed  gift,  this  Holy  Ghost,  the  blessed  Jesus  received 
even  for  the  rebellious. 

I  see  many  of  you  affected  :  but  are  your  passions  only  a 
little  wrought  upon,  or  are  your  souls  really  touched  with  a 
lively  sense  of  the  heinousness  of  your  sins,  your  want  of  faith, 
and  the  preciousness  of  the  righteousness  of  Jesus  Christ  ?  If 
so.  I  hope  the  Lord  has  been  gracious,  and  that  the  Comforter 
is  coming  into  your  hearts.  O  do  not  stifle  these  convictions ! 
Do  not  go  away,  and  straightway  forget  what  manner  of  doc- 
trine you  have  heard,  and  thereby  show  that  these  are  only 


400  THE  HOLY  SPIRIT  CONVINCING  [SerTIl.  8. 

common  workings  of  a  few  transient  convictions,  floating  upon 
the  surface  of  your  hearts.  Beg  of  God  that  you  may  be  sin- 
cere (ibr  he  alone  can  make  you  so)  and  that  you  may  indeed 
desire  the  promise  of  the  text  to  be  fulfilled  in  your  souls.  Who 
knows  but  the  Lord  may  be  gracious  ?  Remember  you  have 
no  plea  but  sovereign  mercy;  but  for  your  encouragement 
also,  remember  it  is  the  Av^orld,  such  as  you  are,  to  whom  the 
(vomforter  is  to  come,  and  whom  he  is  to  convince.  Wait  there- 
fore at  Wisdom's  gates.  The  bare  probability  of  having  a  door 
of  mercy  opened,  is  enough  to  keep  you  striving.  Christ  Jesus 
came  into  the  world  to  save  sinners,  the  chief  of  them.  You 
laiow  not  but  he  came  to  save  you.  Do  not  go  and  quarrel 
with  God's  decrees,  and  say,  if  I  am  a  reprobate,  I  shall  be 
danmed ;  if  I  am  elected,  I  shall  be  saved  ;  and  therefore  I 
will  do  nothing.  What  have  you  to  do  with  God's  decrees  1 
Secret  things  belong  to  him  ;  it  is  your  business  to  give  "  all 
diligence  to  make  your  calling  and  election  sure."  If  there  are 
but  few  who  find  the  way  that  leads  to  life,  do  you  strive  to  be 
.some  of  them.  You  know  not  but  you  may  be  in  the  number 
of  those  few,  and  that  your  striving  may  be  the  means  which 
God  intends  to  bless,  to  give  you  an  entrance  in.  If  you  do 
not  act  thus,  you  are  not  sincere ;  and,  if  you  do,  who  knows 
but  you  may  find  mercy  ?  For  though  after  you  have  done  all 
that  you  can,  God  may  justly  cut-  you  off*,  yet  never  was  a  sin- 
gle person  damned  who  did  all  that  he  could.  Though  there- 
fore your  hands  are  withered,  stretch  them  out ;  though  you 
are  impotent,  sick,  and  lame,  come  he  at  the  pool.  Who  knows 
but  by  and  by,  the  Lord  Jesus  may  have  compassion  on  you, 
and  send  the  Comforter  to  convince  you  of  sin,  righteousness, 
and  of  judgment  ?  He  is  a  God  full  of  compassion  and  long- 
suffering,  otherwise  you  and  I  had  been  long  since  lifting  up 
our  eyes  in  torments.     But  still  he  is  patient  with  us  ! 

O  Christless  sinners,  you  are  alive,  and  who  knows  but  God 
nitends  to  bring  you  to  repentance  ?  Could  my  prayers  or 
tears  affect  it,  you  should  have  volleys  of  the  one,  and  floods 
of  the  other.  My  heart  is  touched  with  a  sense  of  your  con- 
dition. May  our  merciful  High  Priest  now  ^end  down  the 
Comforter  and  make  you  sensible  of  it  also  !  O  the  love  of 
Christ !  It  constrains  me  to  beseech  you  to  come  to  him ; 
wliat  do  you  reject,  if  you  reject  Christ,  the  Lord  of  glory  ! 
Sinners,  give  -the  dear  Redeemer  a  lodging  in  your  souls.  Do 
not  be  Bethshemites  ;  give  Christ  your  hearts,  your  whole 
hearts.  Indeed  he  is  worthy.  He  made  you  and  not  you  your- 
selves. You  are  not  your  own  ;  give  Christ  then  your  bodies 
and  souls,  which  are  his  !  Is  it  not  enough  to  melt  you  down, 
to  think  that  the  high  and  lofty  One  who  inhabiteth  eternity, 


I 


Serm.  8.]  the  waRLD  of  sin,  ate.  401 

should  condescend  to  invite  you  by  his  ministers  ?  How  soon 
can  hQ  frown  you  to  hell !  And  how  know  you  but  he  may 
this  very  instant,  if  you  do  not  hear  his  voice  ?  Did  any  yet 
harden  their  hearts  against  Christ,  and  prosper  ?  Come  then, 
do  not  send  me  sorrowful  away ;  do  not  let  me  have  reason 
to  cry  out,  "  O  my  leanness,  my  leanness  !"  Do  not  let  me  go 
weeping  into  my  closet,  and  say,  "  Lord  they  will  not  believe 
my  report ;  Lord,  I  have  called  them,  and  they  will  not  an- 
swer ;  I  am  unto  them  as  a  very  pleasant  song,  and  as  one  that 
plays  upon  a  pleasant  instrument ;  but  their  hearts  are  running 
after  the  lust  of  the  eye,  the  lust  of  the  flesh,  and  the  pride  of 
life."  Would  you  be  willing  that  I  should  give  such  an  ac- 
count of  you,  or  make  such  a  prayer  before  God  ?  And  yet  I 
must  not  only  do  so  here,  but  appear  in  judgment  against  you 
hereafter,  unless  you  will  come  to  Christ.  Once  more,  there- 
fore, I  entreat  you  to  come.  What  objections  have  you  to  make  ? 
Behold,  I  stand  here  in  the  name  of  God,  to  answer  all  that 
you  can  offer.  But  I  know  no  one  can  come,  unless  the  Father 
draw  him.  I  will  therefore  address  me  to  my  God,  and  inter- 
cede with  him  to  send  the  Comforter  into  your  hearts.  , 

O  blessed  Jesus,  who  art  a  God  whose  compassions  fail  not, 
and  in  whom  all  the  promises  are  yea  and  amen  ;  thou  that 
sittest  between  the  cherubims,  show  thyself  amongst  us.  Let 
us  now  see  thy  outgoings  !  O  let  us  now  taste  that  thou  art 
gracious,  and  reveal  thy  almighty  arm  !  Get  thyself  the  vic- 
tory in  these  poor  sinners'  hearts.  Let  not  the  word  spoken 
prove  like  water  spilt  upon  the  ground.  Send  down,  send 
down,  O  great  High  Priest,  the  Holy  Spirit,  to  convince  the 
world  of  sin,  of  righteousness,  and  of  judgment.  So  will  we 
give  thanks  and  praise  to  thee  O  Father,  thee  O  Son,  and 
thee  O  blessed  Spirit ;  to  whom  as  three  Persons,  but  one  God, 
be  ascribed,  by  angels  and  archangels,  by  cherubim  and 
seraphim,  and  all  the  heavenly  hosts,  all  possible  power,  might, 
majesty,  and  dominion,  now  and  for  evermore.  Amen,  Amen, 
Am£n. 

34* 


402  THE  coxvcRsiox  OF  zAcciiEus.  [Serm.  9. 

SERMON  IX. 

THE  CONVERSION  OF  ZACCHEUS. 


Luke  xix.  9,  10 

And  Jesus  said  unto  him,  This  day  is  salvation  come  to  this  house, 
forasmuch  as  he  also  is  the  son  of  Abraham.  For  the  son  of  man 
is  come  to  seek  and  to  save  that  which  was  lost. 

Salvation,  every  where  through  the  whole  scripture,  is 
said  to  be  free  gift  of  God,  through  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord. 
Not  only  free,  because  God  is  a  sovereign  agent,  and  therefore 
may  withhold  it  from,  or  confer  it  on,  whom  he  pleaseth  ;  but 
free,  because  there  is  nothing  to  be  found  in  man,  that  can  any 
v/ay  induce  God  to  be  merciful  unto  him.  The  righteousnes-s 
of  Jesus  Christ  is  the  sole  cause  of  our  findina:  favor  in  God's 
sight.  This  righteousness,  apprehended  by  faith,  (which  is 
also  the  gift  of  God)  makes  it  our  own  ;  and  this  faith,  if  true, 
will  work  by  love. 

These  are  parts  of  those  glad  tidings  which  are  published  in 
the  gospel ;  and  of  the  certainty  of  them,  next  to  the  express 
word  of  God,  the  experience  of  all  such  as  have  been  saved,  is 
the  best,  and  as  I  take  it.  the  most  undoubted  proof.  That  God 
might  teach  us  every  way,  he  has  been  pleased  to  leave  upon 
record  many  instances  of  the  power  of  his  grace  exerted  in  the 
salvation  of  several  persons,  that  we  hearing  how  he  dealt  with 
them,  might  thence  infer  the  manner  we  must  expect  to  be  dealt 
with  ourseh^es,  and  learn  in  what  way  we  must  look  for  salva- 
tion, if  we  truly  desire  to  be  made  partakers  of  the  inheritance 
with  the  saints  in  light. 

The  conversion  of  the  person  referred  to  in  the  text,  I  think 
will  be  of  no  small  service  to  us  in  this  matter,  if  rightly  im- 
proved. I  would  hope,  most  of  you  know  who  the  person  is, 
to  whom  the  Lord  Jesus  speaks  ;  it  is  the  publican  Zaccheus, 
to  whose  house  the  blessed  Jesus  said,  salvation  came,  and 
whom  he  pronounces  a  son  of  Abraham. 

It  is  my  design  (God  helping)  to  make  some  remarks  upon 
his  conversion  recorded  at  large  in  the  preceding  verses,  and 
then  to  enforce  the  latter  part  of  the  text,  as  an  encouragement 
to  poor  undone  sinners  to  come  to  Jesus  Christ.  "  For  the  Son 
of  man  is  come  to  seek  and  to  save  that  which  was  lost." 

The  evangelist  Luke  introduces  the  account  of  this  man's 
conversion  thus,  ver.  L  "  And  Jesus  entered  and  passed  through 


1 


Serm.  9.]  tjie  conversion  of  zaccheus.  403 

Jericho."  The  holy  Jesus  made  it  his  business  to  go  about 
doing  good.  As  the  sun  in  the  firmament  is  continually  spread- 
ing his  benign,  quickening,  and  cheering  influences  over  the 
natural ;  so  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  arose  with  healing  under 
his  wings,  and  was  daily  and  hourly  diftusing  his  orpacious  in- 
fluences over  the  moral  world.  The  preceding  chapter  ac- 
quaints us  of  a  notable  miracle  wrought  by  the  holy  Jesus  on 
poor  blind  Bartimeus  :  and  in  this,  a  greater  presents  itself  to 
our  consideration.  The  evangelist  would  have  us  take  par- 
ticular notice  of  it ;  for  he  introduces  it  with  the  word  behold : 
'■'  And  behold,  there  was  a  man  named  Zaccheus,  who  was  the 
chief  among  the  publicans,  and  he  was  rich." 

Well  mio^ht  the  evanofelist  usher  in  the  relation  of  this  man's 
conversion  with  the  word  behold  !  For.  according  to  human 
judgment,  how  many  insurmountable  obstacles  lay  in  the  way 
of  it !  Surely  no  one  will  say  there  was  any  fitness  in  Zaccheus 
for  salvation  ;  for  we  are  told  that  he  was  a  publican,  and 
therefore  in  all  probability  a  notorious  sinner.  The  publicans 
were  gatherers  of  the  Roman  taxes  ;  they  were  infamous  for 
their  abominable  extortion  ;  their  very  name  therefore  became 
so  odious,  that  we  fmd  the  pharisees  often  reproached  our  Lord, 
as  very  wicked,  because  he  was  a  friend  unto  and  sat  down  to 
meat  with  them.  Zaccheus  then,  being  a  publican,  was  no 
doubt  a  sinner  ;  and,  being  chief  among  the  publicans^  conse- 
quently was  chief  among  sinners.  Nay,  he  was  rich.  And 
one  inspired  apostle  has  told  us.  "  that  not  many  mighty,  not 
many  noble,  are  called."  Another  saith,  "  God  has  chosen  the 
poor  of  this  world,  rich  in  faith."  And  he  who  was  the  Maker 
and  the  Redeemer  of  the  apostles,  assures  us,  "that  it  is  easier 
for  a  camel  (or  a  cable  rope)  to  go  through  the  eye  of  a  needle, 
than  for  a  rich  man  to  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God."  Let 
not  therefore  the  rich  glory  in  the  multitude  of  their  riches. 

But  rich  as  he  was,  we  are  told,  verse  3,  that  "he  sought  to 
see  Jesus."  And  that  was  a  wonder  indeed  !  The  common  people 
heard  our  Lord  gladly,  and  the  poor  received  the  gospel.  The 
multitude,  the  very  mob,  the  people  that  knew  not  the  law,  as 
the  proud  high  priests  called  them,  used  to  follow  liirn  on  foot 
into  the  country,  and  sometimes  stayed  with  him  three  days 
together  to  hear  him  preach.  But  did  the  rich  believe  or  at- 
tend on  him  ?  No.  Our  Lord  preached  up  the  doctrine  of  the 
cross  ;  he  preached  too  searching  for  them,  and  therefore  they 
counted  him  their  enemy,  persecuted  and  spoke  all  manner  of 
evil  against  him  falsely.  Let  not  the  ministers  of  Christ  mar- 
vel, if  they  meet  with  the  like  treatment  from  the  rich  men  of 
this  wicked  and  adulterous  generation.  I  should  think  it  no 
scandal  (supposing  it  true)  to  hear  it  afiirmed,  that  none  but 


404  THE  CONVERSION  OF  ZACCHEUS.  [Serm.  9. 

the  poor  attended  my  ministry.  Their  souls  are  as  precious  to 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  as  the  souls  of  the  greatest  men.  They 
were  the  poor  that  attended  him  in  the  days  of  his  flesh.  These 
are  they  whom  he  hath  chosen  to  be  rich  in  faith,  and  to  be 
the  greatest  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  Were  the  rich  in  this 
world's  goods  generally  to  speak  well  of  me,  wo  be  unto  me  ; 
I  should  think  it  a  dreadful  sign  that  I  was  only  a  wolf  in 
sheep's  clothing,  that  I  spoke  peace,  peace,  when  there  was  no 
peace,  and  prophesied  smoother  things  than  the  gospel  would 
allow  of  Hear  ye  this,  O  ye  rich.  Let  who  will  dare  to  do 
it,  God  forbid  that  I  should  despise  the  poor  ;  in  doing  so,  I 
should  reproach  my  Maker.  The  poor  are  dear  to  my  soul  : 
I  rejoice  to  see  them  fly  to  the  doctrine  of  Christ,  like  the  doves 
to  their  windows.  I  only  pray  that  the  poor  who  attend,  may 
be  evangelized,  and  turned  into  the  spirit  of  the  gospel ;  if  so, 
blessed  are  ye  ;  for  yours  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven." 

But  we  must  return  to  Zaccheus.  He  sought  to  see  Jesus. 
That  is  good  news.  I  heartily  wish  I  could  say,  it  was  out  of 
a  good  principle.  But,  without  speaking  contrary  to  that 
charity  which  hopeth  and  believeth  all  things  for  the  best,  we 
may  say,  that  the  same  principle  drew  him  after  Christ,  which 
now  draws  multitudes  (to  speak  plainly,  it  may  be  multitudes 
of  you)  to  hear  a  particular  preacher,  even  curiosity.  For  we 
are  told,  that  he  came  not  to  hear  his  doctrine,  but  to  view  his 
person,  or  to  use  the  words  of  the  evangelist,  "  to  see  who  he 
was."  Our  Lord's  fame  was  now  spread  abroad  through  all 
Jerusalem,  and  all  the  country  round  about.  Some  said  he 
was  a  good  man  ;  others,  nay,  but  he  deceiveth  the  people. 
And  therefore  curiosity  drew  out  this  rich  publican,  "  Zaccheus" 
to  see  who  this  person  was,  of  whom  he  had  heard  such  vari- 
ous accounts.  But  it  seems  he  could  not  conveniently  get  a 
sight  of  him  for  the  press,  and  because  he  was  little  of  stature. 
Alas  !  how  many  are  kept  from  seeing  Christ  in  glory,  by  rea- 
son of  the  press.  I  mean,  how  many  are  ashamed  of  being 
singularly  good,  and  therefore  follow  a  multitude  to  do  evil,  be- 
cause they  have  a  press  or  throng  of  polite  acquaintance  ! 
And,  for  fear  of  being  set  at  naught  by  those  with  whom  they 
used  to  sit  at  meat,  they  deny  the  Lord  of  glory,  and  are 
ashamed  to  confess  him  before  men.  This  base,  this  servile 
fear  of  man,  is  the  bane  of  true  Christianity ;  it  brings  a  dread- 
ful snare  upon  the  soul,  and  is  the  ruin  often  thousands.  For 
I  am  fully  persuaded,  numbers  are  rationally  convicted  of  gos- 
pel truths ;  but,  not  being  able  to  brook  contempt,  they  will 
not  prosecute  their  convictions,  nor  reduce  them  to  practice. 
Happy  those,  who,  in  this  respect,  at  least,  like  Zaccheus,  re- 
solve to  overcome  all  impediments  that  lie  in  their  way  to  a 


I 


Serm.  9.]         the  conversion  of  zaccheus.  405 

sight  of  Christ :  for  finding  he  could  not  see  Christ  because 
of  the  press,  and  the  Kttieness  of  his  natural  stature,  he  did  not 
smite  upon  his  breast,  and  depart,  saying,  "  It  is  in  vain  to  seek 
after  a  sight  of  him  any  longer,  I  can  never  attain  unto  it." 
No,  finding  he  could  not  see  Christ,  if  he  continued  in  the 
midst  of  the  press,  "  he  ran  before  the  multitude,  and  climbed 
up  into  a  sycamore  tree,  to  see  him ;  for  he  was  to  pass  that 
way." 

There  is  no  seeing  Christ  in  glory,  unless  we  run  before  the 
multitude,  and  are  willing  to  be  in  the  number  of  those  despised 
few,  who  take  the  kingdom  of  God  by  violence.  The  broad 
way,  in  which  so  many  go,  can  never  be  that  straight  and 
narrow  way  which  leads  to  life.  Our  Lord's  flock  was,  and 
always  will  be,  comparatively  a  little  one.  And  unless  we  dare 
to  run  before  the  multitude  in  a  holy  singularity,  and  can  re- 
joice in  being  accounted  fools  for  Christ's  sake,  we  shall  never 
see  Jesus  with  comfort,  when  he  appears  in  glory.  From 
mentioning  the  sycamore  tree,  and  considering  the  difficulty 
with  which  Zaccheus  must  climb  it,  we  may  farther  learn, 
that  those  who  would  see  Christ,  must  undergo  other  difficul- 
ties and  hardships,  besides  contempt.  Zaccheus,  without  doubt, 
went  throus^h  both.  Did  not  many,  think  you,  laugh  at  him  as 
he  ran  along,  and  in  the  language  of  Michal,  SauPs  daughter, 
cry  out,  how  glorious  did  the  rich  Zaccheus  look  to-day,  when, 
forgetting  the  greatness  of  his  station,  he  ran  before  a  pitiful, 
giddy  mob,  and  climbed  up  a  sycamore  tree,  to  see  an  enthusi- 
astic preacher  !  But  Zaccheus  cares  not  for  all  that ;  his 
curiosity  was  strong.  If  he  could  but  see  who  Jesus  was,  he 
did  not  value  what  scoffers  said  of  him.  Thus,  and  much  more 
will  it  be  with  all  those  who  have  an  effectual  desire  to  see 
Jesus  in  heaven.  They  will  go  on  from  strength  to  strength, 
break  through  every  difficulty  lying  in  their  way,  and  care  not 
what  men  or  devils  say  of  or  do  unto  them.  May  the  Loi*d 
make  us  all  thus  minded,  for  his  dear  Son's  sake  ! 

At  length,  after  taking  much  pains,  and  going  (as  we  may 
well  suppose)  through  much  contempt,  Zaccheus  has  climbed 
the  tree ;  and  there  he  sits,  as  he  thinks,  hid  in  the  leaves  of  it, 
and  watching  when  he  should  see  Jesus  pass  by ;  "  for  he  was 
to  pass  by  that  way." 

But  sing,  O  heavens,  and  rejoice,  O  earth  !  Praise,  magnify, 
and  adore  sovereign,  electing,  free,  preventing  love ;  Jesus  the 
everlasting  God,  the  Prince  of  peace,  who  saw  Nathaniel  under 
the  fig-tree,  and  Zaccheus  from  eternity,  now  sees  him  in  the 
sycamore  tree,  and  calls  him  in  time. 

Ver.  5.  "And  when  Jesus  came  to  the  place,  he  looked  up, 
and  saw  him,  and  said  unto  him,  Zaccheus,  make  haste  and 


406  THE  CONVERSION  OF  ZACCHEUS.  [Serm.  9. 

come  down  ;  for  this  day  I  must  abide  at  thy  house."  Amazing 
love  !  Well  might  Luke  usher  in  the  account  with  it.  It  is 
worthy  of  our  highest  admiration.  When  Zaccheus  thought 
of  no  such  thing,  nay,  thought  that  Christ  Jesus  did  not  know 
him  ;  behold,  Christ  does  what  we  never  hear  he  did  be- 
fore or  after,  I  mean,  invite  himself  to  the  house  of  Zaccheus, 
saying,  "  Zaccheus,  make  haste  and  come  down  ;  for  this  day 
I  must  abide  at  thy  house."  Not  pray  let  me  abide,  but  I  must 
abide  this  day  at  thy  house.  He  also  calls  him  by  name,  as 
though  he  was  well  acquainted  with  him :  and  indeed  well  he 
might ;  for  his  name  was  written  in  the  book  of  life  ;  he  was 
one  of  those  whom  the  Father  had  given  him  from  all  eternity  : 
therefore  he  must  abide  at  his  house  that  day.  "  For  whom 
he  did  predestinate,  them  he  also  called." 

Here  then,  as  through  a  glass,  we  may  see  the  doctrine  of 
free  grace  evidently  exemplified  before  us.  Here  was  no  fit- 
ness in  Zaccheus.  He  was  a  publican,  chief  among  the  pub- 
licans :  not  only  so,  but  rich,  and  came  to  see  Christ  only  out 
of  curiosity  :  but  sovereign  grace  triumphs  over  all.  And  if 
we  do  God  justice,  and  are  eifectually  wrought  upon,  we  must 
acknowledge  there  was  no  more  fitness  in  us  than  in  Zaccheus  ; 
and,  had  not  Christ  prevented  us  by  his  call,  we  had  remained 
dead  in  trespasses  and  sins,  and  alienated  from  the  divine  life, 
even  as  others.  "Jesus  looked  up,  and  saw  him,  and  said  unto 
him,  Zaccheus,  make  haste  and  come  down ;  for  this  day  I 
must  abide  at  thy  house." 

With  what  different  emotions  of  heart  may  we  suppose  Zac- 
cheus received  this  invitation  ?  Think  you  not  that  he  was 
surprised  to  hear  Jesus  Christ  call  him  by  name,  and  not  only 
so.  but  invite  himself  to  his  house  ?  Surely,  thinks  Zaccheus, 
I  dream :  it  cannot  be ;  how  should  he  know  me  ?  I  never 
saw  him  before  ;  besides,  I  shall  undergo  much  contempt,  if  I 
receive  him  under  my  roof.  Thus,  I  say,  we  may  suppose 
Zaccheus  thought  within  himself  But  what  saith  the  scrip- 
ture ?  "  I  will  make  a  willing  people  in  the  day  of  my  power.'^ 
With  this  outward  call,  there  went  an  efficacious  power  from 
God,  which  sweetly  overruled  his  natural  will ;  and  therefore, 
verse  6.  "He  made  haste,  and  came  down,  and  received  him 
joyfully,"  not  only  into  his  house,  but  also  into  his  heart. 

Thus  it  is,  that  the  great  God  brings  home  his  children.  He 
calls  them  by  name,  by  his  word  or  providence  :  he  speaks  to 
them  also  by  his  Spirit.  Hereby  they  are  enabled  to  open  their 
hearts,  and  are  made  willing  to  receive  the  King  of  glory.  For 
Zaccheus'  sake,  let  us  not  entirely  condemn  people  that  come 
unto  the  word,  out  of  no  better  principle  than  curiosity.  Who 
knows,  but  God  may  call  them  ?    It  is  good  to  be  where  the 


Serm.  9.]  the  conversion  of  zaccheus.  407 

Lord  is  passing  by.  May  all  who  are  now  present  out  of  this 
principle,  hear  the  voice  of  the  Son  of  God  speaking-  to  their 
souls,  and  so  hear  that  they  may  live  !  Not  that  men  ought 
therefore  to  take  encouragement  to  come  out  of  curiosity.  For 
perhaps  a  thousand  more,  at  other  times,  came  to  see  Christ  out 
of  curiosity,  as  well  as  Zaccheus,  who  were  not  effectually 
called  by  his  grace.  I  only  mention  this  for  the  encourage- 
ment of  my  own  soul,  and  the  consolation  of  God's  children, 
who  are  too  apt  to  be  angry  with  those  who  do  not  attend  on 
the  word  out  of  love  to  God :  but  let  them  alone.  Brethren, 
pray  for  them.  How  do  3^ou  know  but  Jesus  Christ  may  speak 
to  their  hearts  ?  A  few  words  from  Christ  applied  by  his  Spirit, 
will  save  their  souls.  "Zaccheus,"  says  Christ,  "make  haste 
and  come  down.  And  he  made  haste,  and  came  down,  and 
received  him  joyfully." 

I  have  observed  in  holy  scripture,  how  particularly  it  is 
remarked,  that  persons  rejoiced  upon  believing  in  Christ.  Thus 
the  converted  eunuch  went  on  his  way  rejoicing;  thus  the 
jailor  rejoiced  with  his  whole  house  ;  thus  Zaccheus  received 
Christ  joyfully.  And  well  may  those  rejoice  who  receive 
Jesus  Christ ;  for  with  him  they  receive  righteousness,  sancti- 
fication,  and  eternal  redemption.  Many  have  brought  up  an 
ill  report  upon  our  good  land,  and  would  fain  persuade  people 
that  religion  will  make  them  melancholy  mad.  So  far  from  it, 
that  joy  is  one  ingredient  of  the  kingdom  of  God  in  the  heart 
of  a  believer ;  "  the  kingdom  of  God  is  riofhteousness,  peace, 
and  joy  in  the  Holy  Ghost."  To  rejoice  in  th'e  Lord,  is  a  gospel 
duty.  "  Rejoice  in  the  Lord  always,  and  again  I  say,  rejoice." 
And  who  can  be  so  joyful,  as  those  who  know  that  their 
pardon  is  sealed  before  they  go  hence  and  are  no  more  seen  ? 
The  godly  may,  but  I  cannot  see  how  any  ungodly  men  can 
rejoice :  they  cannot  be  truly  cheerful.  What  if  wicked  men 
may  sometimes  have  laughter  amongst  them  ?  It  is  only  the 
laughter  of  fools ;  in  the  midst  of  it  there  is  lieaviness  :  at  the 
best,  it  is  but  like  the  crackling  of  thorns  under  a  pot ;  it  makes 
a  blaze,  but  soon  goes  out.  But,  as  for  the  godly,  it  is  not  so 
with  them  ;  their  joy  is  solid  and  lasting.  As  it  is  a  joy  that 
a  stranger  intermeddleth  not  with,  so  it  is  a  joy  that  no  man 
taketh  from  them,  it  is  a  joy  in  God,  a  joy  unspeakable  and  full 
of  glory. 

It  should  seem  that  Zaccheus  was  under  soul  distress  but  a 
little  while ;  "  perhaps,"  says  Guthrie,  in  his  book  entitled.  The 
trial  concerning  a  saving  interest  in  Christ,  "  not  above  a  quarter 
of  an  hour."  I  add,  perhaps  not  so  long  ;  for  as  one  observes, 
sometimes  the  Lord  Jesus  delights  to  deliver  speedily.  God  is 
a  sovereign  agent,  and  works  upon  his  children  in  their  effec- 


408  THE  CONVERSION  OF  ZACCHEUS.  [Serm.  9. 

tual  calling,  according  to  the  counsel  of  his  eternal  will.  It  is 
with  the  spiritual,  as  the  natural  birth.  All  women  have  not 
the  like  pangs ;  all  christians  have  not  the  like  degree  of  con- 
viction. But  all  agree  in  this,  that  all  have  Jesus  Christ  form- 
ed in  their  hearts  :  and  those  who  have  not  so  many  trials  at 
first,  may  be  visited  with  the  greater  conflicts  hereafter ;  though 
they  never  come  into  bondage  again,  after  they  have  once  re- 
ceived the  spirit  of  adoption.  "We  have  not  (says  Paul) 
received  the  spirit  of  bondage  again  unto  fear."  We  know  not 
what  Zaccheus  underwent  before  he  died.  However,  this  one 
thing  I  know,  he  now  believed  in  Christ,  and  was  justified,  or 
acquitted,  and  looked  upon  as  righteous  in  God's  sight,  though 
a  publican,  chief  among  the  publicans,  not  many  moments  be- 
fore. And  thus  it  is  with  all,  that,  like  Zaccheus,  receive  Jesus 
Christ,  by  faith  into  their  hearts.  The  very  moment  they  find 
rest  in  him,  they  are  freely  justified  from  all  things  from  which 
they  could  not  be  justified  by  the  law  of  Moses  ;  "  for  by  grace 
are  we  saved,  through  faith,  and  that  not  of  ourselves,  it  is  the 
gift  of  God." 

Say  not  within  yourselves  this  is  a  licentious,  Antinomian 
doctrine  ;  for  this  faith,  if  true,  will  work  by  love,  and  be  pro- 
ductive of  the  fruits  of  holiness.  See  an  instance  in  this  convert, 
Zaccheus.  No  sooner  had  he  received  Jesus  Christ  by  faith 
into  his  heart,  but  he  evidences  it  by  his  works  ;  for  ver.  8.  we 
are  told  "  Zaccheus  stood  forth,  and  said  unto  the  Lord,  Behold, 
Lord,  the  half  of  my  goods  I  give  unto  the  poor  ;  and  if  I  have 
taken  any  thins:  from  any  man  by  false  accusation,  I  restore 
him  fourfold." 

Having  believed  on  Jesus  in  his  heart,  he  now  makes  con- 
fession of  him  with  his  mouth  to  salvation.  Zaccheus  stood 
forth.  He  was  not  ashamed,  but  stood  forth  before  his  brother 
publicans  ;  for  true  faith  casts  out  all  servile,  sinful  fear  of  men  ; 
"  And  said.  Behold,  Lord."  It  is  remarkable,  how  readily  peo- 
ple in  scripture  have  owned  the  divinity  of  Christ  immediately, 
upon  their  conversion.  Thus  the  woman  at  Jacob's  well :  "  Is 
not  this  the  Christ?"  Thus  the  man  born  blind:  "Lord,  I 
beheve  ;  and  worshiped  him."  Thus  Zaccheus :  "  Behold, 
Lord."  An  incontestable  proof  this  to  me,  that  those  who  deny 
our  Lord's  divinity,  never  eflfectually  felt  his  power.  If  they 
liad,  they  would  not  speak  so  lightly  of  him  ;  they  would  scorn 
to  deny  his  eternal  power  and  Godhead.  "Zaccheus  stood 
forth,  and  said,  Behold,  Lord,  the  half  of  my  goods  I  give  to 
the  poor,  and  if  I  have  taken  any  thing  from  any  man  by  false 
accusation,  I  restore  him  fourfold."  Noble  fruits  of  a  true  liv- 
ing faith  in  the  Lord  Jesus !  Every  word  calls  for  our  notice.  Not 
some  small,  not  the  tenth  part,  but  the  half.    Of  what  1    My 


1 


Serm.  9.]  the  conversion  of  zaccheus.  409 

goods  ;  things  that  were  vahiable.  My  goods,  his  own,  not 
another's.  1  give.  Not,  I  will  giv^e  when  I  die,  when  I  cSin 
keep  them  no  longer ;  but,  I  give  now,  even  now.  Zaccheus 
would  be  his  own  executor.  For  whilst  we  have  time  we 
should  do  good.  But  to  whom  would  he  give  half  of  his  goods  ? 
Not  to  the  rich,  not  to  those  who  were  already  clothed  in  pur- 
ple and  fine  linen,  of  whom  he  might  be  recompensed  again ; 
but  to  the  poor,  the  maimed,  the  halt,  the  blind,  from  whom  he 
could  expect  no  recompense  till  the  resurrection  of  the  dead. 
"  I  give  to  the  poor."  But  knowing  that  he  must  be  just,  before 
he  could  be  charitable,  and  conscious  to  himself  that  in  his 
public  administrations  he  had  wronged  many  persons,  he  adds, 
''And,  if  I  have  taken  any  thing  from  any  man  by  false  accu- 
sation, I  restore  him  fourfold."  Hear  ye  this,  all  ye  that  make 
no  conscience  of  cheating  the  king  of  his  taxes,  or  of  buying  or 
selling  run  goods.  If  ever  God  gives  you  true  faith  you  will 
never  rest,  till,  like  Zaccheus,  you  have  made  restitution  to  the 
utmost  of  your  power.  I  suppose,  before  his  conversion,  he 
thought  it  no  harm  to  cheat  thus,  no  more  than  you  may  do 
now,  and  pleased  himself  frequently,  to  be  sure,  that  he  got 
rich  by  doing  so.  But  now  he  is  grieved  for  it  at  his  heart ; 
he  confesses  his  injustice  before  men,  and  promises  to  make 
ample  restitution.  Go,  ye  cheating  publicans,  learn  of  Zac- 
cheus, go  away  and  do  likewise  ;  if  you  do  not  make  restitution 
here,  the  Lord  Jesus  shall  make  you  confess  your  sins  before 
men  and  angels,  and  condenm  you  for  it,  when  he  comes  in  the 
glory  of  his  Father  to  judgment  hereafter. 

After  all  this,  with  good  reason  might  our  Lord  say  unto 
him,  "  This  day  is  salvation  come  to  this  house ;  forasmuch 
as  he  is  the  son  of  Abraham ;"  not  so  much  by  a  natural  as  by 
a  spiritual  birth.  He  was  made  partaker  of  like  precious  faitli 
with  Abraham.  Like  Abraliam,  he  believed  on  the  Lord,  and 
it 'was  accounted  to  him  for  righteousness.  His  faith,  like 
Abraham's,  worked  by  love  ;  and  I  doubt  not,  but  he  has  been 
\on<r  since  sitting:  in  Abraham's  arbor. 

And  now  are  you  not  ashamed  of  yourselves,  who  speak 
against  the  doctrines  of  grace,  especially  that  doctrine  of  beiny- 
justified  by  faith  alone,  as  though  it  would  lead  to  licentious- 
ness ?  AVliat  can  be  more  unjus't  than  such  a  charge  ?  Is 
not  the  instance  of  Zaccheus  a  sufiicient  proof  to  the  contrary  7 
Have  I  strained  it  to  serve  my  own  turn  ?  God  forbid.  To 
the  best  of  my  knowledge  I  have  spoken  the  truth  in  sincerity, 
and  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus.  I  do  affirm  that  we  are  saved 
by  grace,  and  that  we  are  justified  by  faith  alone :  but  I  dj 
also  affirm,  that  faith  must  be  evidenced  by  good  works  where 
there  is  an  opportunity  of  performing  them. 

35 


410  THE  CONVERSION  OF  zAccHEus.  [Serm.  9, 

,  What  therefore  has  been  said  of  Zaccheus,  may  serve  as  a 
rule,  whereby  all  may  judge  whether  they  have  faith  or  not. 
You  say  you  have  faith  ;  but  how  do  you  prove  it?  Did  you 
ever  hear  the  Lord  Jesus  call  you  by  name  ?  Were  you 
ever  made  to  obey  that  call  ?  Did  you  ever,  like  Zaccheus, 
receive  Jesus  Christ  joyfully  into  your  hearts  ?  Are  you  in- 
fluenced, by  the  faith  you  say  you  have,  to  stand  up  and  con- 
fess the  Lord  Jesus  before  men  ?  Were  you  ever  made  willing" 
to  own,  and  humble  yourselves  for,  your  past  offenses  ?  Does 
your  faith  work  by  love,  so  that  you  conscientiously  lay  up, 
according-  as  God  has  prospered  you,  for  the  support  of  the 
poor  ?  Do  you  give  alms  of  all  things  that  you  possess  ? 
Have  you  made  due  restitution  to  those  you  have  wrong- 
ed ?  If  so,  happy  are  ye;  salvation  is  come  to  your  souls; 
you  are  sons,  you  are  daughters  of,  you  shall  shortly  be  ever- 
lastingly blessed  with  faithful  Abraham.  But,  if  you  are  not 
thus  minded,  do  not  deceive  your  own  souls  ;  though  you  may 
talk  of  justification  by  faith,  like  angels,  it  will  do  you  no  good ;  it 
will  only  increase  your  damnation.  You  hold  the  truth,  but  it 
is  in  unrighteousness.  Your  faith  being  without  works,  is  dead ; 
you  have  the  devil,  not  Abraham,  for  your  father.  Unless  you 
have  a  faith  of  the  heart,  a  faith  working  by  love,  with  devils 
and  damned  spirits  shall  you  dwell  for  evermore. 

But  it  is  time  now  to  enforce  the  latter  part  of  the  text.  "For 
the  Son  of  man  is  come  to  seek  and  to  save  that  which  was 
lost."  These  words  are  spoken  by  our  Savior,  in  answer  to 
some  self-righteous  pharisees,  who  instead  of  rejoicing  with  the 
angels  in  heaven,  at  the  conversion  of  such  a  sinner,  murmur- 
ed, "  that  he  was  gone  to  be  a  guest  with  a  man  that  was  a 
sinner."  To  vindicate  his  conduct,  he  tells  them,  that  this  was 
an  act  agreeable  to  the  design  of  his  coming  ;  "  For  the  Son  of 
man  is  come  to  seek  and  to  save  that  which  was  lost."  He 
might  have  said,  the  "Son  of  God."  But  O  the  wonderful  con- 
descension of  our  Redeemer  !  He  delights  to  style  himself  the 
Son  of  man.  He  came  not  only  to  save,  "but  to  seek  and  to  save 
that  which  was  lost."  He  came  to  Jericho  to  seek  and  save 
Zaccheus  ;  for  otherwise  Zaccheus  would  never  have  been 
saved  by  him.  But  whence  came  he  ?  Even  from  heaven, 
his  dwelling  place,  to  this  lower  earth,  this  vale  of  tears,  "  to 
seek  and  save  that  which  was  lost ;"  or  all  that  feel  themselves 
lost,  and  are  willing,  like  Zaccheus,  to  receive  him  into  their 
hearts  to  save  them ;  with  how  great  a  salvation  ?  even  from 
the  guilt,  and  also  from  the  power  of  their  sins  ;  to  make  them 
heirs  of  God,  and  joint-heirs  with  himself,  and  partakers  of  that 
glory  which  he  enjoyed  with  the  Father  before  the  world  be- 
gan.    Thus   will  the  Son  of  man  save  that  which  is  lost. 


Serm.  9.]  the  conversion  of  zaccheus.  411 

He  was  made  the  Son  of  man,  on  purpose  that  he  might  save 
them.  He  had  no  other  end  but  this  in  leaving  his  Father's 
throne,  in  obeying  the  moral  law,  and  hanging  upon  the  cross. 
All  that  was  done  and  suffered,  merely  to  satisfy,  and  procure 
a  righteousness  for  poor,  lost  undone  sinners,  and  that  too  with- 
out respect  of  persons.  "  That  which  was  lost."  All  of  every 
nation  and  language,  that  feel,  bewail,  and  are  truly  desirous 
of  being  delivered  from  their  lost  state,  did  the  Son  of  man 
come  down  to  seek  and  to  save  ;  for  he  is  mighty,  not  only  so, 
but  willing,  to  save  to  the  uttermost  all  that  come  to  God  through 
him ;  he  will  in  no  wise  cast  them  out.  For  he  is  the  same 
to-day,  as  he  was  yesterday.  He  comes  now  to  sinners,  as  well 
as  formerly ;  and,  I  hope,  hath  sent  me  out  this  day  to  seek, 
and,  under  him,  to  bring  home  some  of  you,  the  lost  sheep  of 
the  house  of  Israel. 

What  say  you  ?  Shall  I  go  home  rejoicing,  saying,  that  many 
like  sheep,  have  gone  astray,  but  they  have  now  believed  on 
Jesus  Christ,  and  so  returned  home  to  the  great  Shepherd  and 
Bishop  of  their  souls  ?  If  the  Lord  would  be  pleased  thus  to 
prosper  my  handy  work,  I  care  not  how  many  legalists  and 
self-righteous  pharisees  murmur  against  me,  for  offering  salva- 
tion to  the  worst  sinners.  For  I  know  the  Son  of  man  came 
to  seek  and  to  save  them :  and  the  Lord  Jesus  will  now  be  a 
guest  to  the  worst  publican,  the  vilest  sinner  that  is  among  you, 
if  he  does  but  believe  on  him.  Malce  haste  then,  O  sinners, 
make  haste,  and  come  by  faith  to  Christ.  Then,  this  day,  even 
this  hour,  nay  this  moment,  if  you  believe,  Jesus  Christ  shall 
come  and  make  his  eternal  abode  in  your  hearts.  Which  of 
you  is  made  willing  to  receive  the  King  of  glory  ?  Which  of 
you  obeys  the  call,  as  Zaccheus  did  ?  Alas !  why  do  you 
stand  still?  How  know  yon,  whether  Jesus  Christ  may  ever 
call  you  again  ?  Come  then,  poor,  guilty  sinners  ;  come  away, 
poor,  lost,  undone  publicans  ;  make  haste,  I  say,  and  come 
away  to  Jesus  Christ.  The  Lord  condescends  to  invite  him- 
self to  come  under  the  filthy  roofs  of  the  houses  of  your  souls. 
Do  not  be  afraid  of  entertaining  him;  he  will  fill  you  witli  all 
peace  and  joy  in  believing-.  Do  not  be  ashamed  to  run  before 
the  multitude,  and  to  have  all  manner  of  evil  spoken  against 
you  falsely  for  his  sake.  One  sight  of  Christ  will  make  amends 
for  all.  Zaccheus  was  laughed  at;  and ''all  that  will  live 
godly  in  Christ  Jesus,  shall  sutler  persecution."  But  what  of 
that?  Zaccheus  is  now  crowned  in  glory;  as  you  also  shall 
shortly  be,  if  you  believe  on,  and  are  reproached  for  Christ's 
sake.  Do  not,  tlierefore,  put  me  off  with  frivolous  excuses ; 
there  is  no  excuse  that  can  be  given  for  your  not  coming  to 
Christ.     You  are  lost,  undone,  without  him  ;  and  if  he  is  not 


412  THE  CONVERSION  OF  ZACCHEUS.  [Senii.  9. 

glorified  in  your  salvation,  he  will  be  glorified  in  your  destruc- 
tion ;  if  he  does  not  come  and  make  his  abode  in  your  hearts, 
you  must  take  up  an  eternal  abode  with  the  devil  and  his 
angels.  O  that  the  Lord  would  be  pleased  to  pass  by  some 
of  you  at  this  time  !  O  that  he  may  call  you  by  his  Spirit,  and 
make  you  a  willing  people  in  this  day  of  his  power  !  For  I 
know  my  caUing  will  not  do,  unless  he,  by  his  efficacious 
grace,  compel  you  to  come  in.  O  that  you  once  felt  Avhat  it  is 
to  receive  Jesus  Christ  into  your  hearts  !  Yon  would  soon, 
like  Zaccheus,  give  him  everything.  You  do  not  love  Christ, 
because  you  do  not  know  him ;  you  do  not  come  to  him,  be- 
cause you  do  not  feel  your  want  of  him  ;  you  are  whole  and 
not  broken-hearted  ;  you  are  not  sick,  at  least  not  sensible  of 
your  sickness ;  and,  therefore,  no  wonder  you  do  not  apply  to 
Jesus  Christ,  that  great,  that  almighty  physician.  You  do  not 
feel  yourselves  lost,  and  therefore  do  not  seek  to  be  found  in 
Christ.  O  that  God  would  wound  you  with  the  sword  of  his 
Spirit,  and  cause  his  arrows  of  conviction  to  stick  deep  in 
your  hearts  !  O  that  he  would  dart  a  ray  of  divine  light  into 
your  souls  !  For  if  yon  do  not  feel  yourselves  lost  without 
Christ,  you  are  of  all  men  most  miserable  :  your  souls  are  dead ; 
you  are  not  only  an  image  of  hell,  but  in  some  degree  hell  it- 
self:  you  carry  hell  about  with  you,  and  you  know  it  not.  O 
that  I  could  see  some  of  yon  sensible  of  this,  and  hear  you  cry 
out,  "Lord,  break  this  hard  heart;  Lord  deliver  me  from  the 
body  of  this  death  ;  draw  me.  Lord  make  me  willing  to  come 
after  thee  ;  I  am  lost ;  Lord,  save  me,  or  I  perish  !"  Were  this 
^''our  case,  how  soon  would  the  Lord  stretch  forth  his  almighty 
hand,  and  say,  be  of  good  cheer,  it  is  I ;  be  not  afraid  ?  What 
a  wonderful  calm  would  then  possess  your  troubled  souls  ! 
Your  fellowship  would  then  be  with  the  Father  and  the  Son. 
Your  life  would  be  hid  with  Christ  in  God. 

-  Some  of  you,  I  hope,  have  experienced  this,  and  can  say,  I 
was  lost,  but  I  am  found  ;  I  was  dead,  but  am  alive  again. 
The  son  of  man  came  and  sought  me  in  the  day  of  his  power, 
and  saved  my  sinful  soul.  And  do  you  repent  that  you  came 
to  Christ  ?  Has  he  not  been  a  good  Master  ?  Is  not  his  pre- 
sence sweet  to  your  sonls  ?  Has  he  not  been  faithful  to  his 
promise  ?  And  have  you  not  found,  that  even  in  doing  and 
suffering  for  him,  there  is  an  exceeding  present  great  reward  ? 
I  am  persuaded  you  will  answer,  Yes.  O  then,  ye  saints,  re- 
commend and  talk  of  the  love  of  Christ  to  others,  and  tell  them., 
what  great  things  the  Lord  has  done  for  you  !  This  may  en- 
courage others  to  come  unto  him.  And  who  knows  but  the 
Lord  may  make  you  fishers  of  men  ?  The  story  of  Zaccheus 
was  left  on  record  for  this  purpose.     No  truly  convicted  soul, 


Serm.  9.]  the  conversion  of  zaccheus.  413 

after  such  an  instance  of  divine  grace  has  been  laid  before 
him,  need  despair  of  mercy.  What  if  you  are  publicans? 
Was  not  Zaccheus  a  publican  ?  What  if  you  are  chief  among 
the  publicans  ?  Was  not  Zaccheus  likewise  ?  What  if  you 
are  rich  ?  AVas  not  Zaccheus  rich  also  ?  And  yet  almighty 
grace  made  him  more  than  conqueror  over  all  these  hindrances. 
All  things  are  possible  to  Jesus  Christ ;  nothing  is  too  hard  for 
him :  he  is  the  Lord  almighty.  Our  mountains  of  sins  must 
all  fall  before  this  great  Zerubabel.  On  him  God  the  Father 
has  laid  the  iniquities  of  all  that  shall  truly  believe  ;  in  his 
own  body  he  bare  them  on  the  tree.     There,  there,  by  faith, 

0  mourners  in  Sion,  may  you  see  your  Savior  hanging  with 
arms  stretched  out,  and  hear  him,  as  it  were,  thus  speaking  to 
your  souls ;  "  Behold  how  I  have  loved  you  !  Behold  my 
hands  and  my  feet !  Look,  look  into  my  wounded  side,  and  see 
a  heart  flamins:  with  love  :  love  strongfer  than  death.  Come  into 
my  arms,  O  sinners,  come  wash  your  spotted  souls  in  my  heart's 
blood.  See,  here  is  a  fountain  opened  for  all  sin  and  all  un- 
cleanness  !  See,  O  guilty  souls,  how  the  wrath  of  God  is  now 
abiding  upon  you.  Come,  haste  away,  and  hide  yourselves  in 
the  clefts  of  my  wounds ;  for  I  am  wounded  for  your  trans- 
gressions ;  I  am  dying  that  you  may  live  for  evermore.  Behold, 
as  Moses  lifted  up  the  serpent  in  the  wilderness,  so  I  am  here 
lifted  up  upon  a  tree.  See  how  I  have  become  a  curse  for  you. 
The  chastisement  of  your  peace  is  upon  me.  I  am  thus 
scourged,  thus  wounded,  thus  crucified,  that  you  by  my  stripes 
may  be  healed.  O  look  unto  me  all  ye  trembling  sinners,  even 
to  the  ends  of  the  earth  !  Look  unto  me  by  faith,  and  you  shall 
be  saved  :  for  I  came  thus  to  be  obedient  even  unto  death,  that 

1  might  save  that  which  was  lost." 

And  what  say  you  to  this,  O  sinners  ?  Suppose  you  saw  the 
King  of  glory  dying,  and  thus  speaking  to  you  ;  would  you 
believe  on  him  ?  No,  you  would  not,  unless  you  beheve  on 
him  now.  For  though  he  is  dead,  he  yet  speaketh  all  this  in 
the  scripture  ;  nay,  in  effect,  says  all  this  in  the  words  of  the 
text,  "  The  Son  of  man  is  come  to  seek  and  to  save  that 
which  was  lost."  Do  not  therefore  any  longer  crucify  the 
Lord  of  glory.  Bring  those  rebels,  your  sins,  which  will  not 
have  him  to  reign  over  them,  bring  them  out  to  him.  Though 
you  cannot  slay  them  yourselves,  yet  he  will  slay  them  for  you. 
The  power  of  his  death  and  resurrection  is  as  great  now  as 
formerly.  Make  haste,  therefore,  make  haste,  O  ye  publicans 
and  sinners,  and  give  the  dear  Lord  Jesus  your  hearts,  your 
whole  hearts.  If  you  refuse  to  hearken  to  this  call  of  the  Lord, 
remember  your  damnation  will  be  just.  I  am  free  from  the 
blood  of  you  all.     You  must  acquit  my  Master  and  me  at  the 

35* 


414  THE  POWER  OF  [Serni.  10. 

terrible  day  of  judgment.  O  that  you  may  know  the  things 
that  belong  to  your  everlasting  peace,  before  they  are  eternally 
hid  from  your  eyes  !  Let  all  that  love  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  in 


imeji. 


SERMON  X. 


THE  POWER  OF  CHRIST's  RESURRECTION. 


Philippians,  iii.  10. 

That  I  may  know  him,  and  the  power-  of  his  resurrection. 

The  apostle,  in  the  verses  before  the  text,  had  been  caution- 
Ing  the  Philippians  to  beware  of  the  concision,  Judaizing  teach- 
ers who  endeavored  to  subvert  them  from  the  simplicity  of  the 
gospel,  by  telling  them  they  still  ought  to  be  subject  to  circum- 
cision and  all  the  other  ordinances  of  Moses.  And  that  they 
might  not  think  he  spoke  out  of  prejudice,  and  condemned 
their  tenets  because  he  himself  was  a  stranger  to  the  Jewish 
dispensation,  he  acquaints  them,  that  if  any  other  man  thought 
he  had  whereof  he  might  trust  in  the  flesh,  or  seek  to  be  justi- 
fied by  the  outward  privileges  of  the  .Tews,  he  had  more  ;  for 
he  was  circumcised  the  eighth  day  ;  of  the  stock  of  Israel,  (not 
a  proselyte,  but  a  native  Israelite  ;)  of  the  tribe  of  Benjamin, 
(the  tribe  which  adhered  to  Judah  Avhen  the  others  revolted  ;) 
an  Hebrew  of  tlie  Hebrews,  (a  Jew,  both  of  the  father's  and 
mother's  side  ;)  and  as  touching  the  law,  a  pharisee,  the  strictest 
sect  among  all  Israel.  To  show  that  he  was  no  Gallio  in 
religion,  through  his  great,  though  misguided  zeal,  he  had  per- 
secuted the  church  of  Christ ;  and  as  touching  the  righteous- 
ness of  the  law  (as  far  as  the  pharisees'  exposition  of  it  went) 
was  blameless,  and  liad  kept  it  from  his  youth.  But,  when  it 
pleased  God,  who  separated  him  from  his  mother's  womb,  to 
reveal  his  Son  in  him.  What  things  were  gain  to  7nc,  (he 
says)  those  i)rivileges  I  boasted  wyself  in,  and  songht  to  be 
justified  by,  I  connted,  loss  for  Christ.  And  that  they  might 
not  think  he  repented  that  he  had  done  so,  he  tells  them  he 
was  now  more  confirmed  than  ever  in  his  judgment.  For, 
says  he,  "  yea,  doubtless,  (the  expression  in  the  original  rises 
with  a  holy  triumph)  and  I  do  count  all  things  but  loss  for  the 
excellency  of  the  knowledge  of  Christ  Jesus  my  Lord."  And 
that  they  might  not  objcc^t  that  he  said,  and  did  not,  he  ac- 


Serm.  10.]  Christ's  resurrection.  415 

quaints  them,  that  he  had  given  proofs  of  the  sincerity  of  these 
professions,  because  for  the  sake  of  them,  he  had  suffered  the 
loss  of  all  his  worldly  things,  and  still  was  willing  to  do  more  ; 
for,  "  I  count  them  but  dung  (no  more  than  offals  thrown  out 
to  dogs)  so  that  I  may  win  (or  haVe  a  saving  interest  in)  Christ, 
and  be  found  in  him,  (as  the  manslayer  in  the  city  of  refuge) 
not  having  my  ov/n  righteousness,  which  is  of  the  law,"  not 
depending  on  having  Abraham  for  my  father,  or  on  any  works 
of  righteousness  which  I  hav^e  done,  either  to  atone  or  serve 
as  a  balance  for  my  evil  deeds,  but  on  that  which  is  through 
the  faith  of  Christ,  the  righteousness  which  is  of  God  by  faith, 
a  righteousness  of  God's  appointing,  and  which  will  be  impu- 
ted to  me,  if  I  believe  in  Christ,  "  that  I  may  know  him,  and 
the  power  of  his  resurrection  ;"  that  I  may  have  an  experi- 
mental knowledge  of  the  efficacy  of  his  resurrection,  by  feel- 
ing the  influences  of  his  Spirit  on  my  soul.  In  which  words 
two  things  are  implied. 

Firsts  That  Jesus  Christ  did  rise  from  the  dead. 

Secondly^  That  it  highly  concerns  us  to  know  the  power  of 
his  rising  again. 

Accordingly  in  the  following  discourse  I  shall  endeavor  to 
show, 

Firsts  That  Christ  is  risen  indeed  from  the  dead  ;  and  that 
it  was  necessary  for  him  so  to  do  ;  and, 

Secondly^  That  it  highly  concerns  us  to  know  and  experi- 
ence the  power  of  his  resurrection. 

Fh'st,  Christ  is  indeed  risen. 

That  Jesus  should  rise  from  the  dead  was  absolutely  neces- 
sary. 

First,  On  his  own  account.  He  had  often  appealed  to  this 
as  the  last  and  most  convincing  proof  he  would  give  them  that 
he  was  the  true  Messiah.  "  There  shall  be  no  other  sign  fi^iven 
you,  tlian  the  sign  of  the  prophet  Jonas."  And  again,  "  De- 
stroy this  temple  of  my  body,  and  in  three  days  I  will  build  it 
up."  Which  words  his  enemies  remembered,  and  urged  it  as 
an  argument,  to  induce  Pilate  to  grant  them  a  watch,  to  pre- 
vent iiis  being  stolen  out  of  the  grave.  "  We  know  that  de- 
ceiver said,  whilst  he  was  yet  alive,  after  three  days  I  will  rise 
again-."  So  that  had  he  not  risen  again,  they  might  have  justly 
said,  we  know  that  this  man  was  an  impostor. 

Secondly,  It  was  necessary  on  our  account.  "  He  rose  again," 
says  the  apostle,  "  for  our  justification  ;"  or  that  the  debt  we 
owed  to  God  for  our  sins,  might  be  fully  satisfied  and  discharged. 

It  had  pleased  the  father  (for  ever  adored  be  his  infinite  love 
and  free  grace)  to  wound  his  only  Son  for  our  transgressions, 
and  to  arrest  and  confine  him  in  the  prison  of  the  grave,  as 


416  THE  POWER  OF  [Semi.  10. 

our  surety  for  the  guilt  we  had  contracted  by  setting  at  naught 
his  commandments.  Now  had  Christ  continued  always  in  the 
grave,  we  could  have  had  no  more  assurance  that  our  sins 
were  satisfied  for,  than  any  common  debtor  can  have  of  his 
creditor's  being  satisfied,  while  his  surety  is  kept  confined.  But 
he  being  released  from  the  power  of  death,  we  are  thereby  as- 
sured, that  with  his  sacrifice  God  is  well  pleased,  that  our  atone- 
ment was  finished  on  the  cross,  and  that  he  had  made  a  full, 
perfect,  and  sufficient  sacrifice,  oblation,  and  satisfaction  for  the 
sins  of  the  world. 

Thirdly^  It  was  necessary  that  our  Lord  Jesus  should  rise 
again  from  the  dead,  to  assure  us  of  the  certainty  of  the  resur- 
rection of  our  own  bodies. 

The  doctrine  of  the  resurrection  of  the  body  was  entirely 
exploded  and  set  at  naught  among  the  Gentiles,  as  appears 
from  the  Athenians  mocking  at,  and  calling  St.  Paul  a  babbler 
and  setter  forth  of  strange  doctrines,  when  he  preached  to  them 
Jesus  and  the  resurrection.  And  though  it  was  believed  by 
most  of  the  Jews,  as  is  evident  from  many  passages  of  scrip- 
ture, yet  not  by  all ;  the  whole  sect  of  the  sadducees  denied  it. 
But  the  resurrection  of  Jesus  Christ  put  it  out  of  dispute.  For 
as  he  acted  as  our  representative,  if  he  our  Head  be  risen,  then 
must  we  also,  who  are  his  members,  rise  with  him.  And  as 
in  the  first  Adam  we  all  died,  even  so  in  him  our  second  Adam 
we  must  all,  in  this  sense,  be  made  alive. 

As  it  was  necessary,  upon  these  accounts,  that  our  blessed 
Lord  should  rise  from  the  dead  :  so  it  is  plain  beyond  contra- 
diction, that  he  did.  Never  was  any  matter  of  fact  better  at- 
tested ;  never  were  more  precautions  made  use  of  to  prevent 
a  cheat.  He  was  buried  in  a  sepulchre,  hewn  out  of  a  rock, 
so  that  it  could  not  be  said  that  they  digged  under,  and  con- 
veyed him  away.  It  was  a  sepulchre  also  wherein  never  man 
before  was  laid  ;  so  that  if  any  body  did  rise  from  thence,  it 
must  be  the  body  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth.  Besides,  the  sepul- 
chre was  sealed  ;  a  great  stone  rolled  over  the  mouth  of  it ;  and 
a  band  of  soldiers  (consisting  not  of  friends,  but  of  his  professed 
enemies)  was  set  to  guard  it.  And  as  for  his  disciples  coming 
by  night  and  stealing  him  away,  it  was  altogether  improbable : 
for  it  was  not  long  since,  that  they  had  all  forsaken  him,  and 
they  were  the  most  backward  in  believing  his  resurrection. 
And  supposing  it  was  true  that  they  came  whilst  the  soldiers 
slept ;  yet  the  soldiers  must  be  cast  into  a  deep  sleep  indeed, 
that  the  rolling  away  of  so  great  a  stone  did  not  awake  some 
of  them. 

And  our  blessed  Lord's  afterwards  appearing  at  sundry  times, 
and  in  divers  manners,  to  his  disciples,  as  when  they  assembled 


Serm.  10.]  Christ's  resurrection.  417 

together,  when  they  were  walking  to  Emmaus,  when  they  were 
fishing  ;  nay,  and  condescending  to  show  them  his  hands  and 
feet,  and  his  appearing  to  above  five  hundred  brethren  at  once, 
put  the  truth  of  his  resurrection  out  of  all  dispute. 

Indeed,  there  isH)ne  objection  that  may  be  made  against  what 
has  been  said,  that  the  books  wherein  these  facts  are  recorded 
were  written  by  his  disciples. 

And  who  more  proper  persons  than  those  who  were  eye  wit- 
nesses of  what  they  related,  and  ate  and  drank  with  him  after 
his  resurrection  ?  But  they  were  illiterate  and  ignorant  men. 
Yet  were  they  as  good  witnesses  of  a  plain  matter  of  fact,  as 
the  most  learned  masters  in  Israel.  Nay,  this  rendered  them 
more  proper  witnesses.  For  being  plain  men,  they  were  there- 
fore less  to  be  suspected  of  telling  or  making  a  lie,  particularly, 
since  they  laid  down  their  lives  for  a  testimony  of  the  truth  of 
it.  We  read  indeed,  of  Jacob's  telling  a  lie,  though  he  was  a 
plain  man,  in  order  to  get  his  father's  blessing.  But  it  was 
never  heard  since  the  world  began,  than  any  man,  much  less 
a  whole  set  of  men,  died  martyrs  for  the  sake  of  an  untruth, 
when  they  themselves  were  to  reap  no  advantage  from  it. 

No,  this  single  circumstance  proves  them  to  be  Israelites  in- 
deed, in  whom  was  no  guile.  And  the  wonderful  success  God 
gave  to  their  ministry  afterwards,  when  three  thousand  were 
converted  by  one  sermon  ;  and  twelve  poor  fishermen,  in  a  very 
short  time  enabled  to  be  more  than  conquerors  over  all  the  op- 
position men  or  devils  could  make,  was  as  plain  a  demonstra- 
tion, that  Christ  was  risen,  according  to  their  gospel,  as  that 
a  divine  power,  at  the  sound  of  a  few  rams'  horns,  caused  the 
wall  of  Jericho  to  fall  down. 

But  why  need  we  any  farther  witnesses  ?  Believe  you  the 
resurrection  of  our  blessed  Lord  ?  I  knoAV  that  you  believe 
it,  as  your  gathering  together  on  this  first  day  of  the  week  in 
the  courts  of  the  Lord's  house  abundantly  testifies. 

What  concerns  us  most  to  be  assured  of,  and  which  is  the 

Second  thing  I  was  to  speak  of,  is,  whether  we  have  experi- 
mentally known  the  power  of  his  resurrection  ;  that  is,  wheth- 
er or  not  we  have  received  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  by  his  power- 
ful operations  on  our  hearts,  have  been  raised  from  the  death 
of  sin,  to  a  life  of  righteousness,  and  true  holiness. 

It  was  this,  the  great  apostle  was  chiefly  desirous  to  know  : 
the  resurrection  of  Christ's  body  he  Avas  satisfied  would  avail 
him  nothing,  unless  he  experienced  the  power  of  it  in  raising 
his  dead  soul. 

For  another,  and  that  a  chief  end  of  our  blessed  Lord's  ris- 
ing from  the  dead,  was  to  enter  heaven  as  our  representative, 
and  to  send  down  the  Holy  Ghost  to  apply  that  redemption  he 


418  THE  POWER  OP  [Serm.  10. 

Iiad  finished  on  the  cross,  to  our  hearts,  by  working  an  entire 
change  in  them. 

Without  this,  Christ  would  have  died  in  vain.  For  it  would 
have  done  us  no  service  to  have  had  his  outward  ris^hteousness 
irnputed  to  us,  unless  we  had  an  inward  inherent  righteousness 
wrought  in  us.  Because,  being  altogether  conceived  and  born 
in  sin,  and  consequently  unfit  to  hold  communion  with  an 
infinitely  pure  and  holy  God,  we  cannot  possibly  be  made  meet 
to  see  or  enjoy  him,  till  a  thorough  renovation  has  passed  upon 
our  hearts. 

Without  this  we  leave  out  the  Holy  Ghost  in  the  great  work 
of  our  redemption.  But  as  we  were  made  by  the  joint  con- 
currence and  consultation  of  the  blessed  Trinity ;  and  as  we 
were  baptized  in  their  name,  so  must  all  of  them  concur  in  our 
salvation.  As  the  Father  made,  and  the  Son  redeemed,  so 
must  the  Holy  Ghost  sanctify  and  seal  us,  or  otherwise  we 
have  believed  in  vain. 

This  then  is  what  the  apostle  means  by  the  power  of  Christ's 
resurrection,  and  this  is  what  we  are  as  much  concerned  ex- 
perimentally to  know,  as  that  he  rose  at  all. 

Without  this,  though  we  may  be  moralists,  though  we  may 
be  civilized,  good  natured  people,  yet  we  are  no  christians. 
For  he  is  no  true  christian,  who  is  only  one  outwardly ;  nor 
have  we  therefore  a  right  to  the  christian  name,  because  we 
daily  profess,  to  believe  that  Christ  rose  again  the  third  day 
from  the  dead.  But  he  is  a  true  christian  who  is  one  inwardly, 
and  then  only  can  we  be  styled  true  believers,  when  we  not 
only  profess  to  believe,  but  have  felt  the  power  of  our  blessed 
Lord's  rising  from  the  dead,  by  being  quickened  and  raised  by 
his  Spirit,  when  dead  in  trespasses  and  sins,  to  a  thorough 
newness  both  of  heart  and  life. 

The  devils  themselves  cannot  but  believe  the  doctrine  of  the 
resurrection,  and  tremble  ;  but  yet  they  continue  devils,  be- 
cause the  benefits  of  this  resurrection  have  not  been  applied  to 
them,  nor  have  they  received  a  renovating  power  from  it,  to 
chan2:e  and  put  ofi"  their  diabolical  nature.  And  so,  unless  we 
not  only  profess  to  know,  but  also  feel  that  Christ  is  risen  in- 
deed, by  being  born  again  from  above,  we  shall  be  as  far  from 
the  kingdom  of  God  as  they :  our  faith  will  be  as  ineffectual 
as  the  faith  of  devils. 

Nothing  has  done  more  harm  to  the  christian  world— nothing" 
has  rendered  the  cross  of  Christ  of  less  effect  than  a  vain  sup- 
position, that  religion  is  something  without  us.  Whereas  we 
should  consider,  that  every  thing  that  Christ  did  outwardly, 
must  be  done  over  again  in  our  souls  ;  or  otherwise,  the  be- 
lieving that  such  a  divine  Person  was  once  on  earth,  who 


Serm.  10.]  Christ's  resurrection.  419 

triumphed  over  hell  and  the  grave,  will  profit  us  no  more 
than  believing  there  was  once  such  a  person  as  Alexander  who 
conquered  the  world. 

As  Christ  was  born  of  the  virgin's  womb,  so  must  he  be 
spiritually  formed  in  our  hearts.  As  he  died  for  sin,  so  must 
we  die  to  sin.  And  as  he  rose  again  from  the  dead,  so  must 
we  also  rise  to  a  divine  life. 

None  but  those  who  have  followed  him  in  this  regeneration, 
or  new  birth,  shall  sit  on  thrones  as  approvers  of  his  sentence, 
when  he  shall  come  in  terrible  majesty  to  judge  the  twelve 
tribes  of  Israel. 

It  is  true,  as  for  the  outward  work  of  our  redemption,  it  was 
a  transient  act,  and  was  certainly  finished  on  the  cross  ;  but 
the  apphcation  of  that  redemption  to  our  hearts,  is  a  work 
that  will  contmue  always,  even  unto  the  end  of  the  world. 

So  long  as  there  is  an  elect  man  breathing  on  the  earth, 
who  is  naturally  engendered  of  the  offspring  of  the  first  Adam, 
so  long  must  the  quickening  Spirit,  which  was  purchased  by 
the  resurrection  of  the  second  Adam,  that  Lord  from  heaven, 
be  breathing  upon  his  soul. 

For  though  we  may  exist  by  Christ,  yet  we  cannot  be  said 
to  exist  in  him,  till  we  are  united  to  him  by  one  spirit,  and  en- 
ter into  a  new  state  of  things,  as  certainly  as  he  entered  into  a 
new  state  of  things,  after  that  he  rose  from  the  dead. 

We  may  throng  and  crowd  around  Christ,  and  call  him 
Lord,  Lord,  when  we  come  to  worship  before  his  footstool ; 
but  we  have  not  effectually  touched  him,  till  by  a  lively  faith 
in  his  resurrection,  we  perceive  a  divine  virtue  coming  out  of 
him,  to  renew  and  purify  our  souls. 

How  greatly  then  do  they  err  who  rest  in  a  bare  historical 
faith  of  our  Savior's  resurrection,  and  look  only  for  external 
proofs  to  evidence  it  ?  Whereas,  were  we  the  most  learned 
disputers  of  this  world,  and  could  speak  of  the  certainty  of  this 
fact  with  the  tongues  of  men  and  angels,  yet  without  this  in- 
ward testimony  of  it  in  our  hearts,  though  we  might  convince 
others,  yet  we  should  never  be  saved  by  it  ourselves. 

For  we  are  but  dead  men,  we  are  like  so  many  carcasses, 
wrapt  up  in  grave  clothes,  till  that  same  Jesus  who  called 
Lazarus  from  his  tomb,  and  at  whose  own  resurrection  many 
that  slept  arose,  doth  raise  us  also  by  his  quickening  Spirit  from 
our  natural  death,  in  which  we  have  so  long  lain,  to  a  holy 
and  heavenly  life. 

We  might  think  ourselves  happy,  if  we  had  seen  the  holy 
Jesus  after  he  was  risen  from  the  dead,  and  our  hands  had 
handled  that  Lord  of  life.  But  more  happy  are  they  who 
have  not  seen  him,  and  yet  having  felt  the  power  of  his  resur- 


420  THE  POWER  OP  [Serm.  10. 

rection,  therefore  believe  in  him.  For  many  saw  our  divine 
Master,  who  were  not  saved  by  him ;  but  whoever  has  thus 
felt  the  power  of  his  resurrection,  has  the  earnest  of  his  inher- 
itance in  his  heart ;  he  has  passed  from  death  to  life,  and  shall 
never  fall  into  final  condemnation. 

I  am  very  sensible  that  this  is  foolishness  to  the  natural 
man,  as  were  many  such  like  truths  to  our  Lord's  own  disci- 
ples, when  only  weak  in  faith,  before  he  rose  again.  But  when 
these  natural  men,  like  them,  have  fully  felt  the  power  of  his 
resurrection,  they  will  then  own  that  this  doctrine  is  from  Go4, 
and  say  with  the  Samaritans,  "  Now  we  believe  not  because 
of  thy  saying,"  for  we  ourselves  have  experienced  it  in  our 
hearts. 

And  O  that  all  unbelievers,  all  letter-learned  masters  of  Is- 
rael, who  now  look  upon  the  doctrine  of  the  power  of  Christ's 
resurrection,  or  our  new  birth,  as  an  idle  tale,  and  condemn  the 
preachers  of  it  as  enthusiasts  and  madmen,  did  but  thus  feel 
the  power  of  it  in  their  souls,  they  would  no  longer  ask,  how 
this  thing  could  be  ?  But  they  would  be  convinced  of  it  as 
much  as  Thomas  was,  when  he  saw  the  Lord's  Christ ;  and 
like  him,  when  Jesus  bid  him  reach  out  his  hands  and  thrust 
them  into  his  side,  in  a  holy  confusion  they  would  cry  out, 
"  My  Lord,  and  my  God  !" 

But  how  shall  an  unbeliever,  how  shall  the  formal  christian 
come  thus  to  '•'  know  Christ,  and  the  power  of  his  resurrection?" 
God,  who  cannot  lie,  has  told  us,  "  I  am  the  resurrection  and 
the  life,  whosoever  liveth  and  belie veth  in  me,  though  he  were 
dead,  yet  shall  he  live."  Again,  says  the  apostle,  "  By  faith  we 
are  saved,  and  that  not  of  ourselves,  it  is  the  gift  of  God." 

This,  this  is  the  way,  walk  in  it.  Believe  and  you  shall  live 
in  Christ,  and  Christ  in  you  ;  you  shall  be  one  with  Christ, 
and  Christ  one  with  ^^ou.  But  without  this,  your  outward 
goodness  and  professions  will  avail  you  nothing. 

But  then,  by  this  faith  we  are  not  to  understand  a  dead  spec- 
ulative faith,  a  faith  in  the  head;  but  a  living  principle 
wrought  in  the  heart  by  the  powerful  operation  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,  a  faith  that  will  enable  us  to  overcome  the  world  and 
forsake  all  in  affection  for  Jesus  Christ.  For  thus  speaks  our 
blessed  Master,  "Unless  a  man  forsake  all  that  he  hath,  he 
cannot  be  my  disciple." 

*And  so  the  apostle,  in  the  words  immediately  following  the 
text,  says,  "  being  made  conformable  to  his  death ;"  thereby  im- 
plying that  we  cannot  know  the  power  of  Christ's  resurrection 
unless  we  are  made  conformable  to  him  in  his  death. 

This  we  have  shadowed  out  by  the  custom  of  baptizing  by 
immersion  in  the  primitive  church,  and  (which  is  also  recom- 


Serm.  10.]  christ^s  resurrection.  421 

mended  by  our  own)  their  putting  the  infants  under  the  water 
signified  their  obligation  to  die  unto  sin  ;  as  their  taking  them 
out  of  the  water,  signified  their  rising  again  to  newness  of  hfe. 
To  which  the  apostle  plainly  alludes,  when  he  says,  "we  are 
buried  with  him  in  baptism." 

If  we  can  reconcile  light  and  darkness,  heaven  and  hell, 
then  we  may  hope  to  know  the  power  of  Christ's  resurrection 
without  dying  to  ourselves  and  the  world.  But  till  we  can  do 
this,  we  might  as  well  expect  that  Christ  will  have  concord 
with  Belial. 

For  there  is  such  a  contrariety  between  the  spirit  of  this 
world,  and  the  spirit  of  Jesus  Christ,  that  he  who  will  be  at 
friendship  with  the  one,  must  be  at  enmity  with  the  other ; 
"  We  cannot  serve  God  and  mammon." 

This  may,  indeed,  seem  a  hard  saying ;  and  many,  with 
the  young  man  in  the  gospel,  may  be  tempted  to  go  away  sor- 
rowful :  but  wherefore  should  this  offend  them  ?  For  what  is 
all  that  is  in  the  world,  the  lust  of  the  eye,  the  lust  of  the  flesh, 
and  the  pride  of  life,  but  vanity  and  vexation  of  spirit? 

God  is  love ;  and  therefore,  could  our  own  wills,  or  the  world 
have  made  us  happy,  he  never  would  have  sent  his  own  dear 
Son  Jesus  Christ  to  die  and  rise  again,  to  deliver  us  from  the 
power  of  them.  But  because  they  only  torment  and  cannot 
satisfy,  therefore  God  bids  us  renounce  them. 

Had  any  one  persuaded  profane  Esau  not  to  lose  so  glori- 
ous a  privilege,  merely  for  the  sake  of  gratifying  a  present 
corrupt  inclination,  when  he  saw  him  about  to  sell  his  birth- 
right for  a  little  red  pottage,  would  not  one  think  that  man  to 
have  been  Esau's  friend  !  And  just  thus  stands  the  case  be- 
tween God  and  us.  By  the  death  and  resurrection  of  Jesus 
Christ,  we  are  new  born  to  a  heavenly  inheritance  amono-st 
all  them  which  are  sanctified  ;  but  our  own  corrupt  wills 
would  tempt  us  to  sell  this  glorious  birthright  for  the  vanities 
of  the  world,  which,  like  Esau's  red  pottage,  may  please  us 
for  a  while,  but  will  soon  be  taken  away  from  us.  God  knows 
this,  and  therefore  rather  bids  us  renounce  them  for  a  season, 
than  for  the  short  enjoyment  of  them  lose  the  privilege  of  that 
glorious  birthright,  to  which,  by  knowing  the  power  of  the 
resurrection  of  Jesus  Christ,  we  are  entitled. 

O  the  depth  of  the  riches  and  excellency  of  Christianity  ! 
Well  might  the  great  St.  Paul  count  all  things  but  dung  and 
dross  for  the  excellency  of  the  knowledge  of  it.  Well  might 
he  desire  so  ardently  to  know  Jesus,  and  the  power  of  his 
resurrection.  For  even  on  this  side  eternity  it  raises  us  above 
the  world,  and  makes  us  to  sit  in  heavenly  places  in  Christ 
Jesus. 

36 


422  THE  POWER  OF,  &c.  [Senn.  10. 

Well  might  that  glorious  company  of  worthies^  recorded  in 
the  holy  scriptures,  supported  with  a  deep  sense  ot' their  heav 
enly  calling,  despise  the  pleasures  and  profits  of  this  life,  and 
wander  about  in  sheep  skins,  and  goat  skins,  in  dens  and  caves 
of  the  earth,  being  destitute,  afiiicted,  tormented. 

And  O  that  we  were  all  like  minded  !  that  we  felt  the  power 
of  Christ's  resurrection  as  they  did  !  How  should  we  then 
count  all  things  as  dung  and  dross  for  the  excellency  of  the 
knowledge  of  Christ  Jesns  our  Lord  !  How  should  we  then 
recover  our  primitive  dignity,  trample  the  earth  under  our  feet, 
and  with  our  souls  be  contiimally  gasping  after  God. 

And  what  hinders  but  we  may  be  thus  minded  ?  Is  Jesus 
Christ,  our  great  High  Priest,  altered  from  what  he  was  ?  No, 
he  is  the  same  yesterday,  to-day,  and  for  ever.  And  though  he 
is  exalted  to  the  right  hand  of  God,  yet  he  is  not  ashamed  to  call 
us  brethren.  The  power  of  his  resurrection  is  as  great  now 
as  formerly,  and  the  Holy  Spirit,  which  was  assured  to  us  by 
his  resurrection,  as  ready  and  able  to  quicken  us  who  are  dead 
in  trespasses  and  sins,  as  any  saint  that  ever  liv^ed.  Let  us  but 
cry,  and  that  instantly,  to  him  that  is  mighty  and  able  to  save  ; 
let  us,  in  sincerity  and  truth,  without  secretly  keeping  back  the 
least  part,  renounce  ourselves  and  the  world  ;  then  we  shall 
be  christians  indeed.  And  though  the  world  may  cast  us  out 
and  separate  from  our  company,  yet  Jesus  Christ  will  walk 
with,  and  abide  in  us.  And  at  the  general  resurrection  of  the 
last  day,  when  the  voice  of  the  archangel  and  trump  of  God 
shall  bid  the  sea  and  the  graves  give  up  their  dead,  and  all 
nations  shall  appear  before  him,  then  will  he  confess  us  before 
his  Father  and  the  holy  angels,  and  we  shall  receive  that  invi- 
tation which  he  shall  then  pronounce  to  all  who  love  and  fear 
him,  "  Come,  ye  blessed  children  of  my  Father,  inherit  the 
kingdom  prepared  for  you  from  the  beginning  of  the  world." 

Grant  this,  O  Father,  for  thy  dear  Son's  sake,  Jesus  Christ 
our  Lord  ;  to  whom,  with  thee  and  the  Holy  Ghost,  be  power 
and  glory,  for  ever,  Amen. 


Serm.  11.]    the  indwelling  of  the  spirit,  &c.  423 

SERMON  XL 


THE   INDWELLING   OF   THE  SPIRIT,  THE   COMMON  PRIVILEGE 
OF  ALL  BELIEVERS. 


John,  vii.  37,  38,  39. 

In  the  last  day,  that^great  day  of  the  feast,  Jesus  stood,  and  cried, 
saying,  If  any  man  thirst,  let  him  come  unto  me  and  drink.  He 
that  believeth  on  me,  as  the  scripture  hath  said,  out  of  his  belly 
shall  flow  rivers  of  living  water.  But  this  spake  he  of  the  Spirit, 
which  they  that  believe  on  him  should  receive. 

Nothing  has  rendered  the  cross  of  Christ  of  less  effect; 
nothing  has  been  a  greater  stumbhng  block  and  rock  of  offense 
to  weak  minds,  than  a  supposition,  now  current  among  us,  that 
most  of  what  is  contained  in  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ,  was 
designed  only  for  our  Lord's  first  and  immediate  followers,  and 
consequently  calculated  but  for  one  or  two  hundred  years. 
Accordingly,  many  now  read  the  life,  sufferings,  death,  and 
resurrection  of  Jesus  Christ,  in  the  same  manner  as  Caesar's 
Commentaries,  or  the  conquests  of  Alexander  are  read:  as 
things  rather  intended  to  afford  matter  for  speculation,  than  to 
be  acted  over  again  in  and  by  us. 

As  this  is  true  of  the  doctrines  of  the  gospel  in  general,  so  it 
is  of  the  operation  of  God's  Spirit  upon  the  hearts  of  believers 
in  particular ;  for  we  no  sooner  mention  the  necessity  of  oui 
receiving  the  Holy  Ghost  in  these  last  days,  as  well  as  formerly, 
but  we  are  looked  upon  by  some,  as  enthusiasts  and  mad  men  : 
and  by  others,  represented  as  willfully  deceiving  the  people, 
and  undermining  the  established  constitution  of  the  church. 

Judge  ye  then,  whether  it  is  not  high  time  for  the  true  min- 
isters of  Jesus  Christ,  who  have  been  made  partakers  of  this 
heavenly  gift,  to  lift  up  their  voices  like  a  trumpet ;  and  if  they 
would  not  have  those  souls  perish,  for  which  the  Lord  Jesus 
has  shed  his  precious  blood,  to  declare  with  all  boldness,  that 
the  Holy  Spirit  is  the  common  privilege  and  portion  of  all  be- 
lievers in  all  ages  ;  and  that  we,  as  well  as  the  first  christians, 
must  receive  the  Holy  Ghost,  before  we  can  truly  be  called  the 
children  of  God. 

For  this  reason,  (and  also  that  I  might  answer  the  design 
of  our  church  in  appointing  the  present  festival*)  I  have  cho- 
sen the  words  of  the  text. 

*  Whitsuntide. 


424  THE  INDWELLING  OF  THE  SPIRIT,  [Serm.  11. 

They  were  spoken  by  Jesus  Christ,  when  he  was  at  the 
feast  of  Tabernacles.  Our  Lord  attended  on  the  temple-ser- 
vice in  general,  and  the  festivals  of  the  Jewish  church  in  par- 
ticular. The  festival  at  which  he  was  now  present,  was  that 
of  the  feast  of  Tabernacles,  which  the  Jews  observed,  according- 
to  God's  appointment,  in  commemoration  of  their  living  in  tents. 
At  the  last  day  of  his  feast,  it  was  customary  for  many  pious 
people  to  fetch  water  from  a  certain  place,  and  bring  it  on  their 
}  leads,  singing  this  anthem  out  of  Isaiah,  "And  with  joy  shall 
they  draw  water  out  of  the  wells  of  salvation."  Our  Lord 
Jesus  observing  this,  and  it  being  his  constant  practice  to  spirit- 
ualize every  thing  he  met  with,  cries  out,  "  If  any  man  thirst 
let  him  come  unto  me  (rather  than  unto  that  well)  and  drink. 
He  that  believeth  on  me,  as  the  scripture  hath  spoken,  (where 
it  is  said,  God  will  make  water  to  spring  out  of  a  dry  rock,  and 
such  like)  out  of  his  belly  shall  flow  rivers  of  living  water." 
And  that  we  might  know  what  our  Savior  meant  by  this  living 
water,  the  evangelist  ii* mediately  adds,  "But  this  spake  he  of  , 
the  Spirit,  which  they  that  believe  on  him  should  receive." 

These  last  words  I  shall  chiefly  insist  on  in  the  ensuing  dis- 
course.    And, 

First,  I  shall  briefly  show,  what  is  meant  by  the  word 
Spirit. 

Secondly,  That  this  Spirit  is  the  common  privilege  of  all 
believers. 

Thirdly,  I  shall  show  the  reason  on  which  this  doctrine  is 
founded.     And, 

Lastly,  Conclude  with  a  general  exhortation  to  believe  on 
Jesus  Christ,  whereby  alone  we  can  receive  this  Spirit. 

First,  I  am  to  show  what  is  meant  by  the  word  Spirit. 

By  the  Spirit,  is  evidently  to  be  understood  the  Holy  Ghost, 
the  third  person  in  the  ever-blessed  Trinity,  consubstantial  and 
co-eternal  with  the  Father  and  the  Son,  proceeding  from,  yet 
equal  to  them  both.  For,  to  use  the  words  of  our  church  in 
this  day's  office,  that  which  we  believe  of  the  glory  of  the  Fa- 
ther, the  same  we  believe  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost, 
without  any  difference  or  inequality. 

Thus,  says  St.  John,  in  his  first  epistle,  chap.  v.  verse  7. 
*^  There  are  three  that  bear  record  in  heaven,  the  Father,  the 
Word,  and  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  these  three  are  one."  And  our 
Lord,  when  he  gave  liis  apostles  comm'ission  to  go  and  teach 
all  nations,  commanded  them  to  baptize  in  the  name  of  the 
Holy  Ghost,  as  well  as  of  the  Father  and  the  Son.  And  St.  Peter, 
Acts  V.  3.  said  to  Ananias,  "  Why  hath  Satan  filled  thine  heart 
to  lie  unto  the  Holy  Ghost  ?"  and  verse  4,  he  says,  '•  Thou 
hast  not  lied  unto  men  but  unto  God."    From  all  which  pas- 


Serm.  11.]      the  privilege  of  all  believers.  425 

sages,  it  is  plain,  that  the  Holy  Ghost  is  truly  and  properly 
God,  as  well  as  the  Father  and  the  Son.  This  is  an  unspeak- 
able mystery,  but  a  mystery  of  God's  revealing,  and,  therefore 
to  be  assented  to  with  our  whole  hearts  ;  seeing  God  is  not  a 
man  that  he  should  lie,  nor  the  son  of  man  that  he  should  de- 
ceive.    I  proceed, 

Secondly^  To  prove,  that  the  Holy  Ghost  is  the  common 
privilege  of  all  believers. 

But,, here  I  would  not  be  understood  to  mean  the  receiving 
the  Holy  Ghost,  so  as  to  enable  us  to  work  miracles,  or  show 
outward  signs  and  wonders.  I  allow  our  adversaries,  that  to 
pretend  to  be  inspired  in  this  sense,  is  being  wise  above  what 
is  written.  Perhaps  it  cannot  be  proved,  that  God  ever  in- 
terposed in  this  extraordinary  manner,  but  when  some  new 
revelation  was  to  be  established,  as  at  the  first  settling  of  the 
Mosaic  or  gospel  dispensation  :  and  as  for  my  own  part,  I 
cannot  but  suspect  the  spirit  of  those  who  insist  upon  a  repe- 
tition of  such  miracles  at  this  time.  For  the  world  being 
now  become  nominally  christian,  (though  God  knows,  little 
of  its  power  is  left  among  us)  there  need  not  outward  mira- 
cles, but  only  an  inward  co-operation  of  the  Holy  Spirit  with 
the  word,  to  prove  that  Jesus  is  the  Messiah  which  was  to  come 
into  the  world. 

Besides,  if  it  were  possible  for  thee,  O  man,  to  have  faith,  so 
as  to  be  able  to  remove  mountains,  or  cast  out  devils ;  nay, 
couldst  thou  speak  with  the  tongues  of  men  and  angels,  yea, 
and  bid  the  sun  stand  still  in  the  midst  of  heaven  ;  what  would 
all  these  gifts  of  the  Spirit  avail  thee,  without  being  made  par- 
taker of  his  sanctifying  graces  ?  Saul  had  the  spirit  of  govern- 
ment for  a  while,  so  as  to  become  another  man,  and  yet  proba- 
bly was  a  cast-away.  And  many,  who  cast  out  devils  in 
Christ's  name,  at  the  last  will  be  disowned  by  him.  If,  therefore, 
thou  hast  only  the  gifts,  and  art  destitute  of  the  graces  of  the 
Holy  Ghost,  they  will  only  serve  to  lead  thee  with  so  much  the 
more  solemnity  to  hell. 

Here  then  we  join  issue  with  our  adversaries,  and  will  readi- 
ly grant,  that  we  are  not  in  this  sense  to  be  inspired,  as  were 
our  Lord's  first  apostles.  But  unless  men  have  eyes  which  see 
not  and  ears  that  hear  not,  how  can  they  read  the  latter  part 
of  the  text,  and  not  confess  that  the  Holy  Spirit  in  another 
sense,  is  the  common  privilege  of  all  believers,  even  to  the  end 
of  the  world  ?  "  This  spake  he  of  the  Spirit,  which  they  that 
believe  on  him  should  receive."  Observe,  he  does  not  say,  they 
that  believe  on  him  for  one  or  two  ages,  but  they  that  believe 
on  him  in  general,  or,  at  all  times,  and  in  all  places.  So  that, 
unless  we  can  prove,  that  St.  John  was  under  a  delusion  when 

36* 


426  THE  INDWELLING  OF  THE  SPIRIT,  [SeriD.  11. 

he  wrote  these  words,  we  must  believe  that  even  we  also,  shaH 
receive  the  Floly  Ghost,  if  we  beUeve  on  the  Lord  Jesus  with 
our  whole  hearts. 

Again,  our  Lord,  just  before  his  bitter  passion,  when  he  was 
about  to  offer  up  his  soul  an  offering  for  the  sins  of  the  elect 
world ;  when  his  heart  was  most  enlarged,  and  he  would  un- 
doubtedly demand  the  most  excellent  gifts  for  his  disciples, 
prays,  "  That  they  all  may  be  one,  as  thou.  Father,  art  in  me, 
and  I  in  thee  ;  that  they  also  may  be  one  in  us,  I  in  them,  and 
thou  in  me,  that  they  may  be  made  perfect  in  one  ;"  that  is, 
that  all  his  true  followers  might  be  united  to  him  by  his  Holy 
Spirit,  by  as  real,  vital,  and  mystical  a  union,  as  there  was 
between  Jesus  Christ  and  the  Father.  I  say  all  his  true  fol- 
lowers ;  for  it  is  evident,  from  our  Lord's  own  words,  that  he 
had  us,  and  all  believers  in  view,  when  put  he  np  this  prayer ; 
"  Neither  pray  I  for  these  alone,  but  for  them  also  which  shall 
believe  on  me  through  their  word  ;"  so  that,  unless  we  treat  our 
Lord  as  the  high  priests  did.  and  count  him  a  blasphemer,  we 
mast  confess,  that  all  who  believe  in  Jesus  Christ,  through  the 
word  or  ministration  of  his  servants,  are  to  be  joined  to  Jesus 
Christ,  by  being  made  partakers  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

A  great  noise  has  been  made  of  late,  about  the  word  enthu- 
siast, and  it  has  been  cast  upon  the  preachers  of  the  gospel,  as 
a  term  of  reproach  ;  but  every  christian,  in  the  proper  sense  of 
the  word,  must  be  an  enthusiast ;  that  is,  must  be  inspired  of 
God,  or  have  God,  by  his  Spirit,  in  him.  St.  Peter  tells  us.  we 
have  many  great  and  precious  promises,  that  we  may  be  made 
partakers  of  the  divine  nature  ;  our  liOrd  prays,  "  that  we  may 
be  one,  as  the  Father  and  he  are  one ;"  and  our  own  church, 
in  conformity  to  these  texts  of  scripture,  in  her  excellent  com- 
munion office,  tells  us  that  those  who  receive  the  sacrament 
worthily,  "Dwell  in  Christ,  and  Christ  in  them  ;  that  they  are 
one  with  Christ,  and  Christ  with  them."  And  yet,  christians 
must  have  their  names  cast  out  as  evil,  and  ministers  in  par- 
ticular, iTiUst  be  looked  upon  as  deceivers  of  the  people,  for 
affirming,  that  we  must  be  really  united  to  God,  by  receiving 
the  Holy  Ghost.     "  Be  astonished,  O  heavens,  at  this  !" 

Indeed,  I  will  not  say.  all  our  letter-learned  preachers  deny 
this  doctrine  in  express  words  ;  but  they  do  however,  in  effect; 
for  they  talk  professedly  against  inward  feelings,  and  say  we 
may  have  God's  Spirit  without  feeling  it,  which  is,  in  reality, 
to  deny  the  thing  itself.  And  had  I  a  mind  to  hinder  the  pro- 
gress of  the  gospel,  and  to  establish  the  kingdom  of  darloiess,  I 
would  go  about  telling  people,  they  might  have  the  Spirit  of  God 
and  yet  not  feel  it.' 

But  to  return.     When  our  Lord  was  about  to  ascend  to  his 


Serm.  11.]       the  privilege  of  all  believers.  427 

Father  and  our  Father,  to  his  God  and  our  God,  he  gave  his 
apostles  this  commission,  "  Go  and  teach  all  nations,  baptizing;' 
them  in  the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the 
Holy  Ghost."  And  accordingly,  by  the  authority  of  this  com- 
mission, we  do  teach  and  baptize  in  this,  and  every  age  of  the 
church.  And  though  we  translate  the  words,  "  baptizing  them 
in  the  name  ;"  yet,  as  the  name  of  God,  in  the  Lord's  prayer, 
and  several  other  places,  signifies  his  nature,  they  might  as  well 
be  translated  thus,  •'  baptizing  them  into  the  nature  of  the  Fa- 
ther, into  the  nature  of  the  Son,  and  into  the  nature  of  the  Holy 
Ghost."  Consequently  if  we  are  all  to  be  baptized  into  the 
nature  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  before  our  baptism  be  effectual  to 
salvation,  it  is  evident,  that  we  all  must  actually  receive  the 
Holy  Ghost,  ere  we  can  say,  we  truly  believe  in  Jesus  Christ. 
For  no  one  can  say,  that  Jesus  is  my  Lord,  but  he  that  has  thus 
received  the  Holy  Ghost. 

Numbers  of  other  texts  might  be  quoted  to  make  this  doc- 
trine, if  possible,  still  more  plain  ;  but  I  am  astonished,  that  any 
who  call  themselves  members  ;  much  more,  that  many  who  are 
preachers  in  the  Church  of  England,  should  dare  so  much  as 
to  open  their  lips  against  it.  And  yet,  with  grief  I  speak  it, 
God  is  my  judge,  persons  of  the  established  church  seem  more 
generally  to  be  ignorant  of  it  than  any  dissenters  whatsoever. 

But  my  dear  brethren,  what  have  you  been  doing  ?  How 
often  have  your  hearts  given  your  lips  the  lie?  How  often 
have  you  offered  to  God  the  sacrifice  of  fools,  and  had  your 
prayers  turned  into  sin,  if  you  approve  of,  and  use  our  church 
liturgy,  and  yet  deny  the  Holy  Spirit  to  be  the  portion  of  all 
believers  ?  In  the  daily  absolution,  the  minister  exhorts  the 
people  to  pray,  that  '•  God  would  grant  them  repentance,  and 
his  Holy  Spirit."  In  the  collect  for  Christmas  day,  we  beseech 
God,  "  that  he  would  daily  renew  us  by  his  Holy  Spirit."  In 
the  last  week's  collect,  we  prayed  "that  we  may  evermore  re 
joice  in  the  comforts  of  the  Holy  Ghost ;"  and  in  the  concluding 
prayer,  which  we  put  up  every  day,  we  pray,  not  only  that 
the  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  the  love  of  God,  but 
that  "  the  fellowship  of  the  Holy  Ghost"  may  be  with  us  all 
evermore. 

But  farther,  a  solemn  season  to  some,  is  now  approaching  : 
I  mean  the  Ember-days,  at  the  end  of  which,  all  that  are  to  be 
ordained  to  the  office  of  a  deacon,  are,  in  the  sight  of  God, 
and  in  the  presence  of  the  congregation,  to  declare,  that  they 
trust  they  are  inwardly  moved  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  to  take  upon 
them  that  administration  ;  and  to  those  who  are  to  be  ordained 
priests,  the  bishop  is  to  repeat  these  solemn  words  :  "  Receive 
lliou  the  Holy  Ghost,  now  committed  unto  thee  by  the  imposition 


428  THE  INDWELLING  OF  THE  SPIRIT,         [Seim.  11. 

of  our  hands."  And  yet,  O  that  I  had  no  reason  to  speak  it, 
many  that  use  our  good  forms,  and  many  who  have  witnessed 
this  good  confession,  yet  dare  to  both  talk  and  preach  against 
the  necessity  of  receiving  the  Holy  Ghost  now  ;  and  not  only 
so,  but  cry  out  against  those  who  do  insist  upon  it,  as  mad- 
men, enthusiasts,  schismatics,  and  underminers  of  the  estabhsh- 
ed  constitution. 

But  you  are  tlie  schismatics,  you  are  the  bane  of  the  Church 
of  England,  who  are  always  crying  out,  ''  the  temple  of  the 
Lord,  the  temple  of  the  Lord :"  and  yet  starve  the  people  out 
of  our  communion,  by  feeding  them  only  with  the  dry  husks 
of  dead  morality,  and  not  bringing  out  to  them  the  fatted  calf; 
I  mean,  the  doctrines  of  the  operations  of  the  blessed  Spirit  of 
God.  But  here  is  the  misfortune  ;  many  of  us  are  not  led  by, 
and  therefore,  no  wonder  that  we  ca'nnot  talk  feelingly  of  the 
Holy  Ghost ;  we  subscribe  to  our  articles,  and  make  them 
serve  for  a  key  to  get  into  church  preferment,  and  then  preach 
contrary  to  those  very  articles  to  which  we  have  subscribed. 
Far  be  it  from  me,  to  charge  all  the  clergy  with  this  hateful 
hypocrisy.  No,  blessed  be  God,  there  are  some  left  among  us 
who  dare  maintain  the  doctrines  of  the  reformation,  and  preach 
the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus.  But  I  speak  the  truth  in  Christ,  I 
lie  not ;  the  generality  of  the  clergy  are  fallen  from  our  arti- 
cles, and  do  not  speak  agreeably  to  them,  or  to  the  form  of 
sound  words  delivered  in  the  scriptures.  Wo  be  unto  such 
blind  leaders  of  the  blind  !  How  can  you  escape  the  damna- 
tion of  hell?  It  is  not  all  your  learning,  (falsely  so  called)  it 
is  not  all  your  preferments  can  keep  you  from  the  just  judg- 
ment of  God.  Yet  a  little  while,  and  we  shall  all  appear  be- 
fore the  tribunal  of  Christ ;  there,  there  will  I  meet  you ;  there 
Jesus  Christ,  the  great  Shepherd  and  Bishop  of  souls,  shall  de- 
termine who  are  the  false  prophets,  who  are  the  wolves  in 
sheep's  clothing ;  those  who  say,  that  we  must  now  receive 
and  feel  the  Holy  Ghost,  or  those  who  exclaim  against  it,  as 
the  doctrine  of  devils. 

But  I  can  say  no  more  ;  it  is  an  unpleasant  task  to  censure 
any  order  of  men,  especially  those  who  are  in  the  ministry ; 
nor  would  any  thing  excuse  it  but  necessity  ;  that  necessity 
which  extorted  from  our  Lord  himself,  so  many  woes  against 
the  scribes  and  pharisees,  the  letter-learned  rulers  and  teachers 
of  the  Jewish  church  ;  and  surely,  if  I  could  bear  to  see  people 
perish  for  lack  of  knowledge,  and  yet  be  silent  towards  those 
who  keep  from  them  the  key  of  true  knowledge,  the  very 
stones  would  cry  out. 

Would  we  restore  the  church  to  its  primitive  dignity,  the 
only  way  is  to  live  and  preach  the  doctrine  of  Christ,  and  the 


Serm.  11.]     the  privilege  of  all  believers.  429 

articles  to  which  we  have  subscribed  ;  then  we  shall  find  that 
the  number  of  dissenters  will  daily  decrease,  and  the  Church 
of  England  become  the  joy  of  the  whole  earth. 

I  am,  in  the  third  place,  to  show  the  reasonableness  of  this 
doctrine. 

I  say  the  reasonableness  of  this  doctrine ;  for  however  it 
may  seem  foolishness  to  the  natural  man,  yet  to  those,  who 
have  tasted  of  the  good  word  of  life,  and  have  felt  the  power 
of  the  world  to  come,  it  will  appear  to  be  founded  on  the  high- 
est reason ;  and  is  capable,  to  those  who  have  eyes  to  see,  even 
of  a  demonstration.  I  say  of  demonstration,  for  it  stands  on 
this  self-evident  truth,  that  we  are  fallen  creatures,  or,  to  use 
the  scriptural  expression,  "  Have  all  died  in  Adam." 

I  know,  indeed,  it  is  now  no  uncommon  thing  among  us,  to 
deny  the  doctrine  of  original  sin,  as  well  as  the  divinity  of 
Jesus  Christ ;  but  it  is  incumbent  on  those  who  deny  it,  first  to 
disprove  the  authority  of  the  holy  scriptures.  If  thou  canst 
prove,  thou  unbeliever,  that  the  book  which  we  call  the  Bible, 
does  not  contain  the  lively  oracles  of  God  ;  if  thou  canst  show, 
that  holy  men  of  old  did  not  write  this  book,  as  they  were  in- 
wardly moved  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  then  will  we  give  up  the 
doctrine  of  original  sin  ;  but  unless  thou  canst  do  this,  we  must 
insist  upon  it,  that  we  are  all  conceived  and  born  in  sin  ;  if  for 
no  other,  yet  for  this  one  reason,  because  that  God  who  cannot 
lie,  has  told  us  so. 

But  what  has  light  to  do  with  darkness,  or  polite  infidels  with 
the  Bible  !  Alas  !  as  they  are  strangers  to  the  power,  so  they 
are  generally  as  great  strangers  to  the  word  of  God.  And 
therefore,  if  we  will  preach  to  them,  we  must  preach  to  and 
from  the  heart :  for  talking  in  the  language  of  scripture  to 
them,  is  but  like  talking  in  an  unknown  tongue.  Tell  me, 
then,  O  man,  whoever  thou  art,  that  deniest  the  doctrine  of 
original  sin,  if  thy  conscience  be  not  seared  as  with  a  hot  iron ; 
tell  me,  if  thou  dost  not  find  thyself,  by  nature,  to  be  a  motley 
mixture  of  brute  and  devil  ?  I  know  these  terms  will  stir  up 
the  whole  pharisee  in  thy  heart !  But  let  not  Satan  hurry  thee 
hence ;  stop  a  little,  and  let  us  reason  together ;  dost  thou  not 
find,  that  by  nature  thou  art  prone  to  pride  ?  otherwise  where- 
fore art  thou  now  ofiended?  Again,  dost  not  thou  find  in  thy- 
self the  seeds  of  malice,  revenge,  and  all  uncharitableness  ? 
And  what  are  these  but  the  very  tempers  of  the  devil  ?  Again, 
do  we  not  all  by  nature  follow,  and  suffer  ourselves  to  be  led 
by  our  natural  appetites,  always  looking  downwards,  never 
looking  upwards  to  that  God,  in  whom  we  live,  move  and  have 
our  being  ?  And  what  is  this  but  the  very  nature  of  the  beasts 
that  perish  ?  Out  of  thy  own  heart,  therefore,  will  I  oblige  thee  to 


430  THE  INDWELLING  OF  THE  SPIRIT,        [Scrm.  11, 

confess,  what  an  inspired  apostle  has  long  since  told  us,  that 
"the  whole  world  (by  nature)  lies  in  the  wicked  one ;"  we  are 
no  better  than  those  whom  St.  Jude  calls  brute  beasts ;  for  we 
have  tempers  in  us  all,  by  nature,  that  prove  to  a  demonstra- 
tion, that  we  are  earthly,  sensual,  devilish. 

And  this  will  serv^e  as  another  argument,  to  prove  the  reality 
of  the  operations  of  the  blessed  Spirit  on  the  hearts  of  believ- 
ers, against  those  false  professors,  who  deny  there  is  any  such 
thing  as  influences  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  that  may  be  felt.  For 
if  they  will  grant  that  the  devil  worketh,  and  so  as  to  be  felt  in 
the  hearts  of  the  children  of  disobedience,  (which  they  must 
grant,  unless  they  will  give  an  apostle  the  lie)  where  is  the 
wonder  that  the  good  Spirit  should  have  the  same  power  over 
those  who  are  truly  obedient  to  the  faith  of  Jesus  Christ  ? 

If  it  be  true  then,  that  we  are  all  by  nature,  since  the  fall,  a 
mixture  of  brute  and  devil,  it  is  evident,  that  we  all  must  re- 
ceive the  Holy  Ghost,  ere  we  can  dwell  with  and  enjoy  God. 

When  you  read,  how  the  prodigal,  in  the  gospel,  was  redu- 
ced to  so  low  a  condition,  as  to  eat  husks  with  swine,  and  how 
Nebuchadnezzar  was  turned  out  to  graze  with  oxen ;  I  am  con- 
fident, you  pity  their  unhappy  state.  And  when  you  hear  how 
Jesus  Christ  will  say,  at  the  last  day,  to  all  that  are  not  born 
again  of  God,  "Depart  from  me,  ye  cursed,  into  everlasting 
fire,  prepared  for  the  devil  and  his  angels,"  do  not  your  hearts 
shrink  within  you,  with  a  secret  horror?  And  if  creatures, 
with  only  our  degree  of  goodness,  cannot  bear  even  the 
thoughts  of  dwelling  with  beasts  or  devils,  to  whose  nature  we 
are  so  nearly  allied,  how  do  we  imagine  God,  who  is  infinite 
goodness  and  purity  itself,  can  dwell  with  us,  while  we  are 
partakers  of  both  their  natures  ?  We  might  as  well  think  to 
reconcile  heaven  and  hell. 

When  Adam  had  eaten  the  forbidden  fruit,  he  fled  and  hid 
himself  from  God.  Why  ?  because  he  was  naked ;  he  was 
alienated  from  the  life  of  God,  the  due  punishment  of  his  dis- 
obedience. Now  we  are  all  by  nature  naked  and  void  of  God, 
as  he  was  at  that  time,  and  consequently,  until  we  are  changed, 
renewed,  and  clothed  with  a  divine  nature  again,  we  must  fly 
from  God  also. 

Hence,  then,  appears  the  reasonableness  of  our  being  obliged 
to  receive  the  Spirit  of  God.  It  is  founded  on  the  doctrine  of 
original  sin  ;  and  therefore,  you  will  always  find,  that  those 
who  talk  against  feeling  the  operations  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  very 
rarely,  or  slightly  at  least,  mention  our  fall  in  Adam ;  no,  they 
refer  St.  Paul's  account  of  the  depravity  of  unbelievers,  only 
to  those  of  old  time.  Whereas,  it  is  obvious,  on  the  contrary, 
that  we  are  all  equally  included  under  the  guilt  and  conse- 


Serm.  11.]     the  privilege  of  all  believers.  431 

quences  of  our  first  parents'  sin,  even  as  others ;  and  to  use 
the  language  of  our  own  church  article,  "bring  into  the  world 
with  us,  a  corruption,  which  renders  us  liable  to  God's  wrath, 
and  eternal  damnation." 

Should  I  preach  to  you  any  other  doctrine,  I  sliould  wrong 
my  own  soul ;  I  should  be  found  a  false  witness  towards  God 
and  you ;  and  he  that  preaches  any  other  doctrine,  however 
dignified  and  distinguished,  shall  bear  his  punishment,  who- 
ever he  be. 

From  this  plain  reason,  then,  appears  the  necessity,  why  we, 
as  well  as  the  first  apostles,  in  this  sense,  must  receive  the  Spirit 
of  God. 

For  the  great  work  of  sanctification,  or  making  us  holy,  is 
particularly  referred  to  the  Holy  Ghost ;  therefore,  our  Lord 
says,  '•  Unless  a  man  be  born  of  the  Spirit,  he  cannot  enter  into 
the  kingdom  of  God." 

Jesus  Christ  came  down  to  save  us,  not  only  from  the  guilt, 
but  also  from  the  power  of  sin.  And  however  often  we  have 
repeated  our  creed,  and  told  God  we  believe  in  the  Holy  Ghost, 
yet,  if  we  have  not  believed  in  him,  so  as  to  be  really  united  to 
Jesus  Christ  by  him,  we  have  no  more  concord  with  Jesus 
Christ  than  Belial  himself 

And  now,  my  brethren,  what  shall  I  say  more  ?  Tell  me, 
are  not  many  of  you  offended  at  what  has  been  said  already  ? 
Do  not  some  of  you  think,  though  I  mean  well,  yet  I  have  car- 
ried the  point  a  little  too  far?  Are  not  others  ready  to  cry  out, 
if  this  be  true,  "  who  then  can  be  saved?"  Is  not  this  driving 
people  into  despair  ? 

Yes,  I  ingenuously  confess  it  is  ;  but  into  what  despair  ?  a 
despair  of  mercy  through  Christ  ?  No,  God  forbid ;  but  a 
despair  of  living  with  God,  without  receiving  the  Holy  Ghost ! 
And  I  would  to  God,  that  not  only  all  you  that  hear  me  this  day, 
but  that  the  whole  world  was  filled  with  this  despair.  Believe 
me,  I  have  been  doing  no  more  than  you  allow  your  bodily 
physicians  to  do  every  day :  if  you  have  a  wound,  and  are  in 
earnest  about  a  cure,  you  bid  the  surgeon  probe  it  to  the  very 
bottom ;  and  shall  not  the  physician  of  your  souls  be  allowed 
the  same  freedom?  What  have  I  been  doing  but  searching 
your  natural  wounds,  that  I  might  convince  you  of  your  dan- 
ger, and  put  you  upon  applying  to  Jesus  Christ  for  a  remedy  ? 
[ndeed  I  have  dealt  with  you  as  gently  as  I  could ;  and  now 
1  have  wounded,  I  will  attempt  to  heal  you.     For  I  was  in  the 

Last  place,  to  exhort  you  all  to  come  to  Jesus  Christ  by  laith, 
whereby  you,  even  you  also,  shall  receive  the  Holy  Ghost. 
For  this  spake  he  of  the  Spirit^  which  they  that  believe  on  him 
should  receive. 


432  THE  INDWELLING  OF  THE  SPIRIT,  [Scrm.   11. 

This,  this  is  what  I  long  to  come  to.  Hitherto  I  have  been 
preaching  only  the  law  ;  but  behold  I  bring  you  glad  tidings 
of  great  joy.  If  I  have  wounded  you,  be  not  afraid  ;  behold  I 
now  bring  a  remedy  for  all  your  wounds.  Notwithstanding 
you  are  sunk  into  the  nature  of  the  beast  and  devil,  yet,  if  you 
truly  believe  on  Jesus  Christ,  you  shall  receive  the  quickening 
Spirit  promised  in  the  text,  and  be  restored  to  the  glorious 
liberties  of  the  sons  of  God  ;  I  say.  if  you  believe  on  Jesus  Christ. 
''  For  by  faith  we  are  saved  :  not  of  works,  lest  any  one  should 
boast."  And  however  some  men  say,  there  is  a  fitness  required 
in  the  creature,  and  that  we  must  have  a  righteousness  of  our 
own,  before  we  can  lay  hold  on  the  righteousness  of  Christ ; 
yet,  if  we  believe  the  scripture,  salvation  is  the  free  gift  of  God 
in  Christ  Jesus  our  Lord  ;  and  whoever  believeth  on  him  with 
his  whole  heart,  though  his  soul  be  as  black  as  hell  itself,  shall 
receive  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  Behold  then,  I  stand  up, 
and  cry  out  in  this  great  day  of  the  feast,  "  Let  every  one  that 
thirsteth  come  unto  Jesus  Christ  and  drink.  He  that  believeth 
on  him,  out  of  his  belly  shall  flow  (not  only  streams  or  rivulets, 
but  whole)  rivers  of  living  water."  This  I  speak  of  the  Spirit, 
which  they  that  believe  on  Jesus  shall  certainly  receive.  For 
Jesus  Christ  is  "  the  same  yesterda}^,  to-day,  and  for  ever.  He 
is  the  way,  the  truth,  the  resurrection,  and  the  life  ;  whosoever 
believeth  on  him,  though  he  were  dead,  yet  shall  he  live." 
There  is  no  respect  of  persons  with  Jesus  Christ ;  high  and 
low,  rich  and  poor,  one  with  another,  may  come  to  him  with 
an  humble  confidence,  if  they  draw  near  by  faith  ;  from  him 
we  all  receive  grace  upon  grace ;  for  Jesus  Christ  is  full  of 
grace  and  truth,  and  ready  to  save  to  the  uttermost,  all  that  by 
a  true  faith  turn  unto  him.  Indeed,  the  poor  generally  receive 
the  gospel,  and  God  has  chosen  the  poor  in  this  world,  rich  in 
faith.  But  though  not  many  mighty,  not  many  noble  are  call- 
ed ;  and  though  it  be  easier  for  a  camel  to  go  through  the  eye 
of  a  needle,  than  for  a  rich  man  to  enter  into  the  kingdom  of 
God,  yet,  even  to  you  that  are  rich,  do  I  now  freely  ofter  salva- 
tion, by  Jesus  Christ,  if  you  will  renounce  yourselves,  and 
come  to  Jesus  Christ  as  poor  sinners  ;  I  say,  as  poor  sinners ; 
for  the  poor  in  spirit  are  only  so  blessed  as  to  have  a  right  to 
the  kingdom  of  God.  And  Jesus  Christ  calls  none  to  him,  but 
those  who  thirst  after  his  righteousness,  and  feel  themselves 
weary,  and  heavy  laden  with  the  burden  of  their  sins.  Jesus 
Christ  justifies  the  ungodly  ;  '•  he  came  not  to  call  the  right- 
eous, but  sinners  to  repentance." 

Do  not  then  say  you  are  unworthy :  for  this  is  a  faithful  and 
true  saying,  and  worthy  of  all  men  to  be  received,  "  That  Je- 
sus Christ  came  into  the  world  to  save  sinners ;"  and  if  you 


Serm.  11.]       the  privilege  of  all  believers.  433 

are  the  chief  of  sinners,  if  you  feel  yourselves  such,  verily  Je- 
sns  Christ  came  into  the  world  chiefly  to  save  you.  When 
Joseph  was  called  out  of  the  prison  house  to  Pharaoh's  court, 
we  are  told  that  he  staid  some  time  to  prepare  himself;  but 
do  you  come  with  all  your  prison  clothes  about  you ;  come 
poor,  and  miserable,  and  blind,  and  naked,  as  you  are,  and 
God  the  Father  shall  receive  you  with  open  arms,  as  was  the 
returning  prodigal.  He  shall  cover  your  nakedness  with  the 
best  robe  of  his  dear  Son's  righteousness,  shall  seal  you  with 
the  signet  of  his  Spirit,  and  feed  3^ou  with  the  fatted  calf,  even 
with  tJie  comforts  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  O,  let  there  then  be  joy 
in  heaven  over  some  of  you,  as  believing :  let  me  not  go  back 
to  my  Master,  and  say.  Lord,  they  will  not  believe  my  report. 
Harden  no  longer  your  hearts,  but  open  them  wide,  and  let  the 
king  of  glory  enter  in  ;  believe  me,  I  am  willing  to  go  to  prison 
or  death  for  you  ;  but  I  am  not  willing  to  go  to  heaven  with- 
out you.  The  love  of  Jesus  Christ  constrains  me  to  lift  up 
my  voice  like  a  trumpet.  My  heart  is  now  full ;  out  of  the 
abundance  of  the  love  which  I  have  for  your  precious  and 
immortal  souls,  my  mouth  now  speaketh  ;  and  I  could  now  not 
only  continue  my  discourse  until  midnight,  but  I  could  speak 
until  I  could  speak  no  more.  And  why  should  I  despair  of 
any?  No,  I  can  despair  of  no  one,  when  1  consider  Jesus 
Christ  has  had  mercy  on  such  a  wretch  as  I  am ;  however  you 
may  think  of  yourselves,  I  know  that  by  nature  I  am  but  half 
a  devil  and  half  a  beast.  The  free  grace  of  Christ  prevented 
me ;  he  saw  me  in  my  blood,  he  passed  by  me,  and  said  unto 
me,  live ;  and  the  same  grace  which  was  sufficient  for  me,  is 
sufficient  for  you  also;  behold,  the  same  blessed  Spirit  is  ready 
to  breathe  on  all  your  dry  bones,  if  you  will  believe  on  Jesus 
Christ,  whom  God  has  sent ;  indeed,  you  can  never  believe  on, 
or  serve  a  better  master,  one  that  is  more  mis^hty,  or  more  wil- 
ling to  save ;  I  can  say,  the  Lord  Christ  is  gracious,  his  yoke 
is  easy,  his  burden  exceeding  light ;  after  you  have  served  him 
many  years,  like  the  servants  under  the  law,  was  he  willing  to 
discharge  you,  you  would  say,  we  love  our  Master,  and  will 
not  go  from  him.  Come  then,  my  guilty  brethren,  come  and 
believe  on  the  I^ord  that  bought  you  with  his  precious  blood ; 
look  up  by  faith,  and  see  him  whom  you  have  pierced  ;  behold 
him  bleeding,  panting,  dyins^?  Behold  him  witli  arms  stretch- 
ed out  to  receiv^e  you  all;  cry  unto  him.  as  the  penitent  thief 
did,  Lord,  remember  us  now  thou  art  in  thy  kingdom,  and  he 
shall  say  to  your  souls,  "Shortly  shall  you  be  with  me  in  pa- 
radise." For  those  whom  Christ  justifies,  them  he  also  glori- 
ties.  even  with  that  glory  which  he  enjoyed  with  the  Father, 
before  the  world  began.     Do  not  say,  "1  have  bought  a  piece 

37 


434  THE  ETERNITY  OF  HELL  TORMENTS.       [Serm.  12. 

of  ground,  and  must  needs  go  see  it ;  or  I  have  bought  a  yoke 
of  oxen,  and  must  needs  go  prov^e  them ;  or  I  have  married  a 
wife,"  I  am  engaged  in  an  eager  pursuit  after  the  hist  of  the 
eye,  and  the  pride  of  hfe,  and  therefore  cannot  come.  Do  not 
fear  having  your  name  cast  out  as  evil,  or  being  accounted  a 
fool  for  Christ's  sake ;  yet  a  little  while,  and  you  shall  shine  like 
the  stars  in  the  firmament  for  ever.  Only  believe,  and  Jesus 
Christ  shall  be  to  you  wisdom,  righteousness,  sanctification, 
and  eternal  redemption  ;  your  '•  bodies  shall  be  fashioned  like 
unto  his  glorious  body,"  and  your  souls  be  partakers  of  all  the 
fullness  of  God. 

Which  God,  of  his  infinite  mercy,  grant,  through  Jesus 
Christ ;  to  whom,  with  thee,  O  Father,  and  thee,  O  Holy  Ghost, 
three  persons  and  one  God,  be  ascribed,  as  is  most  due,  all 
power,  might,  majesty,  and  dominion,  now  and  for  ever  more. 
Amen,  Amen. 


SERMON  XII. 


THE  ETERNITY  OF  HELL  TORMENTS. 


Matthew  xxv.  46. 

These  shall  go  away  into  everlasting  punishment. 

The  excellency  of  the  gospel  dispensation  is  gi*eatly  evi- 
denced by  those  sanctions  of  rewards  and  punishments,  which 
it  offers  to  the  choice  of  all  its  hearers,  in  order  to  engage  them 
,to  be  obedient  to  its  precepts.  For  it  promises  no  less  than 
eternal  happiness  to  the  good,  and  denounces  no  slighter  a  pu- 
nishment than  everlasting  misery  against  the  wicked :  on  the 
one  hand,  "It  is  a  savor  of  life  unto  life;''  on  the  other,  "A 
savor  of  death  unto  death."  And  though  one  would  imagine 
the  bare  m.entioning  of  the  former  would  be  sufficient  to  draw 
men  to  their  duty,  yet  ministers  in  all  ages,  have  found  it  ne- 
cessary, frequently  to  remind  their  people  of  the  latter,  and  to 
set  before  them  the  terrors  of  the  Lord,  as  so  many  powerful 
dissuasives  from  sin. 

But  whence  is  it  that  men  are  so  disingenuous?  The  reason 
seems  to  be  this :  the  premise  of  eternal  happiness  is  so  agree- 
able to  the  inclinations  and  wishes  of  mankind,  that  all  who 
call  themselves  christians,  universally  and  willingly  subscribe 
to  the  belief  of  it :  but  then  there  is  something  so  shocking  in 
the  consideration  of  eternal  torments,  and  seemingly  such  an 


Serm.  12.]     the  eternity  of  hell  torments.  435 

infinite  disproportion  between  an  endless  duration  of  pain,  and 
a  short  life  spent  in  pleasure,  that  men  (some  at  least  of  them) 
can  scarcely  be  brought  to  confess  it  as  an  article  of  their  faith, 
that  an  eternity  of  misery  awaits  the  wicked  in  a  future  state. 

I  shall,  therefore,  at  this  time,  beg  leave  to  insist  on  the  proof 
of  this  part  of  one  of  the  articles  of  our  creed ;  and  endeavor 
to  make  good,  what  our  blessed  Lord  has  here  threatened  in 
the  words  of  the  text,  These^  (that  is  the  wicked)  shall  go 
away  into  everlasting  punis/wietit. 

Accordingly,  without  considering  the  words  as  they  stand  in 
relation  to  tlie  context,  I  shall  resolve  all  that  I  have  to  say,  into 
this  one  general  proposition,  That  the  tonnents  reserved  for 
the  wicked  hereafter^  are  eternal. 

But  before  I  proceed  to  make  this  good,  I  must  inform  you 
that  I  take  it  for  granted,  all  present  do  steadfastly  believe  they 
have  something  within  them,  which  we  call  a  soul,  and  which 
is  capable  of  surviving  the  dissolution  of  the  body,  and  of  be- 
ing miserable  or  happy  to  all  eternity. 

I  take  it  for  granted  farther,  that  you  believe  a  divine  reve- 
lation ;  that  those  books  emphatically  called  the  scriptures,  were 
written  by  the  inspiration  of  God,  and  that  the  things  therein 
contained,  are  founded  upon  eternal  truth. 

I  take  it  for  granted,  that  you  believe  that  the  Son  of  God 
came  down  to  die  for  sinners ;  and  that  there  is  but  one  Medi- 
ator between  God  and  man,  even  the  man  Christ  Jesus. 

These  things  being  granted,  and  they  were  necessary  to  be 
premised,  proceed  we  now  to  make  good  the  one  general  pro- 
position asserted  in  the  text.  That  the  torments  reserved,  for 
the  wicked  hereafter  are  eternal.  These  shall  go  away  into 
everlasting  jninishment.     The 

First  argument  I  shall  advance  to  prove  that  the  torments 
reserved  for  the  wicked  hereafter  are  eternal,  (for  I  have  taken 
it  for  granted,  that  you  believe  those  books,  emphatically  call- 
ed the  scriptures,  were  written  by  the  inspiration  of  God,  and 
that  the  things  contained  therein  are  founded  upon  eternal 
truth)  is,  that  the  word  of  God  himself  assures  us,  in  line  upon 
line,  that  it  will  be  so. 

To  quote  all  the  texts  that  might  be  produced  in  proof  of 
this,  would  be  endless.  Let  it  suffice  to  instance  only  a  few. 
In  the  Old  Testament,  in  the  book  of  Daniel,  chap.  xii.  verse 
2.  we  are  told  that  some  '•'  shall  awake  to  everlasting  life,"  and 
others  to  "  everlasting  contempt."  In  the  book  of  Isaiah,  it  is 
said,  that  "  the  worm  of  those  who  have  transgressed  God's 
law,  and  die  impenitently,  shall  not  die,  nor  their  fire  be  quench- 
ed." And,  in  another  place,  the  holy  prophet,  struck,  no  doubt, 
with  astonishment  and  horror  at  the  prospect  of  the  continuance 


436  THE  ETERNITY  OP  HELL  TORMENTS.       [Serm.  12. 

of  the  torments  of  the  damned,  breaks  out  into  this  moving 
expostulation,  '-Who  can  dwell  with  everlasting  burnings?" 

The  New  Testament  is  still  fuller  as  to  this  point,  it  being 
a  revelation  which  brought  this  and  such  like  particulars  to  a 
clear  light.  The  apostle  Jude  tells  us  of  the  profane  despisers 
of  dignities  in  his  days,  that  for  them  was  "  reserved  the  black- 
ness of  darkness  for  ever."  And  in  the  Revelations  it  is  written, 
that  "  the  smoke  of  the  torments  of  the  wicked  ascendeth  for 
ever  and  ever."  And  if  we  believe  the  witness  of  men  inspired, 
the  witness  of  the  Son  of  God,  who  had  the  Spirit  given  him, 
as  Mediator,  without  measure,  is  still  far  greater  :  and  in  St. 
Mark's  gospel  he  repeats  the  solemn  declaration  three  several 
times,  '-It  is  better  for  thee  to  enter  into  life  maimed ;  (that  is, 
it  is  better  to  forego  the  gratification  of  thy  lust,  or  incur  the 
displeasure  of  a  friend,  which  may  be  as  dear  to  thee  as  a 
hand,  or  as  useful  as  a  foot,)  than  having  two  hands  and  feet, 
(that  is,  for  indulging  the  one,  or  disobeying  God  to  oblige  the 
other)  to  be  cast  into  hell,  where  the  worm  dieth  not,  and  the 
fire  is  not  quenched." 

And  here  again,  in  the  words  of  the  text.  These  (the  wicked) 
shall  go  away  into  everlasting  punishment. 

I  know  it  has  been  objected  by  some  who  have  denied  the 
eternity  of  hell  torments,  that  the  words  everlasting,  and  ever 
and  ever,  are  often  used  in  the  Holy  Scriptures,  (especially  the 
Old  Testament)  when  they  signify  not  an  endless  duration,  but 
a  hmited  term  of  time. 

And  this  we  readily  grant.  But  then  we  reply,  that  when 
the  words  are  used  with  this  limitation,  they  either  manifestly 
appear  to  be  used  so  from  the  context ;  or  are  put  in  opposition 
to  occasional  types,  which  God  gave  his  people  on  some  special 
occasions,  as  when  it  is  said,  "It  shall  be  a  perpetual  or  ever- 
lasting statute,  or,  a  statute  for  ever  ;"  that  is  a  standing  type, 
and  not  merely  transient  or  occasional,  as  was  the  pillar  of 
cloud,  the  manna,  and  such  like.  Or,  lastly,  they  have  a  re- 
lation to  that  covenant  God  made  with  his  spiritual  Israel : 
which  if  understood  in  a  spiritual  sense,  will  be  everlasting, 
though  the  ceremonial  dispensation  be  abolished. 

Besides,  it  ought  to  be  observed,  that  some  of  the  passages 
just  now  referred  to,  have  neither  of  these  words  so  much  as 
mentioned  in  them,  and  cannot  possibly  be  interpreted  so  as  to 
denote  only  a  limited  term  of  years. 

But  let  that  be  as  it  will,  it  is  evident,  even  to  a  demonstra- 
tion, that  the  words  of  the  text  will  not  admit  of  sucli  a  re- 
strained signification,  as  appears  from  their  being-  directly  op- 
posed to  the  words  immediately  following,  "That  the  righteous 
shall  go  into  life  eternal."     From  which  words,  all  are  ready 


Serm.  12,]    the  eternity  of  hell  torments.  437 

to  grant,  that  the  hfe  promised  to  the  rig-hteous  will  be  eternal. 
And  why  the  punishment  threatened  to  the  wicked  should  not 
be  understood  to  be  eternal  likewise,  when  the  very  same  word 
in  the  original,  is  used  to  express  the  duration  of  each,  no 
shadow  of  a  reason  can  be  given. 

But,  secondly^  There  cannot  be  one  argument  urged,  why 
God  should  reward  his  saints  with  everlasting  happiness,  which 
will  not  equally  prove  that  he  ought  to  punish  sinner*  with 
eternal  misery. 

For,  since  we  know  nothing,  (at  least  for  certainty)  how  he 
will  deal  with  either,  but  by  a  divine  revelation ;  and  since,  as  was 
proved  by  the  foregoing  argument,  he  hath  as  positively  threat- 
ened, eternally  to  punish  the  wicked,  as  to  reward  the  good ; 
it  follows,  that  his  truth  will  be  as  much  impeached  and  called 
in  question,  did  he  not  inflict  his  punishments,  as  it  would  be 
if  he  did  not  confer  his  rewards. 

To  this  also  it  has  been  objected,  that  thous^h  God  is  obliged 
by  promise  to  give  his  rewards^  yet  his  veracity  could  not  be 
called  in  question,  supposing  he  should  not  execute  his  threat- 
enings,  as  he  actually  did  not  in  the  case  of  Nineveh  ;  which 
God  expressly  declared  by  his  prophet  Jonah,  "  should  be  de- 
stroyed in  forty  days."  Notwithstanding  the  sequel  of  the  sto- 
ry informs  us,  that  Nineveh  was  spared. 

But  in  answer  to  this  objection,  we  affirm,  that  God's  threat- 
enings,  as  well  as  promises,  are  without  repentance  ;  and  for 
this  reason,  because  they  are  both  founded  on  the  eternal  laws 
of  right  reason.  Accordingly  we  always  find,  that  where  the 
conditions  were  not  performed,  on  the  nonperformance  of  which 
the  threatenings  were  denounced,  God  always  executed  the 
punishment  threatened.  The  driving  Adam  out  of  Eden,  the 
destruction  of  the  old  world  by  a  deluge  of  water,  and  the 
overthrow  of  Sodom  and  Gomorrah,  are,  and  will  be  always 
so  many  standing  monuments  of  God's  executing  his  threat- 
enings when  denounced,  though  to  our  weak  apprehensions, 
the  punishment  may  seem  far  to  exceed  the  crime. 

It  is  true,  God  did  spare  Nineveh,  and  that  because  the  in- 
habitants did  actually  repent,  and  therefore  performed  the  con- 
ditions upon  which  it  was  supposed,  by  the  prophet's  being 
sent  to  warn  them,  the  threatened  punishment  should  be  with- 
held. 

And  so  in  respect  to  gospel  threatenings.  If  men  will  so 
far  consult  their  own  welfare  as  to  comply  with  the  gospel, 
God  certainly  will  not  punish  them,  but  on  the  contrary,  confer 
upon  them  his  rewards.  But  to  affirm  that  he  will  not  punish, 
and  that  eternally  too,  impenitent,  obstinate  sinners,  according 
as  he  hath  threatened  ;  what  is  it,  in  effect,  but  to  make  God 

3  7* 


438  THE  ETERNITY  OF  HELL  TORMENTS.       [Seim.  12, 

like  a  mail;  that  he  should  He,  or  the  son  of  man  that  he  should 
repent  ? 

But  the  absurdity  of  such  an  opinion  will  appear  still  more 
evident  from 

The  third  argument  I  shall  offer,  to  prove,  that  the  torments 
reserved  for  the  wicked  hereafter  are  eternal,  from  the  nature 
of  the  christian  covenant. 

And  here  1  must  again  observe,  that  it  was  taken  for  granted 
at  the  beginning  of  this  discourse,  that  you  believe  the  Son  of 
God  came  down  to  save  sinners  ;  and  that  there  is  but  one  Me- 
diator between  God  and  man,  even  the  man  Christ  Jesus. 

And  here  I  take  it  for  granted  farther,  (unless  you  believe 
the  absurd  and  unwarrantable  doctrine  of  purgatory)  that  you 
are  fully  persuaded,  this  life  is  the  only  time  allotted  by  Al- 
mighty God  for  working  out  our  salvation,  and  that  after  a  few 
years  are  passed  over,  there  will  remain  no  more  sacrifice  for 
sin. 

And  if  this  be  granted  (and  who  dares  deny  it  ?)  it  follows, 
that  if  a  wicked  man  dieth  in  his  wickedness,  and  under  the 
wrath  of  God,  he  must  continue  in  tliat  state  to  all  eternity. 
For,  since  there  is  no  possibility  of  his  being  delivered  out  of 
such  a  condition,  but  by  and  through  Christ ;  and  since,  at  the 
hour  of  death,  the  time  of  Christ's  mediation  and  intercession 
for  him  is  irrecoverably  gone  ;  the  same  reason  that  may  be 
given,  why  God  should  punish  a  sinner  that  dieth  under  the 
guilt  of  his  sins  for  a  single  day,  will  equally  hold  good,  why 
he  should  continue  to  punish  him  for  a  year,  an  age,  nay  to  all 
eternity. 

But  I  hasten  to  the  fourth  and  last  argument,  to  prove,  that 
the  torments  reserved  for  the  wicked  hereafter  are  eternal,  be- 
cause the  devil's  punishment  is  to  be  so. 

That  there  is  such  a  being  whom  we  call  the  devil ;  that  he 
was  once  an  angel  of  light,  but  for  his  pride  and  rebellion 
against  God,  was  cast  down  from  heaven,  and  is  now  permit- 
ted with  the  rest  of  the  spiritual  wickednesses,  to  walk  to  and 
fro,  seeking  whom  he  may  devour ;  that  there  is  a  place  of 
torment  reserved- for  them,  or  to  use  the  apostle's  words,  "  That 
they  are  reserved  in  everlasting  chains  under  darkness  unto 
the  judgment  of  the  great  day  ;"  are  truths  all  here  present 
were  supposed  to  be  convinced  of,  at  the  beginning  of  this  dis- 
course, you  believing  the  Holy  Scriptures  to  be  written  by  the 
inspiration  of  God,  wherein  these  truths  are  delivered. 

But  then,  if  we  allow  all  this  and  think  it  no  injustice  in 
God  to  punish  those  once  glorious  spirits  for  their  rebelhon  ; 
how  can  we  think  it  unjust  in  him  to  punish  wicked  men  for 
their  impenitence  to  all  eternity  ? 


Serm.  12.]     the  eternity  of  hell  torments.  439 

You  will  say,  perhaps,  that  they  have  sinned  against  greater 
h'ght,  and  therefore  deserve  a  greater  punishment.  And  so  we 
grant  that  the  punishment  of  the  fallen  angels  may  be  greater 
as  to  degree,  than  that  of  wicked  men ;  but  then  we  affirm, 
it  will  be  equal  as  to  the  eternal  duration  of  it :  for  in  that  day,  as 
the  lively  oracles  of  God  inform  us,  shall  the  Son  of  man  say  to 
them  on  his  left  hand,  '-'  Depart  from  me,  ye  cursed,  into  ever- 
lasting fire  prepared  for  the  devil  and  his  angels."  Where  we 
find  that  impenitent  sinners  are  to  be  cast  into  the  same  ever- 
lasting fire  with  the  devil  and  his  angels  ;  and  that  too  very 
justly.  For  though  they  may  have  sinned  against  greater  light, 
yet  christians  sin  against  gi'eater  mercy  ;  since  Christ  took  not 
hold  of,  did  not  die  for,  the  fallen  angels,  but  for  men  and  our 
salvation.  So  that  if  God  spared  not  tliose  excellent  beings, 
assure  thyself,  O  obstinate  sinner,  whoever  thou  art,  he  will 
by  no  means  spare  thee. 

From  what  then  has  been  said  it  plainly  appears,  that  verily 
the  torments  reserved  for  the  wicked  hereafter,  are  eternal. 
And  if  so,  brethren,  how  ought  we  to  fly  to  Jesus  Christ  for 
refuge;  how  holy  ought  we  to  be  in  all  manner  of  conversation 
and  godliness,  that  we  may  be  accounted  worthy  to  escape  this 
wrath  to  come  ! 

But  before  I  proceed  to  a  practical  exhortation,  permit  me  to 
draw  an  inference  or  two  from  what  has  been  said. 

And  firsts  if  the  torments  reserved  for  the  wicked  hereafter 
are  eternal,  what  shall  avc  say  of  those,  who  make  an  open 
profession  in  their  creed  to  believe  a  life  everlasting,  a  life  of 
misery  as  well  as  happiness,  and  yet  dare  to  live  in  the  actual 
commission  of  those  sins  which  will  unavoidably,  without  re- 
pentance, bring  them  into  that  place  of  torment !  Thou  be- 
lievest  that  the  punishments  of  the  impenitently  wicked  in  an- 
other life,  are  eternal :  thou  doest  well,  the  devils  also  believe 
and  tremble.  But  know,  O  vain  man,  unless  this  belief  doth 
influence  thy  practice,  and  makes  thee  bid  adieu  to  thy  sins, 
every  time  thou  repeatest  thy  creed,  thou  dost  in  eflect  say,  I 
believe  I  shall  be  undone  for  ever. 

But,  secondly^  if  the  torments  reserved  for  the  wicked  here- 
after are  eternal,  then  let  this  serve  as  a  caution  to  such  per- 
sons, (and  it  is  to  be  feared  there  are  some  such)  as  go  about 
to  dissuade  others  from  the  belief  of  such  an  important  truth  : 
there  being  no  surer  way,  in  all  probability,  to  encourage  and 
promote  infidelity  and  profaneness,  than  the  broaching  or  main- 
taining so  unwarrantable  a  doctrine.  For  if  the  positive  threats 
of  God  concerning  the  eternity  of  hell  torments,  are  already 
found  insuflicient  to  deter  men  from  sin,  a  higher  pitch  of  wick- 
edness may  we  imagine  they  will  quickly  arrive  at,  when  they 


440  THE  ETERNITY  OF  HELL  TORMENTS.       [Serm.  12. 

are  taught  to  entertain  any  hopes  of  a  future  recovery  out  of 
them  ;  or  what  is  still  worse,  that  their  souls  are  hereafter  to 
be  annihilated,  and  become  like  the  beasts  that  perish.  But 
wo  unto  such  blind  leaders  of  the  blind.  No  wonder  if  they 
both  fall  into  the  ditch.  And  let  such  corrupters  of  God's 
word  know,  that  I  testify  unto  every  man  that  heareth  me  this 
day,  '•  That  if  any  one  shall  add  unto,  or  take  away  from  the 
words  that  are  written  in  the  book  of  God,  God  shall  take  his 
part  out  of  the  book  of  life,  and  shall  add  unto  him  all  the 
plagues  that  are  in  that  book." 

Thirdly  and  lastly^  if  the  torments  reserved  for  the  wicked 
hereafter  are  eternal,  then  this  may  serve  as  a  reproof  for  those 
who  quarrel  with  God,  and  say  it  is  inconsistent  with  his  jus- 
tice, to  punish  a  person  to  all  eternity,  only  for  enjoying  the 
pleasures  of  sin  for  a  season.  But  such  persons  must  be  told, 
that  not  their  thinking  or  calhng  God  unjust,  will  make  him 
so,  no  more  than  a  condemned  prisoner's  saying  the  law  or 
judge  is  unjust,  will  render  either  duly  chargeable  with  such 
an  imputation.  But  knowest  thou,  O  worm,  what  blasphemy 
thou  art  guilty  of,  in  charging  God  with  injustice  ?  "  Shall 
the  thing  formed  say  to  him  that  formed  it.  Why  hast  thou 
made  me  thus  ?"  Wilt  thou  presume  to  arraign  the  Almighty  at 
the  bar  of  thy  shallow  reasoning?  And  call  him  unjust,  for 
punishing  thee  eternally,  only  because  thou  wishest  it  may  not 
be  so?  But  hath  God  said  it,  and  shall  he  not  do  it?  He  hath 
said  it :  and  let  God  be  true,  though  every  man  be  liar.  "Shall 
not  the  judge  of  all  earth  do  right  ?"  Assuredly  he  will.  And 
if  sinners  will  not  own  his  justice  in  his  threatenings  here, 
they  will  be  compelled  ere  long  to  own  and  feel  them,  when 
tormented  by  him  hereafter. 

But  to  come  to  a  more  practical  application  of  what  has 
been  delivered. 

You  have  heard,  brethren,  the  eternity  of  hell  torments 
plainly  proved,  from  the  express  declarations  of  Holy  Scrip- 
tures, and  the  consequences  naturally  drawn  from  them.  And 
now  there  seems  to  need  no  great  art  of  rhetoric  to  persuade 
any  understanding  person  to  avoid  and  abhor  those  sins,  which, 
without  repentance,  will  certainly  plunge  him  into  this  eternal 
gulf  The  disproportion  between  the  pleasure  and  the  pain, 
(if  there  be  any  pleasure  in  sin)  is  so  infinitely  great,  that  sup- 
posing it  was  only  possible,  though  not  certain,  that  the  wick- 
ed would  be  everlastingly  punished,  no  one  that  has  the  reason 
of  a  man,  for  the  enjoying  a  little  momentary  pleasure,  would, 
one  might  imagine,  run  the  hazard  of  enduring  eternal  pain. 
But  since  the  torments  of  the  damned  are  not  only  possible,  but 
certain,  (since  God  himself,  who  cannot  lie,  has  told  us  so)  for 


Serm.  12.]     the  eternity  of  hell  torments.  441 

men,  notwithstanding,  to  persist  in  their  disobedience,  and  then 
flatter  themselves,  that  God  will  not  make  good  his  threaten- 
ings,  is  a  most  egregious  instance  of  folly  and  presumption. 

Dives  himself  supposed,  that  if  one  rose  from  the  dead,  his 
brethren  would  amend  their  lives;  but  christians,  it  seems,  will 
not  repent,  though  the  Son  of  God  died  and  rose  again,  and 
told  them  what  they  must  expect,  if  they  continue  obstinate  in 
evil  doing. 

Would  we  now  and  then  draw  off  our  thoughts  from  sensi- 
ble objects,  and  by  faith  meditate  a  while  on  the  miseries  of 
the  daimied,  I  doubt  not  but  we  sliould,  as  it  were  hear  many 
an  unhappy  soul  venting  his  fruitless  sorrows  in  some  such 
piteous  moans  as  these. 

'•  O  wretched  man  that  I  am,  who  shall  deliver  me  from  this 
body  of  death !"  O  foolish  mortal  that  I  was,  thus  to  bring 
myself  into  these  never  ceasing  tortures,  for  the  transitory  en- 
joyments of  a  few  short  lived  pleasures,  which  scarcely  afford- 
ed me  any  satisfaction,  even  when  I  most  indulged  myself  in 
them.  Alas  !  are  these  the  wages,  these  the  effects  of  sin  ? 
Are  all  the  grand  deceiver's  inviting  promises  come  to  this  ? 
O  damned  apostate  !  first  to  delude  me  with  pretended  promises 
of  happiness,  and  after  several  years  drudgery  in  his  service, 
thus  to  involve  me  in  eternal  wo.  O  that  I  had  nev^er  hearken- 
ed to  his  beguiling  insinuations  !  O  that  I  had  rejected  his 
very  first  sui^gestions  with  the  utmost  detestation  and  abhor- 
rence !     O  tiiat  I  had  taken  up  my  cross  and  followed  Christ ! 

0  that  I  had  never  ridiculed  serious  godliness  ;  and  out  of  a 
false  politeness,  condemned  the  truly  pious  as  too  severe,  en- 
thusiastic, or  superstitious  !  For  1  then  had  been  happy  indeed, 
happy  beyond  expression,  happy  to  all  eternity,  yonder  in 
those  blessed  regions  where  they  sit,  clothed  with  unspeakable 
glory,  and  chanting  forth  their  seraphic  hallelujahs  to  the  Lamb 
that  sitteth  upon  the  throne  for  ever.  But  alas  !  these  reflec- 
tions come  to  late :  these  wishes  now  are  vain  and  fruitless. 

1  have  not  suffered,  and  therefore  must  not  reio^n  with  them. 
I  have  in  effect  denied  the  Lord  that  bought  me^and  therefore 
justly  am  I  now  denied  by  him.  But  must  I  live  for  ever  tor- 
mented in  these  flames?  Must  this  body  of  mine,,  which  not 
long  since  lay  in  state,  was  clothed  in  purple  and  fine  linen, 
and  fared  sumptuously  every  day,  must  it  be  here  eternally 
confined,  and  made  the  mockery  of  insulting  devils  ?  O  eter- 
nity !  that  thought  fills  me  with  despair  :  I  "must  be  miserable 
for  ever. 

Come  then,  all  ye  self-deluding,  self-deluded  sinners,  and 
imagine  yourselves  for  once  in  the  place  of  that  truly  wretched 
man,  I  have  been  here  describing.     Think,  I  beseech  you  by 


442  THE  ETERNITY  OF  HELL  TORMENTS.       [Sei'm.  12. 

the  mercies  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus,  think  with  yourselves,  how 
racking,  how  insupportable  the  never  dying  worm  of  a  self- 
condemning  conscience  will  hereafter  be  to  you.  Think  how 
impossible  it  will  be  for  you  "  to  dwell  with  everlasting 
burnings." 

Come,  all  ye  christians  of  a  lukewarm  Laodicean  spirit,  ye 
Gallios  in  religion,  who  care  a  little,  but  not  enough  for  the 
things  of  God ;  O  think,  think  with  yourselves,  how  deplora- 
ble it  will  be  to  lose  the  enjoyments  of  heaven,  and  run  into 
endless  torments,  merely  because  you  will  be  content  to  be 
almost,  and  will  not  striv^e  to  be  altogether  christians.  Con- 
sider, I  beseech  you,  consider,  how  you  will  rave  and  curse 
that  fatal  stupidity  which  made  you  believe  any  thing  less 
than  true  faith  in  Jesus,  productive  of  a  life  of  strict  piety, 
self-denial,  and  mortification,  can  keep  you  from  those  tor- 
ments, the  eternity  of  which  I  have  been  endeavoring  to  prove. 

But  I  can  no  more.  These  thoughts  are  too  melancholy  for 
me  to  dwell  on,  as  well  as  for  you  to  hear  ;  and  God  knows, 
as  punishing  is  his  strange  work,  so  denouncing  his  threat- 
enings  is  mine  ;  but  if  the  bare  mentioning  the  torments  of 
the  damned  is  so  shocking,  how  terrible  must  the  enduring  of 
them  be  ! 

And  now  are  not  some  of  you  ready  to  cry  out,  "  These  are 
hard  sayings,  who  can  bear  them  ?" 

But  let  not  sincere  christians  be  in  the  least  terrified  at  what 
has  been  delivered  :  no,  for  you  is  reserved  a  crown,  a  king- 
dom, an  eternal  and  exceeding  weight  of  glory.  Christ  never 
said  that  the  righteous,  the  believing,  the  upright,  the  sincere, 
but  the  wicked,  merciless,  negatively  good  professors  before 
described,  shall  go  into  everlasting  punishment.  For  you  who 
love  him  in  sincerity,  a  new  and  living  way  is  laid  open  into  the 
holy  of  holies  by  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ :  and  an  abundant 
entrance  will  be  administered  unto  you,  at  the  great  day  of  ac- 
count into  eternal  life.  Take  heed,  therefore,  and  beware  that 
there  be  not  in  any  of  you  a  root  of  bitterness  springing  up  of 
unbehef :  but  on  the  contrary,  steadfastly  and  heartily  rely  on 
the  many  precious  promises  reached  out  to  you  in  the  gospel, 
knowing  that  he  who  hath  promised  is  faithful,  and  therefore 
will  perform. 

But  let  no  obstinately  wicked  professors  dare  to  apply  any 
of  the  divine  promises  to  themselves  :  "  for  it  is  not  meet  to 
take  the  children's  bread,  and  give  it  unto  dogs  ?"  No,  to  such 
the  terrors  of  the  Lord  only  belong.  And  as  certainly  as  Christ 
will  say  to  his  true  followers  "  Come,  ye  blessed  children  of  my 
Father,  receive  the  T^ingdom  prepared  for  you  from  the  begin- 
ning of  the  world ;"  so  he  Avill  unalterably  pronounce  this  dread- 


I 


Serm.  13.]  the  great  duty,  &c.  443 

ful  sentence  against  all  that  die  in  their  sins,  "Depart  from  me, 
ye  cursed,  into  everlasting  fire,  prepared  for  the  devil  and  his 
angels." 

From  which  unhappy  state,  may  God  of  his  infinite  mercy 
deliver  us  all  through  Jesus  Christ ;  to  whom,  with  thee  O 
Father,  and  thee  O  Holy  Ghost,  three  persons  and  one  eternal 
God,  be  ascribed,  as  is  most  due,  all  honor,  power,  might,  ma- 
jesty, and  dominion,  now  and  for  evermore. 


SERMON  XIIL 


the  great  duty  of  family  religion. 


Joshua  xxiv.  15. 

As  for  me  and  my  house,  we  will  serve  the  Lord. 

These  words  contain  the  holy  resolution  of  pious  Joshua, 
who  having,  in  a  most  moving  aflfectionate  discourse  recount- 
ed to  the  Israelites  what  great  things  God  had  done  for  them, 
in  the  verse  immediately  preceding  the  text,  comes  to  draw  a 
proper  inference  from  what  he  had  been  delivering ;  and  ac- 
quaints them,  in  the  most  pressing  terms,  that  since  God  had 
been  so  exceeding  gracious  unto  them,  they  could  do  no  less, 
than  out  of  gratitude  for  such  uncommon  favors  and  mercies, 
dedicate  both  themselves  and  families  to  his  service.  "  Now, 
therefore,  fear  the  Lord,  and  serve  him  in  sincerity  and  truth, 
and  put  away  the  gods  which  your  fathers  served  on  the  other 
side  of  the  flood."  And  by  the  same  engaging  motive  does 
the  prophet  Samuel  afterwards  enforce  their  obedience  to  the 
comtnandments  of  God,  1  Sam.  xii.  24.  "  Only  fear  the  Lord 
and  serve  him  in  truth  with  all  your  heart ;  for  consider  how 
great  things  he  hath  done  for  you."  But  then,  that  they  might 
not  excuse  themselves  (as  too  many  might  be  apt  to  do)  by  his 
giving  them  a  bad  example,  or  think  he  was  laying  heavy  bur- 
dens upon  them,  whilst  he  himself  touched  them  not  with  one 
of  his  fingers,  he  tells  them  in  the  text,  that  whatever  regard 
they  might  pay  to  the  doctrine  he  had  been  preaching,  yet  he 
(as  all  ministers  ought  to  do)  was  resolved  to  live  up  to  and 
practice  it  himself :  "Choose  you  therefore  whom  you  will  serve, 
whether  the  gods  which  your  fathers  served,  or  the  gods  of  the 
Amorites,  in  whose  land  ye  dwell :  but  as  for  me  and  my  house 
we  will  serve  the  Lord." 


444  '  THE  GREAT  DUTY  [Serm.  13. 

A  resolution  this,  worthy  of  Joshua,  and  no  less  becoming,  no 
less  necessary  for  every  true  son  of  Joshua,  that  is  intrusted 
with  the  care  and  government  of  a  family  in  our  day ;  and,  if  it 
was  ever  seasonable  for  ministers  to  preach  up,  or  people  to  put 
in  practice  family  religion,  it  was  never  more  so  than  in  the 
present  age;  since  it  is  greatly  to  be  feared,  that  out  of  those 
many  households  that  call  themselves  christians,  there  are  but 
few  that  serve  God  in  their  respective  families  as  they  ought. 

It  is  true  indeed,  visit  our  churches  and  you  may  perhaps  see 
something  of  the  form  of  godliness  still  subsisting  among  us  ; 
but  even  that  is  scarcely  to  be  met  with  in  private  houses.  So 
that  were  the  blessed  angels  to  come,  as  in  the  patriarchal  age, 
and  observe  our  spiritual  economy  at  home,  would  they  not  be 
tempted  to  say,  as  Abraham  to  Abimelech,  "  Surely  the  fear  of 
God  is  not  in  this  place?"     Gen.  xx.  11. 

How  such  a  general  neglect  of  family  religion  first  began  to 
overspread  the  christian  world,  is  difhcult  to  determine.  As  for 
the  primitive  christians,  I  am  positive  it  was  not  so  with  them. 
No,  they  had  not  so  learned  Christ,  as  falsely  to  imagine  religion 
was  to  be  confined  solely  to  their  assemblies  for  public  worship ; 
but,  on  the  contrary,  behaved  with  such  piety  and  exemplary 
holiness  in  their  private  families,  that  St.  Paul  often  styles  their 
house  a  church.  Salute  such  a  one,  says  he,  and  the  church 
which  is  in  his  house.  And  I  beheve  we  must  for  ever  despair  of 
seeing  a  primitive  spirit  of  piety  revived  in  the  world,  till  we  are 
so  happy  as  to  see  a  revival  of  primitive  family  rehgion  ;  and 
persons  unanimously  resolving  with  good  old  Joshua,  in  the 
words  of  the  text.  As  for  me  and  my  house^  ice  will  serve  the 
Lord. 

From  which  words,  I  shall  beg  leave  to  insist  on  these  three 
things. 

Firsts  That  it  is  the  duty  of  every  governor  of  a  family  to 
take  care,  that  not  only  he  himself,  but  also  that  those  com- 
mitted to  his  charge,  serve  the  Lord. 

Secondly^  I  shall  endeavor  to  show  after  what  manner  a  go- 
verrior  and  his  household  ous^ht  to  serve  the  Lord.     And, 

Thi?^dly,l  shall  offer  some  motives,  in  order  to  excite  all 
governors,  with  their  respective  households,  to  serve  the  Lord 
in  the  manner  that  shall  be  recommended. 

Auc]  first,  I  am  to  show  that  it  is  the  duty  of  every  gover- 
nor of  a  family  to  take  care,  that  not  only  he  himself,  but  also 
{hat  those  committed  to  his  charge,  should  serve  the  Lord. 

And  this  will  appear,  if  we  consider  that  every  governor  of 
a  family  ought  to  look  upon  himself  as  obliged  to  act  in  three 
capacities;  as  a  prophet,  to  instruct;  as  a  priest,  to  pray  for 
and  with  ;  as  a  knig,  to  govern,  direct,  and  provide  for  theixu 


Serm.  13.]  of  family  religion.  445 

It  is  true  indeed,  the  latter  of  these,  their  kingly  office,  they  are 
not  so  frequently  deficient  in,  (nay,  in  this  they  are  generally 
too  solicitous  ;)  but  as  for  the  two  former,  their  priestly  and 
prophetic  offices,  like  Gallio,  they  care  for  no  such  things.  But 
howev^er  indifferent  some  governors  may  be  about  it,  they  may 
be  assured,  that  God  will  require  a  due  discharge  of  these  offi- 
ces at  their  hands.  For  if,  as  the  apostle  argues,  "  he  that  does 
not  provide  for  his  own  house,"  in  temporal  things,  "  has  denied 
the  faith  and  is  worse  than  an  infidel :"  to  what  greater  degree 
of  apostacy  must  he  have  arrived,  who  takes  no  thought  to 
provide  for  the  spiritual  welfare  of  his  family  ! 

But  farther,  persons  are  generally  very  liberal  of  their  invec- 
tives against  the  clergy,  and  think  they  justly  blame  the  con- 
duct of  that  minister  who  does  not  take  heed  to  and  watcTi 
over  the  flock,  of  which  the  Holy  Ghost  has  made  him  over- 
seer :  but  may  not  every  governor  of  a  family,  be  in  a  lower 
degree  liable  to  the  same  censure,  who  takes  no  thought  for 
those  souls  who  are  committed  "»  his  charge  ?  For  every  house 
is  as  it  were  a  little  parish,  every  governor  (as  was  before  ob- 
served) a  priest,  every  family  a  flock  ;  and  if  any  of  them  perish 
through  the  governor's  neglect,  their  blood  will  God  require  at 
his  hands. 

Were  a  minister  to  disregard  teaching  his  people  publicly, 
and  from  house  to  house,  and  to  excuse  himself  by  saying,  that 
he  had  enough  to  do  to  work  out  his  own  salvation  with  fear 
and  trembling,  without  concerning  himself  with  that  of  others  ; 
would  you  not  be  apt  to  think  such  a  minister,  to  be  like  the 
unjust  judge,  ^-  One  that  neither  feared  God  nor  regarded  man  V 
And  yet  odious  tis  such  a  character  would  be,  it  is  no  worse 
than  that  governor  of  a  family  deserves,  who  thinks  himself 
obliged  only  to  save  his  own  soul,  without  paying  any  re- 
fi^ard  to  the  souls  of  his  household.  For  (as  was  above  hinted) 
every  house  is  as  it  were  a  parish,  and  every  master  is  con- 
cerned to  secure,  as  much  as  in  him  lies,  the  spiritual  prosperity 
of  every  one  under  his  roof,  as  any  minister  whatever  is  obliged 
to  look  to  the  spiritual  welfare  of  every  individual  person  under 
his  charge. 

What  precedents  men  who  neglect  their  duty  in  this  par- 
ticular, can  plead  for  such  omission,  I  cannot  tell.  Doubt- 
less not  the  example  of  holy  Job,  who  was  so  far  from  imagin 
ing  that  he  had  no  concern,  as  governor  of  a  family,  with  any 
one's  soul  but  his  own,  that  the  scripture  acquaints  us,  "When 
the  days  of  his  children's  feasting  were  gone  about,  that  Job 
sent  and  sanctified  them,  and  offered  burnt  offerings,  according 
to  the  number  of  them  all ;  for  Job  said,  it  may  be  that  my  sons 
have  sinned  and  cursed  God  in  their  hearts.     Thus  did  Job 

38 


446  THE  GREAT  DUTY  [Serin.  13. 

continually."  Nor  can  they  plead  the  practice  of  good  old 
Joshua,  whom,  in  the  text,  we  find  as  much  concerned  for  his 
household's  welfare,  as  his  own.  Nor  lastly,  that  of  Cornelius^ 
who  feared  God,  not  only  himself,  but  with  all  his  house.  And 
were  christians  but  of  the  same  spirit  of  Job,  Joshua,  and  the 
Gentile  centurion,  they  would  act  as  Job,  Joshua,  and  Corne- 
lius did. 

But  alas  !  if  this  be  the  case,  and  all  governors  of  families 
ought  not  only  to  serve  the  Lord  themselves,  but  likewise  to  see 
that  their  respective  households  do  so  too  ;  what  will  then  be- 
come of  those  who  not  only  neglect  serving  God  themselves 
but  also  make  it  their  business  to  ridicule  and  scoff  at  any  of 
their  house  that  do  ?  WJio  are  not  content  with  "not  entering 
into  the  kingdom  of  heaven  themselves  ;  but  those  also  that 
are  willing  to  enter  in,  they  hinder."  Surely  such  men  are 
factors  for  the  devil  indeed.  Surely  their  damnation  slumbereth 
not.  For  although  God,  in  his  good  providence,  may  suffer 
such  stumbling-blocks  to  be  put  in  his  children's  way,  and  suf- 
fer their  greatest  enemies  to  be  those  of  their  own  households, 
for  a  trial  of  their  sincerity,  and  improvement  of  their  faith  ; 
yet  Ave  cannot  but  pronounce  a  wo  against  those  masters  "  by 
whom  such  offenses  come."  For  if  those  that  only  take  care 
of  their  own  souls,  can  scarcely  be  saved,  where  will  such 
monstrous 'profane  and  wicked  governors  appear? 

But  hoping  there  are  but  few  of  this  unhappy  stamp,  pro- 
ceed we  now  to  the 

Second  thing  proposed :  to  show  after  what  manner  a  go- 
vernor and  his  household  ought  to  serve  the  Lord. 

1.  And  the  first  thing  I  shall  mention,  is  reading  the  word 
of  God.  This  is  a  duty  incumbent  on  every  private  person. 
"  Search  the  scriptures,  for  in  them  ye  think  ye  have  eternal 
life,"  is  a  precept  given  by  our  blessed  liOrd  indifferently  to  all  : 
but  much  more  so,  ought  every  governor  of  a  family  to  think 
it  in  a  peculiar  manner  spoken  to  himself,  because  (as  has  been 
already  proved)  he  ouo^ht  to  look  upon  himself  as  a  prophet, 
and  therefore,  agreeably  to  such  a  character,  bound  to  instruct 
those  under  hi§  charge  in  the  knowledge  of  the  word  of  God. 

This  we  find  was  the  order  God  gave  to  his  peculiar  people 
Israel :  for  thus  speaks  his  representative  Moses,  Deut.  vi.  6,  7. 
"  These  words,  (that  is  the  scripture  words.)  which  I  command 
thee  this  day,  shall  be  in  thy  heart,  and  thou  shalt  teach  them 
diligently  unto  thy  children,  (that  is,  as  it  is  generally  explain- 
ed, servants  as  well  as  children,)  and  thou  shalt  talk  of  them 
when  thou  sittest  in  thy  house."  From  whence  we  may  infer, 
that  the  only  reason,  why  so  many  neglect  to  read  the  words 
of  scripture  diligently  to  their  children,  is  because  the  words 


Serra.  13.]  of  family  religion.  447 

of  scripture  are  not  in  their  hearts :  for  if  they  were,  out  of 
the  abundance  of  the  heart  their  mouth  would  speak. 

Besides,  servants  as  well  as  children,  are,  for  the  generality, 
very  ignorant,  and  mere  novices  in  the  laws  of  God.  And 
how  shall  they  know,  unless  some  one  teach  them  ?  And  what 
more  proper  to  teach  tliem  by,  than  the  lively  oracles  of  God, 
"  which  are  able  to  make  them  wise  unto  salvation  ?"  And  who 
more  proper  to  instruct  them  by  these  lively  oracles,  than  pa- 
rents and  masters,  who  (as  hath  been  more  than  once  observed) 
are  as  much  concerned  to  feed  them  with  spiritual,  as  with 
bodily  bread,  day  by  day. 

But  if  these  things  be  so,  what  a  miserable  condition  are 
those  unhappy  governors  in,  who  are  so  far  from  feeding  those 
committed  to  their  care  with  the  sincere  milk  of  the  word,  to 
the  intent  they  may  grow  thereby,  that  they  neither  search  the 
scriptures  themselves,  nor  are  careful  to  explain  them  to  others  ? 
Such  families  must  be  in  a  happy  wdy  indeed  to  do  their 
master's  will,  who  take  such  prodigious  pains  to  know  it  ? 
Would  not  one  imagine  that  they  had  turned  converts  to  the 
church  of  Rome  ;  that  they  thought  ignorance  to  be  the  mo- 
ther of  devotion ;  and  that  those  were  to  be  condemned  as 
heretics  who  read  their  bibles  ?  And  yet  how  few  families  are 
there  among  us,  who  do  not  act  after  this  unseemly  manner  ! 
"  But  shall  I  praise  them  in  this  ?  I  praise  them  not :  Breth- 
ren, this  thing  ought  not  so  to  be." 

2.  Pass  we  on  now  to  the  second  means  whereby  every 
governor  and  his  household  ought  to  serve  the  Lord,  family 
prayer. 

This  is  a  duty  though  as  much  neglected,  yet  as  absolutely 
necessary  as  the  former.  Reading  is  a  good  preparative  for 
prayer,  as  prayer  is  an  excellent  means  to  render  reading 
effectual.  And  the  reason  why  every  governor  of  a  family 
should  join  both  these  exercises  together,  is  plain,  because  a 
governor  of  a  family  cannot  perform  his  priestly  office  (which 
we  before  observed  he  is  in  some  degree  invested  with)  with- 
out performing  this  duty  of  family  prayer. 

We  find  it  therefore  remarked,  when  mention  is  made  of 
Cain  and  Abel  offering  sacrifices,  that  they  brought  them. 
But  to  whom  did  they  bring  them  7  Why,  in  all  probability 
to  their  father  Adam,  who  as  priest. of  the  family  was  to  offer 
sacrifice  in  their  names.  And  so  likewise  ought  every  spirit- 
ual son  of  the  second  Adam,  who  is  intrusted  with  the  care  of 
a  household  to  offer  up  the  spiritual  sacrifices  of  supplications 
and  thanksgivings,  acceptable  to  God  throug^h  Jesus  Christ,  in 
the  presence  and  name  of  all  who  wait  upon,  or  eat  meat  at 
his  table. 


448  THE  GREAT  DUTY  [Seim.  13 

Thus  we  read  our  blessed  Lord  behaved  when  he  tabernacled 
among  us.  For  it  is  said  often,  that  he  prayed  with  his  twelve 
disciples,  which  was  then  his  little  family.  And  he  himself 
lias  promised  a  particular  blessing  to  joint  supplications. 
"  Wheresoever  two  or  three  are  gathered  together  in  my  name, 
there  am  I  in  the  midst  of  them."  And  again,  "  If  two  or  three 
are  agreed  touching  any  thing  they  shall  ask,  it  shall  be  given 
them."  Add  to  this,  that  we  are  commanded  by  the  apostle 
to  pray  always,  with  all  manner  of  supplication,  which  doubt- 
less includes  family  prayer.  And  holy  Joshua,  when  he  set 
up  the  good  resolution  in  the  text,  that  he  and  his  household 
would  serve  the  Lord,  certainly  resolved  to  pray  with  his  fami- 
ly, Avhich  is  one  of  the  best  testimonies  they  could  give  of  their 
serving  him. 

Besides,  there  are  no  families  but  what  have  some  common 
blessings,  of  which  they  have  been  all  partakers,  to  give  thanks 
for ;  some  common  crosses  and  afflictions,  which  they  are  to 
pray  against ;  some  common  sins,  which  they  are  all  to  lament 
a«d  bewail.  But  how  this  can  be  done,  without  joining  to- 
gether in  one  common  act  of  humiliation,  supplication,  and 
Sianksgiving,  is  ditficult  to  devise. 

From  all  which  considerations  put  together,  it  is  evident, 
that  family  prayer  is  a  great  and  necessary  duty  ;  and  conse- 
quently, those  governors  that  neglect  it,  are  certainly  Avithout 
excuse.  And  it  is  much  to  be  feared,  if  they  live  without  family 
prayer,  they  live  without  God  in  the  world. 

And  yet,  such  a  hateful  character  as  this  is,  it  is  to  be 
feared,  that  were  God  to  send  out  an  angel  to  destroy  us,  as 
lie  did  once  to  destroy  the  Egyptian  first  born,  and  withal  give 
him  a  commission,  as  then,  to  spare  no  houses  but  Avhere  they 
saw  the  blood  on  the  lintel,  sprinkled  on  the  door  post,  so  now, 
to  let  no  families  escape,  but  those  that  called  upon  him  in 
morning  and  evening  prayer  ;  few  would  remain  unhurt  by 
his  avenging  sword.  Shall  I  term  such  families  christians  or 
heathens :  doubtless  they  deserve  not  the  name  of  christians  ; 
and  heathens  will  surely  rise  up  in  judgment  against  such  pro- 
fane families  of  this  generation  ;  for  they  had  always  their 
household  gods,  whom  they  worshipped,  and  whose  assistance 
they  frequently  invoked.  And  a  pretty  pass  those  families 
,surely  are  arrived  at,  who  must  be  sent  to  school  to  Pagans. 
But  will  not  the  Lord  be  avenged  on  such  profane  households 
as  these  ?  Will  he  not  pour  out  his  fury  upon  those  that  call 
not  upon  his  name  ? 

3.  But  it  is  time  for  me  to  hasten  to  the  third  and  last  means 
I  shall  recommend,  whereby  every  governor  ought  with  his 
household  to  serve  the  Lord,  catechising  and  instructing  theiT 


Serm.  13.]  of  family  religion.  449 

children  and  servants,  and  bringing  them  up  in  the  nurture 
and  admonition  of  the  Lord. 

That  this,  as  well  as  the  two  former,  is  a  duty  incumbent 
on  every  governor  of  a  house,  appears  from  that  famous  en- 
comium or  commendation  God  gives  of  Abraham :  "  I  know 
that  he  will  command  his  children  and  his  household  after 
him,  to  keep  the  way  of  the  Lord  to  do  justice  and  judgment." 
And  indeed  scarce  any  thing  is  more  frequently  pressed  upon 
us  in  the  holy  writ,  than  this  duty  of  catechising.  Thus,  says 
God,  in  a  passage  before  cited,  "  Thou  shalt  teach  these  words 
diligently  to  thy  children,"  And  parents  are  commanded  in 
the  New  Testament,  "to  train  up  their  children  in  the  nurture 
and  admonition  of  the  Lord,"  The  holy  Psalmist  acquaints 
us,  that  one  great  end  why  God  did  such  great  wonders  for 
his  people,  was,  "  to  the  intent  that  Avhen  they  grew  up,  they 
should  show  their  children,  or  servants,  the  same."  And  in 
Deuteronomy  vi,  at  the  20th  and  following  verses,  God  strictly 
commands  his  people  to  instruct  their  children  in  the  true  na- 
ture of  the  ceremonial  worship,  when  they  should  inquire 
about  it,  as  he  supposed  they  would  do,  in  time  to  come.  And 
if  servants  and  children  were  to  be  instructed  in  the  nature  of 
Jewish  rites,  much  more  ought  they  now  to  be  initiated  and 
grounded  in  the  doctrines  and  first  principles  of  the  gospel  of 
Christ ;  not  only,  because  it  is  a  revelation,  which  has  brought 
Ufe  and  immortality  to  a  fuller  and  clearer  light,  but  also,  be- 
cause many  seducers  are  gone  abroad  into  the  world,  who  do 
their  utmost  endeavor  to  destroy  not  only  the  superstructure, 
but  likewise  to  sap  the  very  foundation  of  our  most  holy  re- 
ligion. 

AVould  then  the  present  generation  have  their  posterity  be 
true  lovers  and  honorers  of  God ;  masters  and  parents  must 
take  Solomon's  good  advice,  and  train  up  and  catechise  their 
respective  households  in  the  way  wherein  they  should  go. 

I  am  aware  but  of  one  objection,  that  can,  with  any  show 
of  reason,  be  urged  against  what  has  been  advanced ;  which 
is,  that  such  a  procedure  as  this  will  take  up  too  much  time, 
and  hinder  families  too  long  from  their  worldly  business.  But 
it  is  much  to  be  questioned,  whether  persons  that  start  such 
an  objection,  are  not  of  the  same  hypocritical  spirit  as  the  trai- 
tor Judas,  who  had  indignation  against  devout  Mary,  for  being 
so  profuse  of  her  ointment,  in  anointing  our  blessed  Lord,  and 
asked  why  it  might  not  be  sold  for  two  hundred  pence,  and 
given  to  the  poor.  For  has  God  given  us  so  much  time  to 
work  for  ourselves,  and  shall  we  not  allow  some  small  pit- 
tance of  it,  morning  and  evening,  to  be  devoted  to  his  more 
immediate  worship  and  service  ?     Have  not  people  read,  that 

38* 


450  THE  GREAT  DUTY  [Serm.  13 

it  is  God  who  gives  men  power  to  get  wealth,  and  therefore 
that  the  best  way  to  prosper  in  the  world,  is  to  secure  his  fa- 
vor? And  has  not  our  blessed  Lord  himself  promised,  that  it 
we  seek  first  the  kingdom  of  God  and  his  righteousness,  all 
outward  gifts  shall  be  added  unto  us  ? 

Abraham,  no  doubt,  was  a  man  of  as  great  business  as  such 
objectors  may  be  ;  but  yet  he  would  find  time  to  command  his 
household  to  serve  the  Lord.  Nay,  David  was  a  king,  and 
consequently  had  a  great  deal  of  business  upon  his  hands ; 
yet  notwithstanding,  he  professes  that  he  would  Avalk  in  his 
house  with  a  perfect  heart.  And,  to  instance  but  one  more, 
holy  Joshua  was  a  person  certainly  engaged'  very  much  in 
temporal  aflairs ;  and  yet  he  solemnly  declares  before  all  Is- 
rael, that  as  for  him  and  his  household,  they  would  serve  the 
Lord.  And  did  persons  but  redeem  their  time,  as  Abraham, 
David,  or  Joshua  did,  they  would  no  longer  complain,  that 
family  duties  kept  them  too  long  from  the  business  of  the  world. 

III.  But  my  third  and  last  general  head,  under  which  I  was 
to  offer  some  motives,  in  order  to  excite  all  governors,  with 
their  respective  households,  to  serve  the  Lord  in  the  manner 
before  recommended,  I  hope,  will  serve  instead  of  a  thousand 
arguments,  to  prove  the  weakness  and  folly  of  any  such  ob- 
jection. 

And  the^r6"^  motive  I  shall  mention  is  the  duty  of  gratitude, 
which  you  that  are  governors  of  families  owe  to  God.  Your 
lot,  every  one  must  confess,  is  cast  in  a  fair  ground ;  provi- 
dence has  given  you  a  goodly  heritage,  above  many  of  your 
fellow  creatures  ;  and  therefore,  out  of  a  principle  of  gratitude, 
you  ought  to  endeavor,  as  much  as  in  you  lies,  to  make  every 
person  of  your  respective  households  to  call  upon  him  as  long 
as  they  live ;  not  to  mention,  that  the  authority,  with  which 
God  has  invested  you  as  parents  and  governors  of  families,  is 
a  talent  committed  to  your  trust,  and  which  you  are  bound  to 
improve  to  your  Master's  honor.  In  other  things  we  find  go- 
vernors and  parents  can  exercise  lordship  over  their  children 
and  servants  readily,  and  frequently  enough  can  say  to  one, 
Go,  and  he  goeth ;  and  to  another,  Come,  and  he  cometh  ;  to 
0,  third,  Do  this,  and  he  doeth  it.  And  shall  this  power  be  so 
often  employed  in  your  own  affairs,  and  never  exerted  in  the 
things  of  God?     Be  astonished,  O  heavens,  at  this  ! 

Thus  did  not  faithful  Abraham ;  no,  God  says,  that  he  knew 
Abraham  would  "  command  his  servants  and  children  after 
him."  Thus  did  not  Joshua ;  no,  he  was  resolved  not  only 
to  walk  with  God  himself,  but  to  improve  his  authority  in 
making  all  about  him  do  so  too ;  As  for  me  and  my  house- 
hold^ we  will  serve  the  Lord.     Let  us  go  and  do  likewise. 


Serm.  13.]  of  family  religion.  451 

But  secondly^  If  gratitude  to  God  will  not,  methinks  love 
and  pity  to  your  children  should  move  you,  with  your  re- 
spective families,  to  serve  the  Lord. 

Most  people  express  a  great  fondness  for  their  children: 
nay,  so  great,  that  very  often  their  own  lives  are  wrapped  up 
in  those  of  their  offspring.  "  Can  a  woman  forget  her  suck- 
ing child,  that  she  shouM  not  have  compassion  on  the  son  of 
her  womb  ?"  says  God  by  his  prophet  Isaiah.  He  speaks  of 
it  as  a  monstrous  thing,  and  scarcely  credible  ;  but  the  words 
immediately  following,  affirm  it  to  be  possible  ;  yea,  they  may 
forget ;  and  experience  also  assures  us  they  may.  Father  and 
mother  may  both  forsake  their  children  :  for  what  greater  de- 
gree of  forgetfulness  can  they  express  towards  them,  than  to 
neglect  the  improvement  of  their  better  part,  and  not  bring 
them  up  in  the  knowledge  and  fear  of  God? 

It  is  true  indeed,  parents  seldom  forget  to  provide  for  their 
children's  bodies,  (thoug-h,  it  is  to  be  feared,  some  men  are  so 
far  sunk  beneath  the  beasts  that  perish,  as  to  neglect  even 
that)  but  then  how  often  do  they  forget,  or  rather,  when  do 
they  remember,  to  secure  the  salvation  of  their  immortal 
souls  /  But  is  this  their  way  of  expressing  their  fondness  for  the 
fruit  of  their  bodies  ?  Is  this  the  best  testimony  they  can  give 
of  their  affection  to  the  darling  of  their  hearts  ?  Then  Avas 
Delilah  fond  of  Samson,  when  she  delivered  him  up  into  the 
hands  of  the  Philistines  :  then  were  those  ruffians  well  affected 
to  Daniel,  when  they  threw  him  into  a  den  of  lions. 

But  thirdly^  If  neither  gratitude  to  God,  nor  love  and  pity 
to  your  children,  will  prevail  on  you ;  yet  let  a  principle  of 
common  honesty  and  justice  move  you  to  set  up  the  holy 
resolution  in  the  text. 

This  is  a  principle  which  all  men  would  be  thought  to  act 
upon.  But  certainly,  if  any  may  be  truly  censured  for  their 
injustice,  none  can  be  more  liable  to  such  censure,  than  those 
who  think  themselves  injured  if  their  servants  withdraw  them- 
selves from  their  bodily  work,  and  yet  they  in  return  take  no 
care  of  their  inestimable  souls.  For  is  it  just  that  servants 
should  spend  their  time  and  strength  in  their  masters'  service, 
and  masters  not  at  the  same  time  give  them  what  is  just  and 
equal  for  their  service  ! 

It  is  true,  some  men  may  think  they  have  done  enough  when 
they  give  unto  their  servants  food  and  raiment,  and  say,  did 
not  I  bargain  with  thee  for  so  much  a  year  ?  But  if  they 
give  them  no  other  reward  than  this,  what  do  they  less  for 
their  very  beasts  ?  But  are  not  servants  better  than  they  ? 
Doubtless  they  are  ;  and  however  masters  may  put  off  their 
convictions  for  the  present,  they  will  find  a  time  will  come, 


462  THE  GREAT  DUTY  [Serm.  13. 

when  they  shall  know  they  ought  to  have  given  them  some 
spiritual  as  well  as  temporal  wages  ;  and  the  cry  of  those  that 
have  mowed  down  their  fields,  will  enter  into  the  ears  of  the 
Lord  of  Sabaoth. 

But  fourthly  J  If  neither  gratitude  to  God,  pity  to  children, 
nor  a  principle  of  common  justice  to  servants,  are  sufficient 
to  balance  all  objections  ;  yet  let  that  darling,  that  prevailing 
motive  of  self-interest  turn  the  scale,  and  engage  you  with  your 
respective  households  to  serve  the  Lord. 

This  weighs  greatly  with  you  in  other  matters  :  be  then 
persuaded  to  let  it  have  a  due  and  full  influence  on  you  in 
this  :  and  if  it  has,  if  you  have  but  faith  as  a  grain  of  mustard 
seed,  how  can  you  avoid  believing,  that  promoting  family 
religion  would  be  the  best  means  to  promote  your  own  tempo- 
ral, as  well  as  eternal  welfare?  For  "godliness  has  the 
promise  of  the  life  that  now  is,  as  well  as  that  which  is  to 
come." 

Besides,  you  all,  doubtless,  wish  for  honest  servants,' and 
pious  children  ;  and  to  have  them  prove  otherwise,  would  be 
as  great  a  grief  to  you,  as  it  was  to  El.isha  to  have  a  treache- 
rous Gehazi,  or  David  to  be  troubled  with  a  rebellious  Absa- 
lom. But  how  can  it  be  expected  they  should  learn  their 
duty,  except  those  set  over  them,  take  care  to  teach  it  to  them  ? 
Is  it  not  as  reasonable  to  expect  you  should  reap  where  you 
had  not  sown,  or  gather  where  you  had  not  strewed  ? 

Did  Christianity,  indeed,  give  any  countenance  to  children 
and  servants  to  disregard  their  parents  and  masters  according 
to  the  flesh,  or  represent  their  duty  to  them,  as  inconsistent 
with  their  entire  obedience  to  their  Father  and  Master  who  is 
in  heaven,  there  might  then  be  some  pretense  for  neglecting  to 
instruct  them  in  the  principles  of  such  a  religion.  But  since 
the  precepts  of  this  pure  and  undefiled  religion,  are  all  of  them 
holy,  just,  and  good  ;  and  the  more  they  are  taught  their  duty 
to  God,  the  better  they  will  perform  their  duties  to  you  ;  me- 
thinks  to  neglect  the  improvement  of  their  souls,  out  of  a  dread 
of  spending  too  much  time  in  religious  duties,  is  acting  quite 
contrary  to  your  own  interest  as  well  as  duty. 

Fifthly  and  lastly,  If  neither  gratitude  to  God,  love  to  your 
children,  common  justice  to  your  servants,  nor  even  that  most  ' 
prevailing  motive,  self-interest,  will  excite  ;  yet  let  a  considera- 
tion of  the  terrors  of  the  Lord  persuade  you  to  put  in  practice 
the  pious  resolution  in  the  text.  Remember,  the  time  will 
come,  and  that  perhaps  very  shortly,  when  we  must  all  appear 
before  the  judgment  seat  of  Christ ;  where  we  must  give  a 
solemn  and  strict  account  how  we  have  had  our  conversation, 
in  our  respective  families,  in  this  world.    How  will  you  en- 


Serm.  13.]  of  family  religion.  453 

dure  to  see  your  children  and  servants  (who  ought  to  be  your 
joy  and  crown  of  rejoicing  in  the  day  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,) 
coming  out  as  so  many  swift  witnesses  against  you ;  cursing 
the  father  that  begot  them,  the  Avomb  that  bare  them,  the  paps 
which  they  have  sucked,  and  the  day  they  ever  entered  into 
your  houses  ?  Think  you  not  the  damnation  which  men  must 
endure  for  their  own  sins  will  be  sufficient,  that  they  need 
load  themselves  with  the  additional  guilt  of  being  accessary  to 
the  damnation  of  others  also  ?  O  consider  this,  all  ye  that  for- 
get to  serve  the  Lord  with  your  respective  households,  "  lest  he 
pluck  you  away,  and  there  be  none  to  deliver  you  !" 

But  God  forbid,  brethren,  that  any  such  evil  should  befall 
you.  No,  rather  will  I  hope,  that  you  have  been  in  some 
measure  convinced,  by  what  hasbeensaid,  of  the  great  impor- 
tance of  family  religion  ;  and  therefore  are  ready  to  cry  out,  in 
the  words  immediately  following  the  text,  "  God  forbid  that  we 
should  forsake  the  Lord  ;"  and  again,  verse  21.  "  nay,  but  we 
will  (with  our  several  households)  serve  the  Lord." 

And  that  there  may  be  always  such  a  heart  in  you,  let  me 
exhort  all  governors  of  families,  in  the  name  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  often  to  reflect  on  the  inestimable  worth  of  their  own 
souls,  and  the  infinite  ransom,  even,  the  precious  blood  of 
Jesus  Christ,  which  has  been  paid  down  for  them.  Remem- 
ber, that  you  are  fallen  creatures  ;  that  you  are  by  nature  lost 
and  estranged  from  God  :  and  that  you  can  never  be  restored 
to  your  primitive  happiness,  till  by  being  born  again  of  the 
Holy  Ghost,  you  arrive  at  your  primitive  state  of  purity,  have 
the  image  of  God  re-stamped  upon  your  souls,  and  thereby 
made  meet  to  be  partakers  of  the  inheritance  with  the  saints  in 
light.  Do,  I  say,  but  seriously  and  frequently  reflect  on,  and 
act  as  persons  that  believe  such  important  truths,  and  you  will 
no  more  neglect  your  family's  spiritual  welfare  than  your  own. 
No,  the  love  of  God,  which  will  then  be  shed  abroad  in  your 
hearts,  will  constrain  you  to  do  your  utmost  to  preserve  them. 
And  the  deep  sense  of  God's  free  grace  in  Christ  Jesus,  (which 
you  will  then  have)  in  calling  you,  will  excite  you  to  do  your 
utmost  to  save  others,  especially  those  of  your  own  household. 
And  though,  after  all  your  pious  endeavors,  some  may  continue 
unreformed  ;  yet  you  will  have  this  comfortable  reflection  to 
make,  that  you  did  what  you  could  to  make  your  families  reli- 
gious. And  therefore  may  rest  assured  of  setting  down  in  the 
kingdom  of  heaven,  with  Abraham,  Joshua,  and  Cornelius, 
and  all  the  godly  householders,  who  in  their  several  genera- 
tioris  shone  forth  as  so  many  lights  in  their  respective  house- 
holds upon  earth.     Amen. 


464  THE  METHOD  OF  GRACE.  [Seim.  14, 

SERMON  XIV. 


THE    METHOD    OF  GRACE. 


Jeremiah  vi.  14. 

They  have  healed  also  the  hurt  of  the  daughter  of  my  people  slightly^ 
saying^  'peace,  peace,  icheu  there  is  no  peace. 

As  God  can  send  a  nation  or  people  no  greater  blessing, 
than  to  give  them  faithful,  sincere,  and  upright  ministers  ;  so 
the  greatest  curse  that  God  can  possibly  sen4  upon  a  people  in 
this  world,  is  to  give  them  over  to  blind,  unregenerate,  carnal, 
lukewarm,  and  unskillful  guides.  And  yet,  in  all  ages,  we 
find  that  there  have  been  many  wolves  in  sheep's  clothing, 
many  that  daubed  with  untempercd  mortar,  that  prophesied 
smoother  things  than  God  did  allow.  As  it  was  forinerly,  so 
it  is  now,  there  are  many  that  corrupt  the  word  of  God,  and 
deal  deceitfully  with  it.  It  was  so  in  a  special  manner  in  the 
prophet  Jeremiah's  time ;  and  he,  faithful  to  that  God  that 
employed,  him,  did  not  fail,  from  time  to  time,  to  open  his 
mouth  against  them,  and  to  bear  a  noble  testimony  to  the 
honor  of  that  God,  in  whose  name  he  from  time  to  time  spake. 
If  you  will  read  his  prophecy,  you  will  find,  that  none  spake 
more  against  such  ministers  than  Jeremiah  :  and  here  espe- 
cially, in  the  chapter  out  of  which  the  text  is  taken,  he  speaks 
very  severely  against  them  ;  he  charges  them  with  several 
crimes,  particularly,  he  charges  them  with  covetousness  :  for, 
says  he  in  the  13th  verse,  "  from  the  least  of  them  even  to  the 
greatest  of  them,  every  one  is  given  to  covetousness ;  and 
from  the  prophet  even  unto  the  priest,  everyone  dealeth  false- 
ly." And  then  in  the  words  of  the  text,  in  a  more  special 
manner,  he  exemplifies  how  they  had  dealt  falsely,  how  they 
had  behaved  treacherously  to  poor  souls,  says  he,  the]/  have 
healed  also  the  hurt  of  the  daughter  ofw/y  people  slightly j 
saying  peace,  peace,  when  there  is  no  peace.  The  prophet,, 
in  the  name  of  God,  had  been  denouncing  war  against  the 
people,  he  had  been  telling  them,  that  their  houses  should  be 
left  desolate,  and  the  Lord  would  certainly  visit  the  land  with 
war,  "therefore,"  says  he,  in  the  11th  verse,  "I  am  full  of  the 
fury  of  the  Lord :  I  am  weary  with  holding  in  :  I  will  pour  it 
out  upon  the  children  abroad,  and  upon  the  assembly  of  young 
men  together.  For  even  the  husband  with  the  wife  shall  be 
taken,  the  aged  with  him  that  is  full  of  days.  And  their  houses 


Serm.  14.]  the  method  of  grace.  455 

shall  be  turned  unto  others,  with  their  fields  and  wives  togeth- 
er :  for  I  will  stretch  out  my  hand  upon  the  inhabitants  of  the 
land,  saith  the  liOrd."  The  prophet  gives  a  thundering  mes- 
sage, that  they  might  be  terrified,  and  have  some  convictions 
and  inclinations  to  repent :  but  it  seems  that  the  false  pro- 
phets, the  false  priests,  went  about  stifling  people's  convictions, 
and  when  they  were  hurt  or  a  little  terrified,  they  were  for 
daubing  over  the  wound,  telling  them,  that  Jeremiah  was  but 
an  enthusiastic  preacher ;  that  there  could  be  no  such  thing 
as  a  war  among  them ;  and  bidding  people  "  peace,  peace,  be 
still,"  when  the  prophet  told  them  there  was  no  peace.  The 
words  then  refer  primarily  unto  outward  things  ;  but  I  verily 
believe  have  also  a  further  reference  to  the  soul ;  and  are  to 
be  referred  to  those  false  teachers,  who,  when  people  were 
under  conviction  of  sin,  when  people  were  beginning  to  look 
towards  heaven,  were  for  stifling  their  convictions,  and  telling 
them  they  were  good  enough  before.  And  indeed  people  gen- 
erally love  to  have  it  so  :  our  hearts  are  exceedingly  deceitful 
and  desperately  wicked  ;  none  but  the  eternal  God  knows  how 
treaclierous  they  are.  How  many  of  us  cry,  peace,  peace,  to 
our  souls,  when  there  is  no  peace.  How  many  are  there  that 
are  now  settled  upon  their  lees,  that  now  think  they  are  chris- 
tians, that  now  flatter  themselves  that  they  have  an  interest  in 
Jesus  Christ ;  whereas  if  we  come  to  examine  their  experi- 
3nces,  we  will  find  that  their  peace  is  but  a  peace  of  the  devil's 
making  ;  it  is  not  a  peace  of  God's  giving  ;  it  is  not  a  peace 
that  passeth  human  understanding.  It  is  matter  therefore  of 
great  importance,  my  dear  hearers,  to  know  whether  we  may 
speak  peace  to  our  hearts.  We  are  all  desirous  of  peace,  peace 
is  an  unspeakable  blessing.  How  can  we  live  without  peace  ? 
And  therefore  people,  from  time  to  time,  must  be  taught  how 
far  they  must  go,  and  what  must  be  wrought  in  them,  before 
they  can  speak  peace  to  their  hearts.  This  is  what  I  design 
at  present,  that  I  may  deliver  my  soul,  that  I  may  be  free  from 
the  blood  of  all  those  to  whom  I  preach,  that  I  may  not  fail 
to  declare  the  whole  counsel  of  God.  I  shall  from  the  Avords 
of  the  text,  endeavor  to  show  you  what  you  must  undergo, 
and  what  must  be  wrought  in  you,  before  ye  can  speak  peace 
to  your  hearts.  '■>< 

But  before  I  come  directly  to  this,  give  me  leave  to  premise 
a  caution  or  two.  And  the  first  is,  that  T  take  it  for  granted 
ye  believe  religion  to  be  an  inward  thing ;  ye  believe  it  to  be 
a  work  in  the  heart,  a  work  wrought  in  the  soul  by  the  power 
of  the  Spirit  of  God.  If  you  do  not  believe  this,  ye  do  not 
believe  your  Bible.  If  ye  do  not  believe  this,  though  ye  have  got 
your  Bible  in  your  hands,  ye  hate  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  in 


456  THE  METHOD  OF  GRACE.  [Serm.  14. 

your  heart :  for  religion  is  every  where  represented  in  scrip- 
ture, as  the  work  of  God  in  the  heart ;  "  the  kingdom  of  God 
is  within  us,"  says  our  Lord  ;  and,  "  he  is  not  a  christian  that 
is  one  outwardly,  but  he  is  a  christian  who  is  one  inwardly." 
If  any  of  you  place  religion  in  outward  things,  I  shall  not  per- 
haps please  you  this  morning ;  ye  will  understand  me  no 
more  Avhen  I  speak  of  the  work  of  God  upon  a  poor  sinner's 
heart,  than  if  I  were  talking  in  an  unknown  tongue.  I  would 
further  premise  a  caution,  that  I  would  by  no  means  confine 
God  to  one  way  of  acting  ;  I  would  by  no  means  say,  that 
all  persons  before  they  come  to  have  a  settled  peace  in  their 
hearts,  are  obliged  to  undergo  the  same  degrees  of  conviction. 
No  ;  God  has  various  ways  of  bringing  his  children  home  ; 
his  sacred  spirit  bloweth  when,  and  where,  and  how,  it  listeth. 
But  however,  I  will  venture  to  affirm  this,  that  before  ever  ye 
can  speak  peace  to  your  hearts,  whether  by  shorter  or  longer 
continuance  of  your  convictions,  whether  in  a  more  pungent 
or  in  a  more  gentle  way,  ye  must  undergo  what  I  shall  hereaf- 
ter lay  down  in  the  following  discourse. 

Firsts  Then,  before  ye  can  speak  peace  to  your  hearts,  ye 
must  be  made  to  see,  made  to  feel,  made  to  weep  over,  made 
to  bewail  your  actual  transgressions  against  the  law  of  God. 
According  to  the  covenant  of  works,  the  soul  that  sinneth  it 
shall  die  ;  cursed  is  that  man,  be  what  he  will,  be  who  he  will, 
that  continueth  not  in  all  things  that  are  written  in  the  book 
of  the  law  to  do  them.  We  are  not  only  to  do  some  things, 
but  we  are  to  do  all  things,  and  we  are  to  continue  so  to  do ; 
so  that  the  least  deviation  from  the  moral  laAV,  according  to 
the  covenant  of  works,  whether  in  thought,  word,  or  deed,  de- 
serves eternal  death  at  the  hand  of  God.  And  if  one  evil 
thought,  if  one  evil  word,  if  one  evil  action,  deserves  eternal 
damnation ;  how  many  hells,  my  friends,  do  every  one  of  us 
deserve,  whose  whole  lives  have  been  one  continual  rebellion 
against  God.  Before  ever  therefore  ye  can  speak  peace  to  your 
hearts,  ye  must  be  brought  to  see,  brought  to  believe,  what  a 
dreadful  thing  it  is  to  depart  from  the  living  God.  And  now, 
my  dear  friends,  examine  your  hearts,  for  I  hope  ye  come 
hither  with  a  design  to  have  your  souls  made  better :  give  me 
ifave  to  ask  you,  iji  the  presence  of  God,  whether  ye  know  the 
-^Time,  and  if  ye  do  not  know  exactly  the  time,  do  ye  know 
there  was  a  time  when  God  wrote  bitter  things  against  you, 
when  the  arrows  of  the  Almighty  were  within  you  ?  Was 
ever  the  remembrance  of  your  sins  grievous  to  you  ?  Was 
the  burden  of  your  sins  intolerable  to  your  thoughts  ?  Did  ye 
ever  see  that  God's  wrath  might  justly  fall  upon  you,  upon  ac- 
count of  your  actual  transgressions  against  God  ?     Were  ye 


Serm.  14.]  the  method  of  grace.  457 

ever  m  all  your  life  sorry  for  your  sins  ?  Could  ye  ever  say, 
my  sins  are  gone  over  my  head  as  a  burden  too  heavy  for  me 
to  bear  ?  Did  ye  ever  experience  any  such  thing  as  this  ?  Did 
ever  any  such  thing  as  this  pass  between  God  and  your  soul? 
If  not,  for  Jesus  Christ's  sake  do  not  call  yourselves  christians  ; 
ye  may  speak  peace  to  your  hearts,  but  there  is  no  peace.  May 
the  Lord  awaken  you,  may  the  Lo-rd  convert  you,  may  the 
Lord  give  you  peace,  if  it  be  his  will,  before  you  go  home. 

But  further,  ye  may  be  convinced  of  your  actual  sins,  so  as 
to  be  made  to  tremble,  and  yet  ye  may  be  strangers  to  Jesus 
Christ,  ye  may  have  no  true  work  of  grace  upon  your  heart. 
Before  ever,  therefore,  ye  can  speak  peace  to  your  hearts,  con- 
viction must  go  deeper  ;  ye  must  not  only  be  convinced  of  your 
actual  transgressions  against  the  law  of  God,  but  likewise  of 
the  foundation  of  all  your  transgressions;  and  what  is  that? 
I  mean  original  sin  ;  that  original4j|orruption  each  of  us  brings 
into  the  world  with  us,  which  renders  us  liable  to  God's  wrath 
and  damnation.  There  are  many  poor  souls  that  think  them- 
selves fine  reasoners,  yet  they  pretend  to  say  there  is  no  such 
thing  as  original  sin  ;  they  will  charge  God  with  injustice  in 
imputing  Adam's  sin  to  us ;  although  we  have  got  the  mark 
of  the  beast,  and  of  the  devil  upon  us,  yet  they  tell  us,  we  are 
not  born  in  sin.  Let  them  look  abroad  in  the  world,  and  see 
the  disorders  in  it,  and  think  if  they  can,  if  this  is  the  paradise 
in  which  God  did  put  man  ?  No,  every  thing  in  the  world  is 
out  of  order.  I  have  often  thought,  when  1  was  abroad,  that 
if  there  were  no  other  argument  to  prove  original  sin,  but  the 
rising  of  wolves  and  tigers  against  man,  nay,  the  barking  of 
a  dog  against  us,  is  a  proof  of  original  sin.  Tigers  and  lions 
durst  not  rise  against  us,  if  it  were  not  for  Adam's  first  sin  : 
for  when  the  creatures  rise  up  against  us,  it  is  as  much  as  to 
say,  ye  have  sinned  against  God,  and  we  take  up  our  master's 
quarrel.  If  we  look  inward,  we  will  see  enough  of  lusts,  and 
man's  temper  contrary  to  the  temper  of  God ;  there  is  pride, 
malice,  and  revenge  in  all  our  hearts,  and  this  temper  cannot 
come  from  God ;  it  comes  from  our  first  parent,  Adam,  who, 
after  he  fell  from  God,  fell  out  of  God  into  the  devil.  How- 
ever, therefore,  some  people  may  deny  this,  yet  when  convic- 
tion comes,  all  carnal  reasonings  are  battered  down  immedi- 
ately, and  the  poor  soul  begins  to  feel  and  see  the  fountain 
from  which  all  the  polluted  streams  do  flow.  When  the  sin- 
ner is  first  awakened,  he  begins  to  wonder  how  he  came  to  be 
so  wicked  :  the  Spirit  of  God  then  strikes  in,  and  shows  that 
he  has  no  good  thing  in  him  by  nature ;  then  he  sees  that  he 
is  altogetlier  gone  out  of  the  way ;  that  he  is  altogether  be- 
come abominable ;  and  the  poor  creature  is  made  to  lie  down 

39 


458  THE  xHETiioi>  OF  GRACE.  [Serm.  14. 

at  the  foot  of  the  throne  of  God,  and  to  acknowledge  that  God 
would  be  just  to  damn  him,  just  to  cut  him  off,  though  he 
never  had  committed  one  actual  sin  in  his  life.  Did  ye  ever 
feel  and  experience  this  any  of  you,  to  justify  God  in  your 
damnation  ;  to  own  that  ye  are  by  nature  children  of  wrath, 
and  that  God  may  justly  cut  you  off  though  ye  never  actually 
had  offended  him  in  all  your  life.  If  ye  were  ever  truly  con- 
victed— if  your  hearts  were  ever  truly  cut — if  self  were  truly 
taken  out  of  you,  ye  will  be  made  to  see  and  feel  this.  And 
if  ye  have  nev^er  felt  the  weight  of  original  sin,  do  not  call 
yourselves  christians.  I  am  verily  persuaded  original  sin  is 
the  greatest  burden  of  a  true  convert ;  this  even  grieves  the 
regenerate  soul — the  sanctified  soul.  The  indwelling  of  sin 
in  the  heart  is  the  burden  of  a  converted  person  ;  it  is  the  bur- 
den of  a  true  christian;  he  continually  cries  out,  O  "Who 
will  deliver  me  from  this  body  of  death,"'  this  indwelling  cor- 
ruption'of  my  heart;  this  is  that  which  disturbs  a  poor  soul 
most.  And,  therefore,  if  ye  never  felt  this  inward  corruption — 
if  ye  never  saw  that  God  might  justly  curse  you  for  it ;  in- 
deed, my  dear  friends,  ye  may  speak  peace  to  your  heart,  but 
I  fear,  nay,  I  know,  there  is  no  true  peace. 

Further,  before  we  can  speak  peace  to  your  hearts,  ye  must 
not  only  be  troubled  for  the  sins  of  your  life,  the  sins  of  your 
nature,  but  likewise  for  the  sins  of  your  best  duties  and  per- 
formances. AYhen  a  poor  soul  is  somewhat  awakened  by  the 
terrors  of  the  Lord,  then  the  poor  creature,  being  born  under 
the  covenant  of  works  flies  directly  to  a  covenant  of  works 
again.  And  as  Adam  and  Eve  hid  themselves  among  the 
trees  of  the  garden,  and  sewed  fig-leaves  together  to  cover 
their  nakedness ;  so  the  poor  sinner  when  aAvakened,  flies  to 
his  duties,  and  to  his  performances,  to  hide  himself  from  God  ; 
and  goes  to  patch  up  a  righteousness  of  his  own ;  says  he,  I 
will  be  mighty  good  now  ;  I  will  reform,  I  will  do  all  I  can, 
and  then  certainly  Jesus  Christ  will  have  mercy  on  me.  But 
before  ye  can  speak  peace  to  your  heart,  ye  must  be  brought 
to  see  that  God  may  justly  damn  you  for  the  best  prayer  ye 
ever  put  up  in  all  your  life  ;  ye  must  be  brought  to  see  all  your 
duties,  all  your  righteousness,  as  the  prophet  elegantly  ex- 
presses it,  put  them  altogether,  are  so  far  from  recommending 
you  to  God,  are  so  far  from  being  any  mxOtive  and  inducement 
to  God  to  have  mercy  on  your  poor  souls,  that  ye  will  see  them 
to  be  filthy  rags,  a  menstruous  cloth  ;  that  God  hates  them,  and 
cannot  away  with  them,  if  ye  bring  them  to  him  in  order  to 
recommend  you  to  his  favor.  My  dear  friends,  what  is  there 
in  our  performances  to  recommend  us  unto  God  ;  our  persons 
*re  in  an  unsanctified  state  by  nature,  we  deserve  to  be  damned 


Serm.  14.]  the  method  of  grace,  459 

ten  thousand  times  over;  and  what  must  our  performances  be? 
AVe  can  do  no  good  thinor  by  nature;  '-they  that  are  in  the 
flesh  cannot  please  God."  Ye  may  do  things  materially  good, 
but  ye  cannot  do  a  thing  formally  and  rightly  good ;  because 
nature  cannot  act  above  itself  Tt  is  impossible  that  a  man 
that  is  unconverted  can  act  for  the  glory  of  God ;  he  cannot 
do  any  thing  in  faith,  for  "whatsoever  is  not  of  faith  is  sin." 
x\fter  we  are  renewed,  yet  we  are  renewed  but  in  part ;  in- 
dwelling sin  continues  in  us  ;  there  is  a  mixture  of  corruption 
in  every  one  of  our  duties  ;  so  that  after  we  are  converted,  were 
-Jesus  Christ  only  to  accept  us  according  to  our  works,  our 
works  would  damn  us  ;  for  we  cannot  put  up  a  prayer  but  it  is 
far  from  that  perfection  which  the  moral  laAv  requireth.  I  do 
not  know  what  ye  may  think ;  but  I  can  say  that  I  cannot  pray 
but  T  sin  ;  I  cannot  preach  to  you  or  any  others  but  I  sin ;  I 
can  do  nothins:  without  sin  :  and,  as  one  expresseth  it,  my 
repentance  wants  to  be  repented  of,  and  my  tears  to  be  washed 
in  the  precious  blood  of  my  dear  Redeemer ;  our  best  duties 
are  as  so  many  splendid  sins.  Before  ye  can  speak  peace  to 
your  hearts,  ye  must  not  only  be  sick  of  your  original  and 
actual  sins  ;  but  ye  must  be  made  sick  of  your  righteousness, 
of  all  your  duties  and  performances.  There  must  be  a  deep 
conviction  before  ye  can  be  brought  out  of  your  self-righteous- 
ness ;  it  is  the  last  idol  that  is  taken  out  of  our  heart,  the  pride 
of  our  heart  will  not  let  us  submit  to  the  righteousness  of  Jesus 
Christ.  But  if  ye  never  felt  that  ye  had  no  righteousness  of 
your  own  ;  if  ye  never  felt  the  deficiency  of  yoiir  own  righte- 
ousness ye  can  never  come  to  Jesus  Christ.  There  are  a  great 
many  now  that  may  say,  well,  we  believe  all  this  ;  but  there 
is  a  great  difference  betwixt  talking  and  feeling.  Did  ye  ever 
feel  the  want  of  a  dear  Redeemer  ?  Did  ye  ever  feel  the  want 
of  Jesus  Christ  upon  the  account  of  the  deficiency  of  your 
own  righteousness  ?  And  can  ye  now  say  from  your  heart 
"  Lord,  thou  mayest  justly  damn  me  for  the  best  duties  that 
ever  I  did  perform  ;"  if  ye  are  not  thus  brought  out  of  self,  ye 
may  speak  peace  to  yourselves,  but  yet  there  is  no  peace. 

But  then  before  ye  can  speak  peace  to  your  souls  there  is 
one  particular  sin  ye  must  be  greatly  troubled  for  ;  and  yet  I 
fear  there  are  few  of  you  think  what  it  is  ;  it  is  the  reigning, 
the  damning  sin  of  the  christian  world  ;  and  yet  the  christian 
world  seldom  or  never  think  of  it ;  and  pray  what  is  that'/ 
It  is  what  most  of  you  think  ye  are  not  guilty  of,  and  that  is 
the  sin  of  unbelief;  before  we  can  speak  peace  to  your  heart, 
ye  must  be  troubled  for  the  unbelief  of  your  heart ;  but  can  it 
be  supposed  that  any  of  you  are  unbelievers  here  in  this 
churchyard,  that  are  born  in  Scotland,  in  a  reformed  country, 


460  THE  METHOD  OF  GRACE.  [Scrm.  14. 

that  go  to  church  every  Sabbath  ?  Can  any  of  you  that  re- 
ceive the  sacrament  once  a  year  J  (O  that  it  were  administered 
oftener.)  Can  it  be  supposed  that  you  that  had  tokens  for  the 
sacrament ;  that  you  that  keep  up  family  prayer,  that  any  of 
you  do  not  beheve  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ '/  1  appeal  to  your 
own  hearts,  if  ye  would  not  think  me  uncharitable,  if  I  doubted 
whether  any  of  you  believed  in  Christ ;  and  yet  1  fear,  upon 
examination,  we  should  find  that  most  of  you  have  not  so 
much  faith  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  as  the  devil  himself  I 
am  persuaded  the  devil  believes  more  of  the  Bible  than  most 
of  us  do  ;  he  believes  the  divinity  of  Jesus  Christ,  that  is  more 
than  many  that  call  themselves  christians  do  ;  nay,  he  believes 
and  trembles,  and  that  is  more  than  thousands  among  us  do. 
My  friends,  we  mistake  an  historical  faith  for  a  true  faith 
wrought  in  the  heart  by  the  Spirit  of  God.  Ye  fancy  ye  be- 
lieve, because  ye  believe  there  is  such  a  book  as  we  call  the 
Bible,  because  ye  go  to  church  ;  all  this  ye  may  do,  and  have 
no  true  faith  in  Christ.  Merely  to  believe  there  was  once 
such  a  person  as  Christ,  merely  to  believe  there  is  such  a  book 
called  the  Bible,  will  do  you  no  good,  more  than  to  believe 
there  was  such  a  man  as  Cesar  or  Alexander  the  Great.  The 
Bible  is  a  sacred  depository  :  what  thanks  have  we  to  give  to 
God  for  these  lively  oracles  !  But  yet  we  may  have  these,  and 
not  believe  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  My  dear  friends,  there 
must  be  a  principle  wrought  in  the  heart  by  the  Spirit  of  the 
living  God.  Did  I  ask  you  how  long  it  is  since  ye  beUeved  in 
Jesus  Christ,  I  suppose  most  of  you  would  tell  me,  ye  believed 
HI  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  as  long  as  ever  ye  remember ;  ye 
never  did  disbelieve  ;  then  ye  could  not  give  me  a  better  proof 
that  ye  never  yet  believed  in  Jesus  Christ,  unless  ye  were 
sanctified  early  from  the  womb ;  for  they  that  believe  in 
Christ,  know  there  was  a  time  when  they  did  not  believe  in 
Jesus  Christ.  You  say  you  love  God  with  all  your  heart, 
soul,  and  strength ;  if  I  were  to  ask  you,  how  long  it  is  since 
ye  loved  God,  ye  would  say,  as  long  as  ye  can  remember  ;  ye 
never  hated  God  ;  ye  know  no  time  when  there  was  enmity 
in  your  heart  against  God ;  then  unless  ye  were  sanctified 
very  early,  ye  never  loved  God  in  your  life.  My  dear  friends, 
I  am  more  particular  in  this,  because  it  is  a  most  deceitful 
delusion,  whereby  so  many  people  are  carried  away,  that  they 
believe  already.  Therefore  it  is  remarkable  of  Mr.  Marshall 
giving  account  of  his  experiences,  he  had  been  working  for 
life,  he  had  ranged  all  his  sins  under  the  ten  commandments 
and  then  coming  to  a  minister,  asked  him  the  reason  why  he 
could  not  get  peace  ;  the  minister  looked  to  the  catalogue, 
"  Away,  says  he,  I  do  not  find  one  word  of  the  sin  of  unbelief 


Serm.  14.]  the  method  of  grace.  461 

in  all  your  catalogue."  It  is  the  peculiar  work  of  the  Spirit 
of  God  to  convince  us  of  our  unbelief,  that  we  have  got  no 
faith.  Says  Jesus  Christ,  "  I  will  send  the  Comforter ;  and 
when  he  is  come,  he  will  reprove  the  world  of  the  sin  of  un- 
belief" Of  sin,  says  Christ,  "because  they  believe  not  on 
me."  Now,  my  dear  friends,  did  God  ever  show  you  that  ye 
had  no  faith  ?  Were  you  ever  made  to  bewail  a  hard  heart 
of  unbelief?  Was  it  ever  the  language  of  your  heart,  Lord, 
give  me  faith  ?  Lord,  enable  me  to  lay  hold  on  thee  ?  Lord, 
enable  me  to  call  thee  my  Lord  and  my  God  7  Did  Jesus 
Christ  ever  convince  you  in  this  manner  ?  Did  he  ever  con- 
vince you  of  your  inability  to  close  with  Christ,  and  make  you 
cry  out  to  God  to  give  you  faith  ?  If  not,  do  not  speak  peace 
to  your  heart ;  may  the  Lord  awaken  you,  and  give  you  true 
solid  peace  before  you  go  hence  and  be  no  more  ! 

Once  more  then,  before  ye  can  speak  peace  to  your  heart, 
ye  nmst  not  only  be  convinced  of  your  actual  and  original 
sin,  the  sin  of  your  own  righteousness,  the  sin  of  unbelief ;  but 
ye  must  be  enabled  to  lay  hold  upon  the  perfect  righteousness, 
the  all-sufficient  righteousness  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ ;  ye 
must  lay  hold  by  faith  on  the  righteousness  of  Jesus  Christ, 
and  then  ye  shall  have  peace.  "  Come,"  says  Jesus,  '•  unto 
me,  all  ye  that  are  weary  and  heavy  laden,  and  I  will  give 
you  rest."  This  speaks  encouragement  to  all  that  are  weary 
and  heavy  laden  ;  but  the  promise  of  rest  is  made  to  them 
only  upon  their  coming,  and  believing,  and  taking  him  to  be 
their  God  and  their  all.  Before  we  can  ever  have  peace  with 
God,  we  must  be  justified  by  faith,  through  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ ;  we  must  be  enabled  to  apply  Christ  to  our  heart ;  we 
must  have  Christ  brought  home  to  our  soul,  so  that  his 
righteousness  may  be  made  our  righteousness,  so  that  his 
merits  may  be  imputed  to  our  souls.  My  dear  friends,  Avere 
ye  ever  married  to  Jesus  Christ?  Did  Jesus  Christ  ever  give 
himself  to  you  ?  Did  ye  ever  close  with  Christ  by  a  lively 
faith,  so  as  to  feel  Christ  in  your  heart,  so  as  to  hear  him 
speaking  peace  to  your  souls  ?  Did  peace  ever  flow  in  upon 
your  heart  like  a  river?  Did  ye  ever  feel  that  peace  that 
Christ  spoke  to  his  disciples  ?  I  pray  God  he  may  come,  and 
speak  peace  to  you.  These  things  ye  must  experience.  I 
am  now  talking  of  the  invisible  realities  of  another  world,  of 
inward  religion,  of  the  work  of  God  upon  a  poor  sinner's 
heart ;  I  am  now  talking  of  a  matter  of  great  importance  ;  my 
dear  hearers,  ye  are  all  concerned  in  it ;  your  souls  are  con- 
cerned in  it ;  your  eternal  salvation  is  concerned  in  it.  You 
may  all  be  at  peace,  but  perhaps  the  devil  has  lulled  you 
asleep  into  a  carnal  lethargy  and  security,  and  will  endeavor 

39* 


462  THE  METHOD  OF  GRACE.  [Serm.  14. 

to  keep  you  there,  till  he  get  you  to  hell,  and  there  ye  will  be 
awakened ;  but  it  will  be  dreadful  to  be  awakened,  and  find 
yourselves  so  fearfully  mistaken,  when  tlie  great  gulf  is  fixed, 
when  yc  will  be  calling  to  all  eternity  for  a  drop  of  water  to 
cool  your  tongue,  and  shall  not  obtain  it. 

Give  me  leave  then  to  address  myself  to  several  sorts  of 
persons  ;  and  O  may  God,  of  his  infinite  mercy,  bless  the 
application.  Some  of  you  perhaps  can  say,  through  grace 
Yv^e  can  go  along  with  you  ;  blessed  be  God  we  have  been 
convinced  of  our  actual  sins  ;  we  have  been  convinced  of 
original  sin  ;  we  have  been  convinced  of  self-righteousness  ; 
we  have  felt  the  bitterness  of  unbelief,  and,  through  grace,  we 
have  closed  with  Jesus  Christ ;  we  can  speak  peace  to  our 
hearts,  because  God  hath  spoken  peace  to  us.  Can  ye  say  so? 
Then  I  will  salute  you  as  the  angels  did  the  women  the  first 
day  of  the  week  ;  All  hail,  fear  not  ye,  my  dear  brethren  ;  ye 
are  happy  souls  ;  ye  may  lie  down  and  be  at  peace  indeed, 
for  God  has  given  you  peace  ;  ye  may  be  content  under  all 
the  dispensations  of  providence  ;  for  nothing  can  happen  to 
you  now,  but  what  shall  be  the  efiect  of  God's  love  to  your 
soul  :  ye  need  not  fear  what  fightings  may  be  without,  seeing, 
there  is  peace  within.  Have  ye  closed  with  Christ  ?  Is  God 
your  friend  7  Is  Christ  your  friend  ?  Then  look  up  with  com- 
fort ;  all  is  yours,  and  ye  are  Christ's,  and  Christ  is  God's  ; 
every  thing  shall  work  together  for  your  good  ;  the  very  hairs 
of  your  head  are  numbered  ;  he  that  toucheth  you,  touchelh 
the  apple  of  God's  eye.  But  then,  my  dear  friends,  beware  of 
resting  on  your  first  conversion  :  ye  that  are  young  believers 
in  Christ,  ye  should  be  looking  out  for  fresh  discoveries  of  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  every  moment :  ye  must  not  build  upon 
your  past  experiences  ;  ye  must  not  build  upon  a  work  within 
you,  but  always  come  out  of  yourselves  to  the  righteousness 
of  Jesus  Christ  without  you  :  ye  must  be  always  coming  as 
poor  sinners  to  draw  water  out  of  the  wells  of  salvation  ;  ye 
must  be  forgetting  the  things  that  are  behind,  and  be  con- 
tinually pressing  forward  to  the  things  that  are  before.  My 
dear  friends,  ye  must  keep  up  a  tender,  close  walk  with  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ.  Many  of  us  lose  our  peace  by  our  un- 
tender  walk.  Something  or  other  gets  in  betwixt  Christ  and 
us,  and  we  fall  into  darkness  ;  something  or  other  steals  our 
heart  from  God,  and  this  grieves  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  the 
Holy  Ghost  leaves  us  to  ourselves.  Let  me,  therefore,  exhort 
you  that  have  peace  with  God,  to  take  care  that  ye  do  not 
lose  this  peace.  It  is  true,  if  ye  are  once  in  Christ,  ye  cannot 
finally  fall  from  God  ;  "  there  is  no  condemnation  to  them  that 
are  in  Christ  Jesus  j"  but  if  ye  cannot  fall  finally,  ye  may  fall 


Serm.  14.]  the  method  op  grace.  463 

foully,  and  may  go  with  broken  bones  all  your  days.  Take 
care  of  backsliding  for  Jesus  Christ's  sake.  Do  not  grieve  the 
Holy  Ghost ;  ye  may  never  recover  your  comfort  while  ye 
live.  O  take  care  of  going  a  gadding  and  wandering  from 
God,  after  ye  have  closed  with  Jesus  Christ.  My  dear  friends, 
I  have  paid  dear  for  backsliding.  Our  hearts  are  so  cursedly 
wicked,  that  if  ye  take  not  care,  if  ye  do  not  keep  up  a  con- 
stant watch,  your  wicked  hearts  will  deceive  you,  and  draw 
you  aside.  It  will  be  sad  to  be  under  the  scourge  of  a  cor- 
recting father  ;  witness  the  visitation  of  Job,  David,  and  other 
saints  in  scripture.  Let  me,  therefore,  exhort  you  that  have 
peace  to  keep  a  close  walk  with  Christ.  I  am  grieved  with 
the  loose  walk  of  those  that  are  christians,  that  have  had  dis- 
coveries of  Jesus  Christ ;  there  is  so  little  difference  betwixt 
them  and  other  people,  that  I  can  scarce  know  which  is  the 
true  christian.  Christians  are  afraid  to  speak  for  God  ;  they 
run  down  with  the  stream  ;  if  they  come  into  worldly  com- 
pany, they  will  talk  of  the  world,  as  if  they  were  in  their  ele- 
ment. This  ye  would  not  do  when  ye  had  the  first  disco- 
veries of  Christ's  love  ;  ye  could  talk  then  of  Christ's  love  for 
ever,  when  the  candle  of  the  Lord  shone  upon  your  soul.  The 
time  has  been  when  ye  had  something  to  say  for  your  dear 
Lord  ;  but  now  ye  can  go  into  company,  and  hear  others 
speaking  about  the  world  bold  enough,  and  ye  are  afraid  of 
being  laughed  at,  if  ye  speak  for  Jesus  Christ.  A  great  many 
people  have  grown  conformists  now  in  the  worst  sense  of  the 
word  ;  they  will  cry  out  against  the  ceremonies  of  the  church, 
as  they  may  justly  do  ;  but  then  ye  are  mighty  fond  of  cere- 
monies in  your  behavior  ;  ye  will  conform  to  the  world,  which 
is  a  great  deal  worse  ;  many  will  stay  till  the  devil  bring  up 
new  fashions.  Take  care  then  not  to  be  conformed  to  the 
world.  What  have  christians  to  do  with  the  world?  Chris- 
tians should  be  singularly  good,  bold  for  their  Lord,  that  all 
that  are  with  you  may  take  notice  that  ye  have  been  with 
Jesus.  I  would  exhort  you  to  come  to  a  settlement  in  Jesus 
Christ,  so  as  to  have  a  continual  abiding  of  God  in  your 
heart.  We  go  a  building  on  our  faith  of  adherence,  and  lose 
our  comfort ;  but  we  should  be  growing  up  to  a  faith  of  as- 
surance, to  know  that  we  are  God's,  and  so  walk  in  the  com- 
fort of  the  Holy  Ghost  and  be  edified.  Jesus  Christ  is  now 
much  wounded  in  the  house  of  his  friends.  Excuse  me  in 
being  particular ;  for,  my  friends,  it  grieves  me  more  that 
Jesus  Christ  should  be  wounded  by  his  friends  than  by  his  ene- 
mies. We  cannot  expect  any  thing  else  from  deists  ;  but  for 
such  as  have  felt  his  power  to  fall  away,  for  them  not  to  walk 
agreeably  to  the  vocation  wherewith  they  are  called,  by  these 


464  THE  METHOD  OF  GRACE.  [Serm.  14. 

means  we  bring  our  Lord's  religion  into  contempt ;  to  be  a 
by-word  among  the  heathen.  For  Christ's  sake,  if  ye  know 
Christ,  keep  close  by  him ;  if  God  hath  spoken  peace,  O  keep 
that  peace,  by  looking  up  to  Jesus  Christ  every  moment.  Such 
as  have  peace  with  God,  if  ye  are  under  trials,  fear  not,  all 
things  shall  work  for  your  good  ;  if  ye  are  under  temptations, 
fear  not ;  if  he  has  spoken  peace  to  your  heart,  all  these  things 
shall  be  for  your  good. 

But  what  shall  I  say  to  you  that  have  not  peace  with  God  ; 
and  these  are  perhaps  the  majority  of  this  congregation  ;  it 
makes  me  weep  to  hear  of  it.  Most  of  you,  if  you  examine  your 
heart,  must  confess  that  God  never  yet  spoke  peace  to  you  ; 
ye  are  children  of  the  devil  if  Christ  is  not  in  you  ;  if  God  has 
not  spoken  peace  to  your  heart,  poor  soul,  what  a  cursed  con- 
dition are  you  in  ?  I  would  not  be  in  your  case  for  ten  thou- 
sand  thousand  worlds  !  Why  ?  Ye  are  just  hanging  over 
hell.  What  peace  can  ye  have  when  God  is  your  enemy, 
when  the  wrath  of  God  is  abiding  upon  your  poor  soul? 
Awake  then,  ye  that  are  sleeping  in  a  false  peace  ;  awake,  ye 
careless  professors,  ye  hypocrites  that  go  to  church,  receive 
the  sacrament,  read  your  Bibles,  and  never  felt  the  power  of 
God  upon  your  heart :  ye  that  are  formal  professors,  ye  that 
are  baptized  heathens,  awake,  awake,  and  do  not  rest  on  a 
false  bottom.  Blame  me  not  for  addressing  myself  to  you  ; 
indeed  it  is  out  of  love  to  your  soul.  I  see  ye  are  lingering  in 
your  Sodom,  and  wanting  to  stay  there  :  but  I  come  to  you  as 
the  angel  did  to  Lot,  to  take  you  by  the  hand.  Come  away, 
my  dear  brethren,  fly,  fly,  fly  for  your  lives  to  Jesus  Christ ;  fly 
to  a  bleeding  God,  fly  to  a  throne  of  grace ;  and  beg  of  God 
to  break  your  heart ;  beg  of  God  to  convince  you  of  your 
actual  sins  ;  beg  of  God  to  convince  you  of  your  original  sin  ; 
beg  of  God  to  convince  you  of  your  self-righteousness  ;  beg  of 
God  to  give  you  faith,  and  to  enable  you  to  close  with  Jesus 
Christ.  O  you  that  are  secure,  I  must  be  a  son  of  thunder  to 
you ;  and  O  that  God  may  awaken  you,  though  it  be  with 
thunder.  It  is  out  of  love  indeed  that  I  speak  to  you.  I  know, 
by  sad  experience,  what  it  is  to  be  lulled  asleep  with  a  false 
peace.  Long  was  I  lulled  asleep  ;  long  did  I  think  myself  a 
christian,  when  I  knew  nothing  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  I 
went  perhaps  further  than  many  of  you  do ;  I  used  to  fast 
twi'ce  a  week  ;  I  used  to  pray  sometimes  nine  times  a  day ;  I 
used  to  receive  the  sacrament  constantly  every  Lord's  day  ; 
and  yet  I  knew  nothing  of  Jesus  Christ  in  my  heart.  I  knew 
not  I  must  be  a  new  creature.  I  knew  nothing  of  inward 
religion  in  my  soul.  And  perhaps  many  of  you  may  be  de- 
ceived, as  I  a  poor  creature  was ;  and  therefore  it  was  out  of 


Serm.  14.]  the  method  of  grace.  465 

love  to  you  indeed  that  I  spake  to  you.  O,  if  ye  do  not  take 
care  a  form  of  religion  will  destroy  your  soul :  ye  will  rest  in  it, 
and  will  not  come  to  Jesus  Christ  at  all :  whereas  these  things 
are  only  the  means,  and  not  the  end  of  religion  ;  Christ  is  the 
end  of  the  law  for  righteousness  to  all  that  believe. 

O  then  awake,  ye  that  are  fettered  in  your  lees  ;  awake  ye 
church  professors ;  awake,  ye  that  have  got  a  name  to  live, 
that  are  rich  and  think  that  ye  want  nothing,  not  considering 
that  ye  are  poor  and  blind,  and  naked  ;  I  counsel  you  to  come 
and  buy  of  Jesus  Christ  gold,  white  raiment  and  eye  salve. 
But  I  hope  there  are  some  that  are  a  little  woi^nded.  I  hope 
God  does  not  intend  to  let  me  preach  in  vain.  I  hope  God 
will  reach  some  of  your  precious  souls,  and  awaken  some  of 
you  out  of  your  carnal  security.  I  hope  there  are  some  that 
are  willing  to  come  to  Christ,  and  beginning  to  think  that  they 
have  been  building  upon  a  false  foundation.  Perhaps  the 
devil  may  strike  in,  and  may  bid  you  despair  of  mercy  ;  but 
fear  not :  what  I  have  been  speaking  to  you,  is  only  out  of 
Jove  to  you,  is  only  to  awaken  you,  and  let  you  see  your  dan- 
ger. If  any  of  you  are  willing  to  be  reconciled  to  God,  God 
the  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost  is  willing  to  be  reconciled  to 
you.  O  then,  though  ye  have  no  peace  as  yet,  come  away  to 
Jesus  Christ ;  he  is  our  peace  ;  he  is  our  peace-maker  :  he  has 
made  peace  betwixt  God  and  offending  man.  Would  you 
have  peace  with  God  ?  Away  then  to  God,  through  Jesus 
Christ,  who  has  purchased  peace.  The  Lord  Jesus  hath  shed 
his  heart's  blood  for  this  ;  he  died  for  this  ;  he  ascended  into 
the  highest  heavens,  and  is  now  interceding  at  the  right  hand 
of  God.  Perhaps  ye  think  there  will  be  no  peace  for  you.  Why 
so?  Because  ye  are  sinners  ;  because  ye  have  crucified  Christ, 
ye  have  put  him  to  open  shame,  ye  have  trampled  under  foot 
the  blood  of  the  Son  of  God.  What  of  all  this  ?  yet  there  is 
peace  for  you.  Pray  what  did  Jesus  Christ  say  to  his  disciples, 
when  he  came  to  them  the  first  day  of  the  week  ?  The  first 
word  he  said  was  "  Peace  be  unto  you.  He  showed  them  his 
hands  and  his  feet  and  said,  Peace  be  unto  you."  It  is  am 
much  as  if  he  had  said,  fear  not,  my  disciples  ;  see  my  hands  and 
my  feet,  how  they  have  been  pierced  for  your  sake  ;  therefore 
fear  not.  How  did  Christ  speak  to  his  disciples.  Go  tell  my 
brethrea,  and  tell  broken-hearted  Peter  in  particular,  that 
Christ  is  risen,  that  he  has  ascended  unto  his  father  and  your 
father,  to  his  God  and  your  God.  And  after  Christ  rose  from 
the  dead,  he  came  preaching  peace  with  an  olive-branch  of 
peace  in  his  mouth,  as  Noah's  dove,  "  My  peace  I  leave  with 
you."  Who  were  they  ?  They  were  the  enemies  of  Christ  as 
well  as  we  ;  they  were  deniers  of  Christ  once  as  well  as  we. 


466  THE  METHOD  OF  GRACE.  [Serm.  14. 

Perhaps  some  of  you  have  backshdden  and  lost  your  peace^ 
and  ye  think  ye  deserve  no  peace  ;  and  no  more  ye  do  :  but 
then  God  will  heal  your  backsUdings,  he  will  love  you  freely. 
As  for  you  that  are  wounded,  if  you  are  made  willing  to  come 
to  Christ,  come  away.  Perhaps  some  of  you  want  to  dress 
yourselves  in  your  duties,  that  are  but  rotten  rags.  No,  ye  had 
better  come  naked,  as  you  are  ;  for  ye  must  throw  aside  your 
rags,  and  come  in  your  blood.  Some  of  you  may  say,  we 
would  come  but  we  have  a  hard  heart :  but  ye  will  never  get 
it  soft  till  you  come  to  Christ ;  he  will  take  away  the  heart  of 
stone,  and  give  you  a  heart  of  flesh  ;  he  will  speak  peace  to 
your  soul :  though  ye  have  betrayed  him,  yet  he  will  be  your 
peace.  Shall  I  prevail  upon  any  of  you  this  morning  to  come 
to  Jesus  Christ !  There  is  a  great  multitude  of  souls  here  ; 
how  shortly  must  ye  all  die,  and  go  to  judgment ;  even  before 
night,  or  to-morrow's  night,  some  of  you  maybe  buried  in  this 
churchyard.  And  how  will  ye  do  if  ye  be  not  at  peace  with 
God  !  if  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  has  not  spoken  peace  to  your 
heart.  If  God  speak  not  peace  to  you  here,  ye  will  be  damned 
for  ever.  I  must  not  flatter  you  ;  my  dear  friends,  1  will  deal 
sincerely  with  your  souls.  Some  of  you  may  think  I  carry 
things  too  far  :  but  indeed  when  ye  come  to  judgment,  ye  will 
find  this  true,  either  to  your  eternal  damnation  or  comfort. 
May  God  influence  your  hearts  to  com.e  to  him  !  I  am  not 
willing  to  go  away  without  persuading  you.  I  cannot  be  per- 
suaded but  God  may  make  use  of  me  as  a  means  of  persuading 
some  of  you  to  come  to  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  O  did  you  but 
feel  the  peace  which  they  have  that  love  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 
"  Great  peace  have  they,"  says  the  Psalmist,  "  that  love  thy  law, 
nothing  shall  offend  them."  But  there  is  no  peace  to  the  wick- 
ed. I  know  what  it  is  to  live  a  life  of  sin.  I  was  obliged  to 
sin  to  stifle  conviction.  And  I  am  sure  this  is  the  way  many 
of  you  take  ;  if  ye  get  into  company,  ye  drive  off*  conviction. 
But  ye  had  better  go  to  the  bottom  at  once  ;  it  must  be  done, 
your  wound  must  be  searched,  or  ye  must  be  damned.  If  it 
were  a  matter  of  indifference,  I  would  not  speak  one  word 
about  it :  l^ut  ye  will  be  damned  without  Christ ;  he  is  the  way, 
he  is  the  truth,  and  the  life.  I  cannot  think  you  should  go  to 
hell  without  Christ.  How  can  ye  dwell  with  everlasting  burn- 
ings ?  How  can  ye  abide  the  thought  of  living  with  the  devil 
for  ever  ?  Is  it  not  better  to  have  some  soul  trouble  here,  than 
to  be  sent  to  hell  by  Jesus  Christ  hereafter  ?  What  is  hell  but 
to  be  absent  from  Christ  ?  If  there  were  no  other  hell,  that 
would  be  hefl  enough.  It  will  be  hell  to  be  tormented  with 
the  devil  for  ever.  Get  acquaintance  with  God  then,  and  be  at 
peace.    I  beseech  you  as  a  poor  worthless  ambassador  of  Jesus 


I 


Serm.  14.]  the  method  of  grace.  46T 

Christ,  that  ye  would  be  reconciled  to  him.  My  business  this 
morning,  the  first  day  of  the  week,  is  to  tell  you  that  Christ  is 
willing  to  be  reconciled  to  you.  Will  any  of  you  be  reconciled 
to  Jesus  Christ  ?  Then,  he  will  forgive  you  all  your  sins  ;  he 
will  blot  out  all  your  transgressions.  But  if  ye  will  go  on 
and  rebel  against  Christ,  and  stab  him  daily  ;  if  ye  will  go  on 
and  abuse  Jesus  Christ,  the  wrath  of  God,  ye  must  expect,  will 
fall  upon  you.  God  will  not  be  mocked  ;  that  which  a  man 
soweth,  that  shall  he  also  reap.  And  if  ye  will  not  be  at  peace 
with  God,  God  will  not  be  at  peace  with  you.  Who  can  stand 
before  God  when  he  is  angry.  It  is  a  dreadful  thing  to  fall 
into  the  hands  of  an  angry  God.  When  the  people  came  to 
apprehend  Christ,  they  fell  to  the  ground  when  Jesus  said,  T  am 
he  :  and  if  they  could  not  bear  the  sight  of  Christ  when  cloth- 
ed with  the  rags  of  mortality,  how  will  they  bear  the  sight  of 
him,  when  lie  is  on  his  Father's  throne  ?  Methinks  I  see  the 
poor  wretches  dragged  out  of  their  graves  by  the  devil,  methinks 
I  see  .them  trembling,  calling  out  to  the  hills  and  rocks  to 
cover  them.  But  the  devil  will  say,  come,  I  will  take  you 
av/ay ;  and  then  they  will  stand  trembling  before  the  judg- 
ment seat  of  Christ.  They  shall  appear  before  him  to  see  him 
once,  and  hear  him  pronounce  that  irrevocable  sentence. 
"  Depart  from  me,  ye  cursed.*'  Methinks  I  hear  the  poor  crea- 
ture saying.  Lord,  if  we  must  be  damned,  let  some  angel  pro- 
nounce the  sentence.  No,  the  God  of  lovp,  Jesus  Christ,  will 
pronounce  it.  Will  ye  not  believe  this  ?  Do  not  think  I  am 
talking  at  random,  but  agreeably  to  the  scriptures  of  truth.  If 
ye  do  then  show  yourselves  men,  this  morning  go  away  with 
full  resolution,  in  the  strength  of  God,  to  cleave  to  Christ.  And 
may  ye  have  no  rest  in  your  soul  till  ye  rest  in  Jesus  Christ.  1 
could  still  go  on,  for  ii  is  sweet  to  talk  of  Christ.  Do  ye  not 
long  for  the  time  when  ye  shall  have  new  bodies,  when  they 
shall  be  immortal,  and  made  like  Christ's  glorious  body,  and 
then  tJiey  will  talk  of  Jesus  Christ  for  evermore.  But  it  is  time 
perhaps  for  you  to  go  and  prepare  for  your  respective  worship, 
and  I  would  not  hinder  any  of  you.  My  design  is  to  bring 
poor  sinners  to  Jesus  Christ.  O  that  God  may  bring  some  of 
you  to  himself  May  the  Lord  Jesus  now  dismiss  you  with 
his  blessing  ;  and  may  the  dear  Redeemer  convince  you  that 
are  unawakened,and  turn  the  wicked  from  the  evil  of  their  way. 
And  may  the  love  of  God  that  passeth  all  understanding  fill 
your  hearts.  Grant  this,  O  Father,  for  Christ's  sake,  to  whom, 
with  thee  and  the  blessed  Spirit,  be  all  honor  and  glory,  now 
and  for  ever  more.     Amen. 


468  THE  WISE  AND  FOOLISH  VIRGINS.       [Serm.  15. 

SERMON  XV. 


THE  WISE  AND  FOOLISH  VIRGINS. 


Matthew  xxv.  13. 

Watch  therefore,  for  ye  know  neither  the  day  nor  the  hour  in  which 
the  Son  of  man  comet  h. 

The  apostle  Paul,  in  his  epistle  to  the  Hebrews,  informs  us, 
that  "  it  is  appointed  for  all  men  once  to  die  ;  after  that  is  the 
judgment."  And  I  think,  if  any  consideration  be  sufficient  to 
awaken  a  sleeping,  drowsy  world,  it  must  be  this,  that  there 
will  be  a  day  wherein  these  heavens  shall  be  wrapped  up  like 
a  scroll,  this  element  melt  with  fervent  heat,  the  earth  and  all 
things  therein  be  burnt  up,  and  every  soul,  of  every  nation  and 
lantruage,  summoned  to  appear  before  the  dread  tribunal  of  the 
righteous  Judge  of  quick  and  dead,  to  receive  rewards  and 
punishments,  according  to  the  deeds  done  in  their  bodies.  The 
great  apostle  just  mentioned,  when  brought  before  Felix,  could 
think  of  no  better  means  to  convert  that  sinful  man,  than  to  rea- 
son of  temperance,  rio^hteousness,  and  more  especially  of  a 
judgment  to  come.  The  first  might  in  some  measure  affect, 
but  I  am  persuaded,  it  was  the  last  consideration,  a  judgment 
to  come,  that  made  him  tremble :  and  so  bad  as  the  world  is 
now  grown,  yet  few  have  their  consciences  so  far  seared,  as  to 
deny  that  there  will  be  a  reckoning  hereafter.  The  promiscuous 
dispensations  of  providence  in  this  life,  wherein  we  see  good 
men  afflicted,  destitute,  tormented,  and  the  wicked  permitted 
triumphantly  to  ride  over  their  heads,  has  been  always  looked 
upon  as  an  indisputable  argument,  by  the  generality  of  men, 
that  there  will  be  a  day  in  whicJi  God  will  juds^e  the  world  in 
righteousness,  and  administer  equity  unto  his  people.  Some 
indeed  are  so  bold  as  to  deny  it,  while  they  are  engaged  in  the 
pursuit  of  the  lust  of  the  eye,  and  the  pride  of  life ;  but  follow 
them  to  their  death-beds,  ask  them,  when  their  souls  are  ready  to 
launch  into  eternity,  what  they  then  think  of  a  judgment  to  come, 
and  they  will  tell  you  they  dare  not  give  their  consciences, 
the  lie  any  longer.  They  feel  a  fearful  looking  for  of  judg- 
ment, and  fiery  indignation  in  their  hearts.  Since  then  these 
things  are  so,  does  it  not  highly  concern  each  of  us,  my  breth- 
ren, before  we  come  on  a  bed  of  sickness,  seriously  to  examine 
how  the  account  stands  between  God  and  our  souls,  and  how 
it  will  fare  with  us  in  that  day  ?     As  for  the  openly  profane, 


Serm.  15.]       the  wise  and  foolish  virgins.  469 

the  drimkard,  the  whoremonger,  the  adulterer,  and  such  hke, 
there  is  no  doubt  of  what  will  become  of  them  ;  without  repent- 
ance, they  shall  never  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God  and  his 
Christ.  No  ;  their  damnation  slumbereth  not :  a  burning  fiery 
Tophet.  kindled- by  the  fury  of  God's  eternal  wrath,  is  prepared 
for  their  reception,  wherein  they  must  suffer  the  vengeance  of 
eternal  fire.  Nor  is  there  the  least  doubt  of  the  state  of  true 
believers.  For  though  they  are  despised  and  rejected  of  natu- 
ral men,  yet  being  born  a^ain  of  God,  they  are  heirs  of  God, 
and  joint-heirs  with  Christ.  They  have  the  earnest  of  the 
promised  inheritance  in  their  hearts,  and  are  assured,  that  a 
new  and  living  way  is  made  open  for  them,  into  the  holy  of 
holies,  by  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ,  into  which  an  abundant 
entrance  shall  be  administered  to  them  at  the  great  da^r  of  ac- 
count. The  only  question  is,  what  will  become  of  the  almost 
christian,  one  tiiat  is  content  to  go,  as  he  thinks,  in  a  middle 
way  to  heaven,  without  being  profane  on  the  one  hand,  or,  as 
he  falsely  imagines,  righteous  overmuch  on  the  other?  INlany 
there  are  in  every  congregation,  and  consequently  some  here 
present,  of  this  stamp.  And  what  is  worst  of  all,  it  is  more 
easy  to  convince  the  most  notorious  publicans  and  sinners  of 
their  being  out  of  a  state  of  salvation,  than  any  of  these.  Not- 
withstanding, if  Jesus  Christ  may  be  your  Judge,  they  shall  as 
certainly  be  rejected  and  disowned  by  him  at  the  last  day,  as 
though  they  lived  in  open  defiance  of  all  his  laws. 

For  what  says  our  Lord  in  the  parable  of  which  the  words 
of  the  text  are  a  conclusion,  and  which  I  intend  to  make  the 
subject  of  my  present  discourse.  "  Then,"  at  the  day  of  judg- 
ment, which  he  had  been  discoursing  of  in  the  foregoing,  and 
prosecutes  in  this  chapter,  "  shall  the  kingdom  of  heaven," 
the  state  of  professors  in  the  gospel  church,  "  be  likened  unto 
ten  virgins,  who  took  their  lamps,  and  went  forth  to  meet  the 
bridegroom."  In  which  words,  is  a  manifest  allusion  to  a 
custom  prevailing  in  our  Lord's  time  among  the  Jews  at  mar- 
riage solemnities,  which  were  generally  at  night,  and  at  which 
it  was  customary  for  the  persons  of  the  bride- chamber  to  go  out 
in  procession,  with  many  lights,  to  meet  the  bridegroom. 

By  the  bridegroom,  you  are  here  to  understand  Jesus  Christ. 
The  church,  that  is,  true  believers,  are  his  spouse  ;  he  is  united 
to  them  by  one  spirit,  even  in  this  life  ;  but  the  solemnizinsf  of 
these  sacred  nuptials  is  reserved  till  the  day  of  judgment,  when 
he  shall  come  to  take  them  home  to  himself,  and  present  them 
before  men  and  angels  as  his  purchase  to  his  Father,  without 
spot  or  wrinkle,  or  any  such  thing.  By  the  ten  virgins  we  are 
to  understand  the  professors  of  Christianity  in  general.  Are  all 
called  virgins,  because  all  are  called  to  be  saints  ?     Whoever 

40 


470  THE  WISE  AND  FOOLISH  VIRGINS.  [Scrm.  15. 

names  the  name  of  Christ  is  obhged  by  that  very  profession  to 
depart  from  all  iniquity.  But  the  pure  and  chaste  in  heart,  are 
the  only  persons  that  will  be  so  blessed  as  to  see  God.  As 
Christ  was  born  of  a  virgin,  so  he  can  dwell  in  none  but  virgin 
souls,  made  pure  and  holy  by  the  cohabitation  of  his  Holy  Spirit. 
What  says  the  apostle?  "All  are  not  Israelites  that  are  of 
Israel,"  all  are  not  christians  that  are  called  after  the  name  of 
Christ.  No,  says  our  Lord,  in  the  2d  verse,  "Five  of  those 
virgins  were  wise,"  true  believers,  "and  five  were  foolish," 
formal  hypocrites.  But  why  are  five  said  to  be  wise,  and  the 
other  five  foolish  ?  Hear  what  our  Lord  says  in  the  following 
verses  :  "  They  that  were  foolish  took  their  lamps,  and  took  no 
oil  with  them  ;  but  the  wise  took  oil  in  their  vessels  with  their 
lamps."  They  that  were  foolish  took  their  lamps  of  an  out- 
ward profession.  They  would  go  to  church,  say  over  several 
manuals  of  prayers,  come  perhaps  even  into  a  field  to  hear 
sermon,  give  at  a  collection,  and  receive  the  sacrament  con- 
stantly, nay,  oftener  than  once  a  month.  But  thea  here  lay  the 
mistake :  they  had  no  oil  in  their  lamps,  no  principle  of  grace, 
no  living  faith  in  their  hearts,  without  which,  though  we  should 
give  all  our  goods  to  feed  the  poor,  and  our  bodies  to  be  burn- 
ed, it  would  profit  us  nothing.  In  short,  they  were  exact,  nay, 
perhaps  superstitious  bigots  as  to  the  form,  but  all  the  while  they 
were  strangers  to,  and,  in  efiect,  denied  the  power  of  godliness  in 
their  hearts.  They  would  go  to  church,  but  at  the  same  time 
think  it  no  harm  to  go  to  a  ball  or  an  assembly,  notwithstanding 
they  promised  at  their  baptism,  to  renounce  the  pomps  and  vani- 
ties of  this  wicked  world.  They  were  so  exceedingly  fearful  of 
being  righteous  over  much,  that  they  would  even  persecute 
those  that  were  truly  devout,  if  they  attempted  to  go  a  step  far- 
ther than  themselves.  In  one  word,  they  never  effectually  felt 
the  power  of  the  world  to  come.  They  thought  they  might 
be  christians  without  so  much  inward  feeling,  and  therefore, 
notwithstanding  their  high  pretensions,  had  only  a  name  to  live. 
And  now,  sirs,  let  me  pause  a  while,  and,  in  the  name  of 
God,  whom  I  endeavor  to  serve  in  the  gospel  of  his  dear  Son, 
give  me  leave  to  ask  one  question.  Whilst  I  have  been  draw- 
ing, though  in  miniature,  the  character  of  these  foolish  virgins, 
have  not  many  of  your  consciences  made  the  application,  and 
with  a  small,  still,  though  articulate  voice,  said,  thou  man,  thou 
woman  art  one  of  those  foolish  virgins,  for  thy  sentiments  and 
practice  agree  thereto  ?  Stifle  not,  but  rather  encourage  these 
convictions  ;  and,  who  knows  but  that  Lord  who  is  rich  in 
mercy  to  all  that  call  upon  him  faithfully,  may  so  work  on  you, 
even  now  by  this  foolishness  of  preaching,  as  to  make  you 
wise  virgins ! 


Serm.  15.]       the  wise  and  foolish  virgins.  471 

What  they  were  you  shall  know  immediately :  '•'  But  the 
wise  took  oil  in  their  vessels  with  their  lamps."  Observe,  the 
wise,  the  true  believers,  had  their  lamps  as  well  as  the  foolish 
virgins  ;  for  Christianity  does  not  require  us  to  cast  off  all  out- 
ward forms  ;  we  may  use  forms  and  yet  not  be  formal.  For 
instance,  it  is  possible  to  worship  God  in  a  set  form  of  prayer, 
and  yet  worship  him  in  spirit  and  in  truth.  And  therefore, 
brethren,  let  us  not  judge  one  another  :  the  wise  virgins  had 
their  lamps  ;  herein  then  did  not  lie  the  difference  between  them 
and  the  foolish,  that  one  worshipped  God  with  a  form,  and  the 
other  did  not.  No  :  as  the  pharisee  and  publican  went  up  to 
the  temple  to  pray,  so  these  wise  and  foolish  virgins  might  go 
to  the  same  place  of  worship,  and  sit  under  the  same  ministry  ; 
but  then  the  wise  took  oil  in  their  vessels  with  their  lamps  : 
they  kept  up  the  form,  but  did  not  rest  in  it :  their  words  in 
prayer  were  the  language  of  their  hearts,  and  they  were  no 
strangers  to  inward  feelings  ;  they  had  savingly  tasted  the  good 
word  of  life,  and  felt,  or  had  experimental  knowledge  of  the 
power  of  the  world  to  come  ;  they  were  not  afraid  of  searching 
doctrines,  nor  affronted  when  ministers  told  them  they  by  na- 
ture deserved  to  be  damned  :  they  were  not  self-righteous,  but 
were  willing  that  Jesus  Christ  should  have  all  the  glory  of  their 
salvation  ;  they  were  convinced  that  the  merits  of  Jesus  Christ 
were  to  be  apprehended  only  by  faith  ;  but  yet  were  they  as 
careful  to  maintain  good  works,  as  though  they  were  to  be 
justified  by  them.  In  short,  their  obedience  flowed  from  love 
and  gratitude,  and  was  cheerful,  constant,  uniform,  univ^ersal, 
like  that  obedience  which  the  holy  angels  pay  our  Father  in 
heaven. 

Here  then  let  me  exhort  you  to  pause  again  ;  and  if  any  of 
you  can  faithfully  apply  these  characters  to  your  hearts,  give 
God  the  glory,  and  take  the  comfort  to  your  own  souls  ;  you 
are  not  false  but  true  believers.  Jesus  Christ  has  been  made 
of  God  to  you  wisdom,  even  that  wisdom,  whereby  you  shall 
be  made  wise  unto  salvation.  God  sees  a  difference  between 
you  and  foolish  virgins,  if  natural  men  will  not.  You  need 
not  be  uneasy,  though  one  chance  and  fate  in  this  life  may 
happen  to  you  both.  I  say,  one  chance  and  fate  ;  for  verse  5, 
"while  the  bridegroom  tarried,"  in  the  space  of  time  which 
passeth  between  our  Lord's  ascension  and  his  coming  again  to 
judgment,  "they  all  slumbered  and  slept."  The  wise  as  well 
as  foolish  died,  for  dust  we  are,  and  to  dust  we  must  return. 
It  is  no  reflection  at  all  upon  the  divine  goodness,  that  believers, 
as  well  as  hypocrites,  must  pass  through  the  valley  of  the  sha- 
dow of  death  ;  for  Christ  has  taken  away  the  sting  of  death, 
so  that  we  need  fear  no  evil.    It  is  to  them  a  passage  to  ever 


472  THE  WISE  AND  FOOLISH  VIRGINS.       [Serm.  15. 

lasting  life.  Death  is  only  terrible  to  those  who  have  no  hope, 
because  they  live  without  faith,  and  therefore  without  God  in 
the  world.  Whoever  there  are  amongst  you,  that  have  receiv- 
ed the  first  fruits  of  the  Spirit,  I  am  persuaded  are  ready  to 
cry  out,  we  would  not  live  here  always  ;  we  long  to  be  dissolv- 
ed, that  we  may  be  with  Jesus  Christ ;  and  though  worms 
must  destroy  our  bodies  as  well  as  others,  yet  we  are  content, 
being  assured  that  our  Redeemer  liveth,  that  he  will  stand  at 
the  latter  days  upon  the  earth,  and  that  in  our  flesh  we  shall 
see  God. 

But  it  is  not  so  with  hypocrites  and  unbelievers  beyond  the 
grave  ;  for  what  says  our  Lord  ?  "  And  at  midnight ;"  ob- 
serve, at  midnight,  when  all  was  hushed  and  quiet,  and  no  one 
dreaming  of  any  such  thing,  "  a  cry  was  made  ;"  the  voice  of 
the  archangel  and  the  trump  of  God  was  heard  sounding  this 
general  alarm ;  to  things  in  heaven,  to  things  in  earth,  and  to 
things  in  the  waters  under  the  earth,  behold  !  mark  how  this 
awful  summons  is  ushered  in  with  the  word,  behold,  to  en- 
gage our  attention  ?  '•  Behold  the  bridegroom  cometh  !"  even 
Jesus  Christ,  the  desire  of  nations,  the  bridegroom  of  his  spouse^ 
the  church.  Because  he  tarried  for  a  while  to  exercise  the 
faith  of  saints,  and  give  sinners  space  to  repent,  scoflers  were 
apt  to  cry  out,  "  Where  is  the  promise  of  his  coming  ?  But 
the  Lord  is  not  slack  concerning  his  promise,  as  these  men  ac- 
count slackness."  For  behold,  he  that  was  to  come,  now 
cometh,  and  will  not  tarry  any  longep  ;  He  cometh  to  be  glori- 
fied in  his  saints,  and  to  take  vengeance  on  them  that  know 
not  God,  and  have  not  obeyed  his  gospel ;  He  cometh  not  as 
a  poor  despised  Galilean  ;  not  to  be  laid  in  a  stinking  manger ; 
not  to  be  despised  and  rejected  of  men  ;  not  to  be  blindfolded, 
spit  upon,  and  buffeted  ;  not  to  be  nailed  to  an  accursed  tree  ; 
he  cometh  not  as  the  Son  of  man,  but  as  he  really  was,  the 
eternal  Son  of  the  eternal  God  ;  He  cometh  riding  on  the  wings 
of  the  wind,  in  the  glory  of  the  Father  and  his  holy  angels, 
and  to  be  had  in  everlasting  reverence  of  all  that  shall  be 
round  about  him.  Go  ye  forth  to  meet  him  ;  arise  ye  dead, 
ye  foolish  as  well  as  wise  virgins,  arise  and  come  to  judgment. 
Multitudes,  no  doubt,  that  hear  this  awakening  cry,  would  re- 
joce,  if  the  rocks  might  fall  on,  and  the  hills  cover  them  from 
the  presence  of  the  Lamb.  What  would  they  give,  if  as  they 
lived  as  beasts,  they  might  now  die  like  the  beasts  that  perish  ? 
How  would  they  rejoice,  if  those  same  excuses,  which  they 
made  on  this  side  eternity,  for  not  attending  on  holy  ordi- 
nances, would  serve  to  keep  them  from  appearing  before  the 
heavenly  bridegroom  !  But  as  Adam,  notwithstanding  his 
fig-leaves,  and  the  trees  of  the  garden,  could  not  hide  himself 


Serm.  15.]      the  wise  and. foolish  virgins.  473 

from  God,  when  arrested  with  an  Adam,  where  art  thou  7 
So  now  the  decree  is  gone  forth,  and  the  trump  of  God  has 
ffiven  its  last  sound  ;  all  tongues,  people,  nations,  and  lan- 
guages, both  wise  and  foolish  virgins,  must  come  into  his  pre- 
sence, and  bow  beneath  his  footstool ;  even  Pontius  Pilate, 
Annas  and  Caiaphas  ;  even  the  proud  persecuting  high  priests 
and  Pharisees  of  this  generation,  must  appear  before  him.  For 
says  our  Lord,  then  (when  the  cry  was  made,  behold  the  bride- 
groom Cometh  !)  in  a  moment,  in  the  twmkling  of  an  eye,  the 
graves  were  opened,  the  sea  gave  up  its  dead,  and  all  those 
virgins,  both  wise  and  foolish,  arose  and  trimmed  their  lamps," 
or  endeavored  to  put  themselves  in  a  proper  posture  to  meet 
the  bridegroom. 

But  how  may  we  imagine  the  foolish  virgins  were  surprised 
when,  notwithstanding  their  high  thouofhts  and  proud  imagi- 
nations of  their  security,  they  now  find  themselves  wholly  naked, 
and  void  of  that  inward  holiness  and  purity  of  heart,  without 
which  no  man  living  at  that  day  shall  comfortably  meet  the 
Lord.  I  doubt  not  but  many  of  these  foolish  virgins,  while  in 
this  world,  were  clothed  in  purple  and  fine  linen,  fared  sump- 
tuously every  day,  and  disdained  to  set  with  the  wise  virgins, 
some  of  whom  mio^ht  be  as  poor  as  Lazarus,  even  the  dogs  of 
their  flock.  These  were  looked  upon  by  them  as  enthusiasts 
and  madmen,  as  persons  that  were  righteous  overmuch  and  who 
intended  to  turn  the  world  upside  down  :  but  now  death  hath 
opened  their  eyes,  and  convinced  them  to  their  eternal  sorrow, 
that  he  is  not  a  true  christian,  who  is  only  one  outwardly. 
Now  they  find  (though  alas !  too  late)  they,  and  not  the 
wise  virgins  had  been  beside  themselves.  Now  their  proud 
hearts  are  made  to  stoop,  their  lofty  looks  are  brought  low  ; 
and  as  Dives  entreated  that  Lazarus  might  dip  the  tip  of  his 
finger  in  water,  and  be  sent  to  cool  his  tongue,  so  these  fool- 
ish virgins,  these  formal  hypocrites,  are  obliged  to  turn  beg- 
gars to  those  whom  they  once  despised.  "  Give  us  of  your 
oil,"  O  !  impart  to  us  a  little  of  that  grace  and  holy  spirit, 
for  the  insisting  on  which  we  fools  accounted  your  lives 
madness  ;  for,  alas  !  our  lamps  are  gone  out :  we  had  only 
the  form  of  godliness  ;  we  were  whited  sepulchres  ;  we  were 
heart  hypocrites  ;  we  contented  ourselves  with  desiring  to  be 
good  ;  and  though  confident  of  salvation  while  we  lived,  yet 
our  hope  is  entirely  gone,  now  God  has  entirely  taken  away 
our  souls  ;  give  us  therefore,  O  !  give  us,  though  we  once  de- 
spised you,  give  us  of  your  oil,  for  our  lamps,  of  an  outward 
profession,  and  transient  convictions,  are  quite  gfone  out.  "Com- 
fort ye,  comfort  ye,  my  people  saith  the  Lorcf."  My  brethren 
in  Christ,  hear  what  the  foolish  say  to  the  wise  virgins,  and 

40* 


474  THE  WISE  AND  FOOLISH  VIRGINS.       [Serm.  15. 

learn  in  patience  to  possess  your  souls.  If  you  are  true  follow- 
ers of  the  lovely  Jesus,  I  am  persuaded  you  have  your  names 
cast  out,  and  all  manner  of  evil  spoken  falsely  against  you  for 
his  name's  sako.  For  no  one  ever  did,  or  will  live  godly  in 
Christ  Jesus,  without  suftering  persecution  ;  nay,  I  doubt  not 
but  your  chief  foes  are  those  of  your  own  household.  Tell  me, 
do  not  your  carnal  relations  and  friends  vex  your  tender  souls 
day  by  day,  in  bidding  you  spare  yourselves,  and  take  heed 
lest  you  go  too  far  ;  and  as  you  pass  along  to  come  and  hear 
the  word  of  God,  have  you  not  heard  many  a  pharisee  cry  out, 
here  comes  another  troop  of  his  followers  !  Brethren,  be  not 
surprised ;  Christ's  servants  were  always  the  world's  fools  ; 
you  know  it  hated  him  before  it  hated  you.  Rejoice  and  be 
exceeding  glad.  Yet  a  little  while,  and  behold  the  bridegroom 
cometh  ;  then  shall  you  hear  these  formal  scoffing  pharisees 
saying  unto  you,  "  Give  us  of  your  oil  for  our  lamps  are  gone 
out."  When  you  are  reviled,  revile  not  again ;  when  you 
suffer,  threaten  not ;  commit  your  souls  into  the  hands  of  him 
that  judgeth  righteously ;  for  behold  the  day  cometh,  when  the 
children  of  God  shall  speak  for  themselves. 

T])e  wise  virgins,  in  the  parable,  no  doubt  endured  the  same 
cruel  mockings  as  you  may  do  ;  but  as  the  lamb  before  the 
shearers  is  dumb,  so  in  this  life  opened  they  not  their  mouths ; 
but  now  we  find  they  can  give  their  enemies  an  answer.  "  Not 
so  ;  lest  there  be  not  enough  for  us  and  you,  but  go  ye  rather  to 
them  that  sell,  and  buy  for  yourselves."  These  words  are  not 
to  be  understood  as  though  ihey  were  spoken  in  an  insulting 
manner  ;  for  true  charity  teaches  us  to  use  the  worst  of  sinners, 
and  our  most  bitter  enemies,  with  the  meekness  and  gentleness 
of  Christ.  Though  Dives  was  in  hell,  yet  Abraham  does  not 
say,  Thou  villain;  but  only,  son,  remember;  and  I  am  per- 
suaded, had  it  been  in  the  power  of  these  wise  virgins,  as,  God 
knows,  I  would  willingly  deal  with  my  most  inveterate  ene- 
mies, not  only  give  them  of  their  oil,  but  also  exalt  them  to 
the  right  hand  of  God.  It  was  not  then  for  want  of  love,  but 
the  fear  of  wanting  a  sufficiency  for  themselves,  that  made 
them  return  this  answer,  "  Not  so,  lest  there  be  not  enough 
for  us  and  you  ;"  for  they  that  have  most  grace,  have  none  to 
spare  ;  none  but  self-righteous,  foohsh  virgins  think  they  are 
good  enough,  or  have  already  attained.  Those  who  are  truly 
wise  a^re  always  most  distrustful  of  themselves,  pressing  forward 
to  the  things  that  are  before,  and  think  it  well  if,  after  they 
have  done  all.  they  can  make  their  calling  and  eleetioR  snre. 
"  Not  so,  lest  there  be  not  enough  for  us  and  you  ;  but  go  ye 
rather  to  them  that  sell,  and  buy  for  yourselves."  These  words 
indeed  seem  to  be  spoken  in  a  triumphant,  but  certainly  they 


Serm.  15.]       the  wise  and  foolish  virgins.  475 

were  uttered  in  the  most  compassionate  manner.  "  Go  ye  to 
them  that  sell,  and  buy  for  yourselves :"  Unhappy  virgins  I 
you  accounted  our  lives  folly.  Whilst  with  you  in  the  body, 
how  often  have  you  condemned  us  for  our  zeal  in  running  to 
hear  the  word  of  God,  and  looked  on  us  as  enthusiasts,  for  affirm- 
ing, that  we  must  be  led  and  walk  by  the  Spirit,  and  feel  the 
spirit  of  God  witnessing  with  our  spirits,  that  we  are  his  chil- 
dren ?  Now  you  would  be  glad  to  be  partakers  of  this  privilege, 
but  it  is  not  ours  to  give.  You  contented  yourselves  with 
seeking,  when  you  should  have  be^n  striving  to  enter  in  at  the 
straight  gate ;  and  now  go  to  them  that  sell,  "  and  buy  for 
yourselves." 

And  what  say  you  to  this,  ye  foolish  formal  professors  ?  for 
I  doubt  not  but  curiosity  and  novelty  have  brought  many  such, 
even  to  this  despised  place  to  hear  a  sermon.  Can  you  hear 
this  reply,  and  yet  not  tremble  7  Why  yet  a  little  while,  and 
thus  it  shall  be  done  to  you.  Rejoice  and  bolster  yourselves 
up  in  your  duties  and  forms  ;  endeavor  to  cover  your  naked- 
ness with  the  fig-leaves  of  an  outward  profession,  and  legal 
righteousness,  and  despise  the  true  servants  of  Christ  as  much 
as  you  please,  yet  know  that  all  your  hopes  will  fail  you  when 
God  brings  you  into  judgment.  For  not  he  who  commendeth 
himself  is  justified,  but  he  whom  the  Lord  commendeth. 

But  to  return  ;  we  do  not  hear  of  any  reply  the  foolish  virgins 
made  :  no,  their  consciences  conden)ned  them ;  like  the  per- 
son without  a  wedding  garment,  they  are  struck  dumb,  and 
are  now  filled  with  anxious  thoughts  how  they  shall  buy  oil, 
that  they  may  lift  up  their  heads  before  the  bridegroom.  "  But 
whilst  they  went  to  buy,"  the  bridegroom,  the  Lord  Jesus,  the 
king,  the  husband  of  his  spouse  the  church,  cometh,  attended 
with  thousands  and  twenty  times  ten  thousands  of  saints  and 
angels,  publicly  to  count  up  his  jewels  ;  and  they  that  were 
ready,  the  wise  virgins  who  had  oil  in  their  lamps,  and  were 
sealed  by  his  Spirit  to  the  day  of  redemption,  having  on  the 
v/edding  garment  of  an  imputed  righteousness,  and  a  new 
nature,  went  in  to  the  marriage. 

Who  can  express  the  transports  these  wise  virgins  felt,  when 
they  were  thus  admitted,  in  holy  triumph,  into  the  presence 
and  full  enjoyment  of  him,  whom  their,  souls  hungered  and 
thirsted  after.  No  doubt  they  had  tasted  of  his  love,  and  by 
faith  had  often  fed  on  him  in  their  hearts,  when  sitting  down 
to  commemorate  his  last  supper  here  on  earth ;  but  how  full 
may  we  think  their  hearts  and  tongues  were  of  his  praises, 
when  they  see  themselves  seated  together  to  eat  bread  in  his 
heavenly  kingdom.  And  what  was  best  of  all,  the  door  was 
shut,  and  shut  them  in  to  enjoy  the  ever  blessed  God,  the  com- 


476  THE  WISE  AND  FOOLISH  VIRGINS.  [Scrm.  15. 

pany  of  angels,  and  the  spirit  of  just  men  made  perfect,  for  ever. 
I  say  without  interruption  ;  for  in  this  Hfe,  their  eyes  often 
gushed  out  with  water,  because  men  kept  not  God's  law  ;  and 
they  could  never  come  to  appear  before  the  Lord,  or  to  hear 
his  word,  but  Satan  and  his  emissaries  would  come  also  to  dis- 
turb them  :  but  now  the  door  is  shut,  now  there  is  a  perfect 
communion  of  saints,  which  they  in  vain  longed  for  in  this 
lower  world  ;  now  tares  no  longer  grow  up  with  the  wheat ; 
no  hypocrite,  or  unbeliever,  can  screen  himself  among  them. 
Now  "  the  wicked  cease  from  troubling,"  and  now  their  weary 
souls  enjoy  rest. 

Once  more,  O  believers,  let  me  exhort  you  in  patience  to 
possess  your  souls.  God  has  sealed  you  to  be  his,  and  has 
secured  you,  as  surely  as  he  did  Noah  when  he  locked  him  in 
the  ark.  But  though  heirs  of  God  and  joint  heirs  of  Christ, 
and  neither  men  nor  devils  can  pluck  you  out  of  your  heavenly 
Father's  hands,  yet  you  must  be  tossed  about  with  manifold 
temptations ;  however,  lift  up  your  heads,  the  day  of  your 
perfect,  complete  redemption  draws  nigh.  Behold  the  bride- 
groom cometh  to  take  you  to  himself;  then  you  shall  be  ever 
with  the  Lord. 

But  I  even  tremble  to  tell  you,  O  nominal  christians !  that 
the  door  shall  be  shut,  I  mean  the  door  of  mercy,  never  to  be 
opened  to  give  you  admission,  though  ye  should  continue 
knocking  to  all  eternity.  For  thus  speaks  our  Lord,  "  After- 
wards," after  those  that  were  ready  went  in  and  the  door  was 
shut ;  after  they  had,  to  their  sorrow,  found  that  no  oil  was  to 
be  bought,  nor  grace  procured,  "  came  also  the  other  virgins  ;" 
and  as  Esau,  after  Jacob  had  got  the  blessing,  cried  with  an 
exceeding-  bitter  cry,  "  Bless  me,  even  me  also,  O  my  father ;"  so 
they  came  saying,  "Lord,  Lord,  open  to  us."  Observe  the 
importunity  of  these  foolish  virgins,  implied  in  these  words 
Lord,  Lord.  Whilst  in  the  body,  I  suppose  they  only  read, 
did  not  pray  over  their  prayers.  If  you  now  tell  them,  they 
should  pray  without  ceasing,  they  should  pray  from  their  hearts, 
and  feel  the  want  of  what  they  prayed  for ;  they  would  answer, 
they  could  not  tell  what  you  mean  by  inward  feelings ;  that 
God  did  not  require  us  to  be  always  on  our  knees  ;  but  if  a  man 
did  justly,  and  loved  mercy,  and  did  as  the  church  forms  re- 
quired him,  it  was  as  much  as  the  Lord  required  at  his  hands. 

I  fear,  sirs,  too  many  among  us  are  of  this  mind  :  nay,  1 
fear  there  are  many  so  polite,  so  void  of  the  love  of  God  as  to 
think  it  too  great  a  piece  of  self-denial,  to  rise  early  to  offer  up 
a  sacrifice  of  praise  and  thanksgiving  acceptable  to  God 
through  Jesus  Christ.  If  any  such,  by  the  good  providence  of 
God,  are  brought  hither  this  morning,  I  beseech  you  to  consider 


Serm.  15.]      the  wise  and  foolish  virgins.  477 

your  ways,  and  remember,  if  you  are  not  awakened  out  of 
your  spiritual  lethargy,  and  live  a  life  of  prayer  here,  you  shall 
but  in  vain  cry  out  with  the  foolish  virgins,  "  Lord,  Lord,  open 
to  us,"  hereafter.  Observe  farther,  the  impudence,  as  well  as 
importunity  of  these  other  virgins;  Lord,  Lord,  say  they,  as 
though  they  were  intimately  acquainted  with  the  holy  Jesus. 
Like  numbers  among  us,  who  because  they  go  to  church, 
repeat  their  creeds,  and  receive  the  blessed  sacrament,  think 
they  have  a  right  to  call  Jesus  their  Savior,  and  dare  call  God 
their  Father,  when  they  put  up  the  Lord's  prayer.  But  Jesus  is 
not  your  Savior.  The  devil,  not  God  is  your  father,  unless  your 
hearts  are  purified  by  faith,  and  you  are  born  again  from 
above.  It  is  not  merely  being  baptized  by  water,  but  being 
born  again  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  that  must  qualify  you  for  salva- 
tion ;  and  it  will  do  you  no  service  at  the  great  day,  to  say 
unto  Christ,  Lord,  my  name  is  in  the  register  of  such  and  such 
a  parish.  I  am  persuaded  the  foolish  virgins  could  say  this  and 
more.  But  what  answer  did  the  blessed  Jesus  make  ?  He  an- 
swered and  said,  "  Verily,  I  say  unto  you."  He  puts  the  word 
verily  to  assure  them  he  was  in  earnest.  "  I  say  unto  you,"  I  who 
am  truth  itself,  I  whom  you  have  owned  in  words,  but  in 
works  denied,  "  verily  I  say  unto  you  I  know  you  not."  These 
words  must  Lot  be  understood  literally  ;  for  whatever  Arians 
and  Socinians  may  say  to  the  contrary,  yet  we  affirm  that  Jesus 
Christ  is  God,  God  blessed  for  ever,  and  therefore  knoweth  all 
things.  He  saw  Nathaniel,  when  under  the  fig-tree.  He  sees 
and  is  noAV  looking  down  from  heaven,  his  dwelling  place, 
upon  us,  to  see  how  we  behave  in  these  fields.  Brethren,  I 
know  nothing  of  the  thoughts  and  intents  of  your  hearts,  in 
coming  hither ;  but  Jesus  knows  who  come  like  new-born 
babes,  desirous  to  be  fed  with  the  sincere  milk  of  the  word  ; 
and  he  knows  who  come  to  hear  what  the  babbler  says,  and 
to  run  away  with  part  of  a  broken  sentence,  that  they  may 
have  whereof  they  may  ridicule  or  accuse  him.  This  expres- 
sion then,  /  know  you  not,  must  not  be  understood  literally ; 
no,  it  implies  a  knowledge  of  approbation,  as  though  Christ  had 
said,  "  you  call  me  Lord,  Lord,  but  you  have  not  done  the 
things  that  I  have  said  ;"  you  desire  me  to  open  the  door,  but 
how  can  you  come  in  hither,  not  having  on  a  wedding  garment? 
Alas,  you  are  naked !  Where  is  my  outward  righteousness 
imputed  to  you  ?  Where  is  my  inherent  righteousness  wrought 
in  you  ?  Where  is  my  divine  image  stamped  upon  your  souls  ? 
How  dare  you  call  me  Lord,  Lord,  when  you  have  not 
received  the  Holy  Ghost,  whereby  I  seal  all  that  are  truly 
mine?  "  Verily,  I  know  you  not ;  depart  from  me,  ye  cursed, 
into  everlasting  fire,  prepared  for  the  devil  and  his  angels." 


478  THE  WISE  AND  FOOLISH  VIRGINS.      [Serm.  15. 

And  now,  "  he  that  hath  ears  to  hear,  let  him  hear"  what 
manner  of  persons  these  were,  whom  Jesus  Christ  dismissed 
with  this  answer.  Remember,  I  entreat  you,  they  are  not 
fornicators,  swearers,  sabbath  breakers,  or  prodigals.  No,  in 
all  probability,  they  were,  touching  the  outward  observances 
of  the  moral  law,  blameless  ;  they  were  constant  as  to  the 
form  of  religion  ;  and  if  they  did  no  good  yet  no  one  could 
say  they  did  any  harm.  The  only  thing  for  which  they  were 
condemned,  and  eternally  banished  from  the  presence  of  the 
Lord  (for  so  much  is  implied  in  "  I  know  you  not,")  was  this, 
they  had  no  oil  in  their  lamps,  no  principle  of  a  true  living 
faith  and  holiness  in  their  hearts.  And  if  persons  may  go  to 
church,  receive  the  sacrament,  lead  honest  moral  lives,  and 
yet  be  sent  to  hell  at  the  last  day,  as  they  certainly  will  be  if 
they  advance  no  farther,  where  wilt  thou,  O  drunkard? 
Where  wilt  thou,  O  swearer?  Where  wilt  thou,  O  sabbath 
breaker?  Where  wilt  thou  that  deniest  divine  revelation, 
and  even  the  form  of  godliness  ?  Where  will  you  and  such 
like  sinners  appear?  I  know  very  well.  You  must  appear 
before  the  dreadful  tribunal  of  Jesus  Christ.  However  you 
may,  like  Felix,  put  off  the  prosecution  of  your  convictions, 
yet  you,  as  well  as  others,  must  arise  after  death  and  appear 
in  judgment ;  you  will  then  find,  to  your  eternal  sorrow,  that 
your  damnation  slumbers  not :  sin  has  blinded  your  hearts, 
and  hardened  your  foreheads  now,  but  yet  a  little  while,  and 
our  Lord  will  ease  him  of  his  adversaries.  Methinks,  by  faith, 
I  see  the  heavens  opened,  and  the  holy  Jesus  coming  with  his 
face  brighter  than  ten  thousand  suns,  darting  fury  upon  you 
from  his  eyes  !  Methinks  I  see  you  rising  from  your  graves, 
trembling,  astonished,  crying  out,  who  can  abide  this  day  of 
his  coming ! 

And  now  what  inference  shall  I  draw  from  what  has  been 
said  ?  Our  Lord,  in  the  text,  has  drawn  one  for  me  :  "  Watch 
therefore,  for  ye  know  neither  the  day  nor  the  hour  wherein 
the  Son  of  man  cometh." 

AYatch,  that  is,  be  on  your  guard,  and  keep  your  graces  in 
continual  exercise  ;  for,  as  when  we  are  commanded  to  watch 
unto  prayer,  it  signifies  that  we  should  continue  instant  in 
that  duty ;  so  when  we  are  required  to  watch  in  general,  it 
means  that  we  should  put  on  the  whole  armor  of  God,  and 
live  every  day  as  though  it  were  our  last. 

And  O  that  the  Lord  may  now  enable  me  to  lift  up  my 
voice  like  a  trumpet !  for  had  I  a  thousand  tongues,  or  could 
I  speak  so  loud  that  the  whole  world  might  hear  me,  I  could 
not  sound  a  more  useful  alarm  than  that  which  is  contained 
in  the  text    Watch,  therefore,  my  brethren,  I  beseech  you  by 


Serm.  15.]      the  wise  and  foolish  virgins.  479 

the  mercies  of  God  in  Christ  Jesus,  watch  ;  be  on  your  guard 
"  Awake,  ye  that  sleep  in  the  dust ;  for  ye  know  neither  the 
day  nor  the  hour  wherein  the  Son  of  man  cometh."  Perhaps 
to-day,  perhaps  this  midnight  the  cry  may  be  made  :  for  in  a 
moment,  in  the  twinlding  of  an  eye,  the  trump  is  to  sound. 
However,  supposing  the  final  day  of  judgment  may  yet  be  a 
great  way  off,  the  day  of  death  is  certainly  near  at  hand.  For 
what  is  our  life  ?  It  is  but  a  vapor,  soon  passeth  away,  and 
we  are  gone.  Blessed  be  God,  we  are  all  here  well  ;  but  who 
out  of  this  great  multitude,  dare  say,  I  shall  go  home  to  my 
house  in  safety  ?  Who  knows  but  whilst  I  am  speaking  God 
may  commission  his  ministering  spirits  to  call  some  of  you 
away  by  a  sudden  stroke,  to  give  an  account  with  what  atten- 
tion you  have  heard  this  sermon. 

You  know,  my  brethren,  some  such  instances  we  have 
lately  had.  And  wliat  angel  or  spirit  has  assured  us,  that 
some  of  you  shall  not  be  the  next?  Watch  therefore,  for  ye 
know  neither  the  day  nor  the  hour  wherein  the  Son  of  man 
icill  come.  And  it  is  chiefly  for  this  reason,  that  God  has  hid 
the  day  of  our  deaths  from  us.  For  since  I  know  not  but  I 
may  die  to-morrow,  why,  O  my  soul,  wilt  thou  not  watch 
to-day?  Since  I  know  not  but  I  may  die  next  moment,  why 
wilt  thou  not  prepare  for  dying  this  ? 

Many  such  reflections  as  these,  my  brethren,  crowd  in  on 
my  mind.  xVt  present,  blessed  be  the  Lord,  who  delights  to 
magnify  his  strength  in  a  poor  worm's  weakness,  I  am  at  a 
stand,  not  so  much  about  what  I  shall  say,  as  what  I  shall 
leave  unsaid.  My  belly,  like  Elihu's,  is  as  it  were  full  of  new 
wines  ;  out  of  the  abundance  of  my  heart  my  mouth  speaketh. 
A  sense  of  the  infinite  majesty  of  that  God  in  whose  name  I 
preach,  and  before  whom  I  as  well  as  you  must  appear,  to 
give  an  account ;  and  the  uncertainty  there  is  whether  I  shall 
live  another  day,  to  speak  to  you  any  more,  are  considera- 
tions, which  furnish  me  with  so  much  matter,  that  I  scarcely 
loiow  where  to  begin,  or  end  my  application.  However,  for 
method's  sake,  by  the  divine  assistance,  I  will  branch  it  into 
three  particulars. 

Ax\difirst,  I  would  remind  you  that  are  notoriously  ungodly, 
of  what  our  Lord  says  in  the  text :  for,  though  I  have  said 
your  damnation  slumlDers  not,  whilst  you  continue  in  an  im- 
penitent state  ;  yet  that  was  only  to  set  you  on  your  watch, 
to  convince  you  of  your  danger,  and  excite  you  to  cry  out, 
"  What  shall  we  do  to  be  saved?"  I  appeal  to  all  that  hear 
jne,  whether  I  have  said  the  door  of  mercy  should  be  shut 
against  you,  if  you  believe  on  Jesus  Christ :  no,  if  you  are  the 
chief  of  sinners;    if  you  are  murderers  of  fathers,  or  of 


480  THE  WISE  AND  FOOLISH  VIRGINS.         [ScTm.  15. 

mothers ;  if  you  are  emphatically  the  dung  and  oifscouring 
of  all  things  ;  yet  if  you  believe  on  Jesus  Christ,  and  cry  unto 
him  with  the  same  faith  as  the  expiring  thief,  "  Lord,  remem- 
ber me,  now  thou  art  in  thy  kingdom  ;"  I  will  pawn  my 
eternal  salvation  on  it,  that  he  will  shortly  translate  you  to 
his  heavenly  paradise.  Wonder  not  t<  my  speaking  with  so 
much  assurance,  for  I  know  "  it  is  a  faithful  and  true  saying, 
and  worthy  of  all  acceptation,  that  Jesus  Christ  came  into  the 
world  to  save  (all  truly  affected  and  believing)  sinners."  Nay, 
so  great  is  his  love,  that  I  am  persuaded,  were  it  necessary,  he 
would  come  again  into  the  world,  and  die  a  second  time  for 
them  on  the  cross.  But,  blessed  be  God.  when  our  Lord 
bowed  down  his  head,  and  gave  up  the  ghost,  our  redemption 
was  finished.  It  is  not  our  sin,  but  our  want  of  a  liv^ely  faith 
in  his  blood,  that  will  prove  our  condemnation.  If  you  draw 
near  to  him  by  faith,  though  you  are  the  worst  of  sinners,  yet 
he  will  not  say  unto  you,  "  Verily  I  know  you  not."  No,  a 
door  of  mercy  shall  be  opened  to  you.  Look  then,  by  an  eye 
of  faith,  to  that  God  man,  whom  ye  have  pierced.  Behold 
him  bleeding,  panting,  dying  on  the  cross,  with  arms  stretched 
out  ready  to  embrace  you  all.  Hark  !  how  he  groans  !  See 
how  all  nature  is  in  agony  !  The  rocks  rend,  the  graves 
open  ;  the  sun  withdraws  its  light,  ashamed  as  it  were  to  see 
the  God  of  nature  suffer  ;  and  all  this  to  usher  in  man's  grea* 
redemption.  Nay  the  holy  Jesus,  in  the  bitter  agonies  and 
pangs  of  death,  prays  for  his  very  murderers.  "  Father,  for- 
give them  for  they  know  not  what  they  do."  If  then  you 
have  crucified  the  Son  of  God  afresh,  and  put  him  to  an  open 
shame,  yet  do  not  despair,  only  believe,  and  even  this  shall  be 
forgiven.  You  have  read,  at  least  you  have  heard,  no  doubt, 
how  three  thousand  were  converted  at  Peter's  preaching  one 
sermon,  after  our  Lord's  ascension,  and  many  of  the  crucifiers 
of  the  Lord  of  glory  undoubtedly  were  among  them  ;  and  why 
should  you  despair  ?  For  Jesus  Christ  is  the  same  yesterdajr, 
to-day,  and  for  ever.  The  Holy  Ghost  shall  be  sent  down  on 
you,  as  well  as  on  them,  if  you  do  but  believe  ;  for  Christ 
ascended  up  on  high  to  receive  this  gift  even  for  the  vilest  of 
men.  Come  then  all  ye  that  are  weary  and  heavy  laden,  with 
a  sense  of  your  sins,  lay  hold  on  Christ  by  faith,  and  he  will 
give  you  rest ;  for  salvation  is  the  free  gift  of  God  to  all  them 
that  believe.  And  though  you  may  think  this  too  good  news 
to  be  true,  yet  I  speak  the  truth  in  Christ,  I  lie  not,  this  is  the 
gospel,  this  is  the  glad  tidings  which  we  are  commissioned  to 
preach  to  every  one.  Be  not  faithless  then,  but  believing. 
Let  not  the  devil  lead  you  captive  at  his  will  any  longer  ;  for 
all  the  Avages  he  gives  his  servants  is  death,  death  often  in 


Serm.  15.]      the  wise  and  foolish  virgins.  481 

this  life,  death  everlasting  in  the  next :  but  the  free  gift  of  God 
is  eternal  life  to  all  that  believe  in  Jesus  Christ.  Pharisees 
are  and  will  be  offended  at  my  coming  here,  and  offering  you 
salvation  on  such  cheap  terms  :  but  the  more  they  bid  me  hold 
my  peace,  the  more  will  I  cry  out  and  proclaim  to  convicted 
sinners,  that  Jesus,  David's  son  according  to  the  flesh,  but 
David's  Lord  as  he  was  God,  will  have  mercy  on  all  that  by 
a  living  faith  truly  turn  to  him.  If  this  is  to  be  vile,  I  pray 
God,  I  may  be  more  vile.  If  they  will  not  let  me  preach 
Christ  crucified  ;  and  offer  salvation  to  sinners,  in  a  church, 
I  will  preach  him  in  the  lanes,  streets,  highways  and  hedges ; 
and  nothing  pleases  me  better,  than  to  think  I  am  now  in  one 
of  the  devil's  strongest  holds.  Surely  the  Lord  has  not  sent 
me  and  all  you  hither  for  nothing ;  no,  blessed  be  God,  "  the 
fields  are  white,  ready  unto  harvest,"  and  many  souls  I 
hope  will  be  gathered  into  his  heavenly  garner.  It  is  true,  it 
is  the  midnight  of  the  church,  especially  the  poor  Church  of 
England  ;  but  God  has  lately  sent  forth  his  servants  to  cry, 
^'  Behold  the  bridegroom  cometh."  I  beseech  you,  O  sinners, 
hearken  unto  the  voice  !  Let  me  espouse  you  by  faith  to  my 
dear  master  ;  and  henceforward  watch  and  pray,  that  you  may 
be  ready  to  go  forth  to  meet  him. 

Secondly^  I  would  apply  to  those  that  are  not  openly  profane, 
but  by  depending  on  a  formal  round  of  duties,  deceive  your 
souls,  and  are  foolish  virgins. 

But  I  must  speak  to  your  conviction,  rather  than  comfort. 
My  dear  brethren,  you  have  heard  how  far  the  foolish  virgins 
went,  and  yet  were  answered  with  "  Verily  I  know  you  not." 
The  reason  is,  because  none  but  such  as  have  a  living  faith  in 
Jesus  Christ,  and  are  truly  born  again,  can  possibly  enter  into 
the  kingdom  of  heaven.  You  may  perhaps  live  honest  and 
outwardly  moral  lives,  but  if  you  depend  on  that  morality,  or 
join  your  works  with  your  faith,  in  order  to  justify  you  before 
God,  you  have  no  lot  or  share  in  Christ's  redemption.  For 
what  is  this  but  to  deny  the  Lord  that  has  bought  you  ?  What 
is  this  but  making  yourselves  your  own  Saviors  ?  Taking 
the  crown  from  Christ,  and  putting  it  on  your  own  heads? 
The  crime  of  the  devil,  some  have  supposed,  consisted  in  this, 
that  he  would  not  bow  to  Jesus  Christ,  when  the  Father  com- 
manded all  the  angels  to  worship  him  ;  and  what  do  you  less? 
You  will  not  own  and  submit  to  his  righteousness  ;  and  though 
you  pretend  to  worship  him  with  your  lips,  yet  your  hearts  are 
far  from  him  :  besides  you  in  effect,  deny  the  operations  of  his 
blessed  Spirit,  you  mistake  common  for  effectual  grace ;  you 
hope  to  be  saved  because  you  have  good  desires,  and  a  few 
shert  convictions  ;  and  what  is  this,  but  to  give  God,  his  word, 

41 


482  THE  WISE  AND  FOOLISH  VIRGINS.       [Scrm.  15- 

and  all  the  saints,  the  lie  ?  A  Jew,  a  Turk,  has  equally  as 
good  grounds  whereon  to  build  the  hopes  of  his  salvation. 
Need  1  not  then  to  cry  out  to  you,  ye  foolish  virgins,  watch. 
Beg  of  God  to  convince  you  of  3^our  self-righteousness,  and 
the  secret  unbelief  of  your  hearts  ;  or  otherwise  when  the 
cry  shall  be  made,  "  Behold  the  bridegroom  cometh,"  you  will 
find  yourselves  utterly  unprepared  to  go  forth  to  meet  him. 
You  may  cry  Lord,  Lord  ;  but  the  answer  will  be,  "  Yerily  I 
know  you  not." 

Thirdly^  I  \X^ould  speak  a  word  or  two  by  way  of  exhorta- 
tion to  those  who  are  wise  virgins  and  are  assured  they  have 
on  a  wedding  garment.  That  there  are  many  such  among 
you,  who  by  grace  have  renounced  your  own  righteousness, 
and  know  that  the  righteousness  of  the  Lord  Jesus  is  imputed 
to  you,  I  make  no  doubt.  God  has  his  secret  ones  in  the  worst 
of  times  ;  and  I  am  persuaded  he  has  not  let  so  loud  a  gospel- 
cry  be  made  among  his  people,  as  of  late  has  been  heard,  for 
nothing.  No,  I  am  confident  the  Holy  Ghost  has  been  given 
to  many  at  the  preaching  of  faith,  and  has  powerfully  fallen 
on  many,  whilst  they  have  been  hearing  the  word.  You  are 
now  then  no  longer  foolish,  but  wise  virgins  ;  notwithstanding, 
I  beseech  yon  also  to  suffer  the  word  of  exhortation  ;  for  wise 
virgins  are  too  apt,  while  the  bridegroom  tarries,  to  slumber  and 
sleep.  AVatch  therefore,  watch  and  pray,  at  this  time  especial- 
ly ;  for  perhaps  a  time  of  suffering  is  at  hand.  The  ark  of  the 
Lord  begins  already  to  be  driven  into  the  wilderness.  Be  ye 
therefore  on  your  watch,  and  still  persevere  in  following  your 
Lord,  even  without  the  camp,  bearing  his  reproach  ;  the  cry 
that  has  been  lately  made,  has  awakened  the  devil  and  his  ser- 
vants ;  they  begin  to  rage  horribly  ;  and  well  they  may  ;  for  I 
hope  their  kingdom  is  in  danger.  Watch  therefore,  for  if  we 
are  not  always  on  our  guard,  a  time  of  trial  ma}^  overtake  us 
unawares  ;  and  instead  of  owning,  like  Peter  we  may  be  tempt- 
ed to  deny  our  master.  Set  death  and  eternity  often  before 
you.  Look  to  Jesus,  the  author  at:jd  finisher  of  your  faith,  and 
consider  how  httle  a  while  it  will  be,  ere  he  comes  to  judgment; 
and  then  our  reproach  shall  be  wiped  away  :  the  accusers  of 
us  and  our  brethren  shall  be  cast  down,  and  we  all  shall  be 
lodo^ed  in  heaven  for  ever,  with  our  dear  I>ord. 

Lastly,  What  I  say  to  you,  I  say  to  all.  Watch.  High  and 
low,  rich  and  poor,  young  and  old,  one  Avith  another,  of  what- 
ever sect  or  denomination,  for  I  regard  not  that,  I  beseech  you. 
by  the  mercies  of  Jesus,  to  be  on  your  guard.  Fly  to  Jesus 
Christ  that  heavenly  bridegroom.  Behold  he  desires  to  take 
you  to  himself,  miserable,  poor,  blind  and  naked  as  you  are  ; 
he  is  willing  to  clothe  you  with  his  everlasting  righteousness, 


Serm.  15.]       the  wise  and  foolish  virgins.  483 

and  make  you  partakers  of  that  glory,  which  he  enjoyed 
with  the  father  before  the  world  began.  Do  not  turn  a  deaf 
ear  to  me  ;  do  not  reject  the  message  on  account  of  the  mean- 
ness of  the  messenger.  I  am  a  child  ;  but  the  Lord  has  chosen 
me,  that  the  glory  might  be  all  his  own.  Had  he  sent  to  invite 
you  by  a  learned  rabbi,  you  might  have  supposed  that  the  man 
had  done  something  ;  but  now  God  has  sent  a  child,  that  the 
excellency  of  the  power  may  be  seen  not  to  be  of  man,  but  of 
God.  Let  the  learned  pharisees  then  despise  my  youth.  I 
care  not  how  vile  I  appear  in  the  sight  of  such  men  :  I  glory 
in  it.  And  I  am  persuaded,  if  any  of  you  should  be  married 
to  Christ  by  this  preaching,  you  will  have  no  reason  to  repent, 
when  you  come  to  heaven,  that  God  sent  a  child  to  cry,  "  Be- 
hold the  bridegroom  cometh  ?"  O  my  brethren,  the  thought 
of  being  instrumental  in  bringing  one  of  you  to  glory,  fills  m.e 
with  fresh  zeal.  Once  more,  I  entreat  you,  Watch,  and  pray  ; 
for  the  Lord  Jesus  will  receive  all  that  call  on  him  faithfully. 
Let  that  cry,  '•  Behold  the  bridegroom  cometh,"  be  continually 
sounding  in  your  ears  ;  and  begin  now  to  live,  as  though  you 
were  assured,  this  night  you  were  to  go  forth  to  meet  him. 
May  the  Lord  give  3^ou  all  a  hearing  ear,  an  obedient  heart, 
and  so  closely  unite  you  to  himself  by  one  spirit,  that  when  he 
shall  come  in  terrible  majesty,  to  judge  mankind,  you  may  be 
found  having  on  a  wedding  garment,  and  ready  to  go  in  with 
him  to  the  marriage. 

Grant  this,  O  Father,  for  thy  dear  Son's  sake,  Christ  Jesus 
our  Lord.     Amen  !  and  Amen  ! 


484  CHRIST  THE  believer's  REFUGE.      [Sem.  16. 

I' The  reader  will  notice  that  the  Sermons  which  precede,  were  pub- 
lished by  Whitefield  himself.  Those  which  follow  are  transcripts 
of  his  extempore  discourses  taken  in  short-hand.] 

SERMON  XVL 


CHRIST  THE  BELIEVER  S  REFUGE. A  FUNERAL  SERMON. 


Psalm  xlvi.  1 — 6. 

God  is  our  refuge  and  strength^  a  very  present  help  in  trouble;  there- 
fore will  we  not  fear,  though  the  earth  he  removed,  and  the  moun- 
tains he  carried  into  the  midst  of  the  sea,  though  the  waters  thereof 
roar,  and  he  troubled,  though  the  mountains  shake  with  the  swelling 
thereof  Selah.  There  is  a  river,  the  streams  whereof  shall  make 
glad  the  city  of  God,  the  holy  place  of  the  tabernacles  of  the  Most 
High :  God  is  in  the  midst  of  her,  she  shall  not  be  moved  ;  God 
shall  help  her,  and  that  right  early. 

There  was  a  tradition  among  the  ancient  Jews,  that  the 
manna  which  came  doAvn  from  heaven,  though  it  was  a  little 
grain  Uke  coriander  seed,  yet  suited  every  taste ;  as  milk  unto 
babes,  and  strong  meat  to  grown  persons.  Whether  this  sup- 
position be  founded  on  fact  or  not,  the  observation  will  hold 
good  in  a  great  measure  respecting  the  sayings  of  David ;  for 
if  we  have  eyes  to  see,  and  ears  to  hear,  if  God  has  been  pleas- 
ed to  take  away  the  veil  from  our  hearts,  we  shall  find,  by 
happy  experience,  that,  let  our  circumstances  be  what  they  will, 
Ihe  book  of  Psalms  may  serve  as  a  spiritual  magazine,  out  of 
which  we  may  draw  spiritual  weapons  in  the  time  of  the  hot- 
test fight,  especially  those  that  are  under  trouble,  "when  the 
hand  of  the  Lord  is  gone"  seemingly  "  forth  against  them ;" 
when  unbelief  is  apt  to  make  them  say,  all  these  thmgs  are 
against  me !  if  we  can  have  the  presence  of  mind  to  turn  to 
the  book  of  Psalms,  we  may  find  something  there  suitable  to 
our  case,  a  word  to  refresh  us  in  pursuing  our  spiritual  enemy. 
This  is  true  of  the  46th  Psalm  in  particular,  part  of  which  I 
have  just  now  read  to  you,  and  which  I  pray  the  blessed  Spirit 
of  God  to  apply  to  every  one  of  our  hearts.  It  is  uncertain  at 
what  time,  or  upon  what  occasion,  David  wrote  it ;  probably 
under  some  sharp  affliction,  which  made  him  eloquent;  or 
when  the  afliiction  was  over,  when  his  heart  was  swimming 
with  gratitude  and  love,  and  when,  out  of  the  fullness  of  it, 
his  pen  was  made  the  pen  of  a  ready  writer.    It  was  a  favor- 


Serra.  16.]       christ  the  believer's  refuge.  485 

ite  Psalm  with  Luther ;  for  whenever  Melancthon,  who  w£is 
of  a  melancholy  turn,  or  any  other  of  his  friends,  told  him 
some  sad  news,  he  used  to  say,  come,  come,  let  us  sing  the  46th 
Psalm;  and  when  he  had  sung  that,  his  heart  was  quiet. 
May  every  true  mourner  here,  and  afflicted  person,  experience 
the  same  !  I  know  not,  when  I  read  it,  which  to  admire  most, 
the  piety,  or  the  poetry;  the  matter,  or  the  manner;  and  I 
believe  I  may  venture  to  defy  all  the  critics  on  earth  to  show 
me  any  composition  of  Pindar,  or  Horace,  that  any  way  comes 
up  to  the  diction  of  this  Psalm  considered  only  as  human  :  he 
that  hath  an  ear  to  hear,  let  him  hear,  God  is  our  refuge  and 
strength^  a  very  'present  help  in  trouble.  Stop  here,  my 
friends,  let  us  pause  a  while,  and  before  we  go  fiirther,  may  the 
Lord  help  us  to  draw  some  comfort  from  this  very  first  verse . 
for  observe,  it  is  not  said,  God  is  my  refuge^  David  says  so  in 
another  Psalm,  but  he  says  here,  God  is  our  refuge :  he  speaks 
in  the  plural  number,  implying  that  this  Psalm  was  of  no  pri- 
vate interpretation,  but  was  intended  for  the  comfort  and  encou- 
ragement of  all  believers,  till  time  shall  be  no  more.  Observe 
the  climax,  God  is  our  refuge^  is  one  degree  ;  God  is  our 
strength^  another ;  God  is  our  help,  and  not  only  so,  but  is  a 
present  help,  yea,  is  a  very  present  help,  and  at  a  time  when 
we  want  it  most,  in  the  time  of  trouble.  It  is  here  supposed, 
that  all  God's  people  will  have  their  troubles  ;  "  man  is  born 
to  trouble,  as  the  sparks  fly  upward  ;"  and  if  we  are  born  to 
trouble  as  men,  we  are  much  more  so  as  christians.  We  for- 
get ourselves  and  the  station  in  which  God  has  placed  us,  when 
we  so  much  as  begin  to  dream  of  having  much  respite  from 
trouble  while  we  are  here  below.  The  decree  is  gone  forth 
like  the  laws  of  the  Medes  and  Persians,  it  alters  not ;  through 
tribulation,  througli  much  tribulation,  w^e  must  all  go  ;  but 
blessed  be  God  we  are  to  be  carried  through  it ;  and  blessed  be 
God,  glory  is  to  be  the  end  of  it :  may  God  give  us  to  know 
this  by  happy  experience !  In  the  world,  says  our  blessed 
Lord,  ye  shall  have  tribulation,  tribulation  and  trouble  of  dif- 
ferent kinds ;  and  in  another  place,  if  any  man  will  come 
after  me,  says  he,  let  him  take  up  his  cross  daily,  and  folloio 
me  ;  so  that  the  day,  when  we  take  up  no  cross,  we  may  say 
as  Titus  did,  when  he  reflected  that  he  had  done  no  good  that 
day,  I  have  lost  a  day  !  But  then,  what  shall  we  do,  my  dear 
hearers,  when  trouble  comes,  when  one  trouble  comes  after 
another,  and  afflictions  seem  to  pursue  us  wherever  we  go, 
seem  to  arise  up  out  of  the  ground,  meet  us  as  we  are  walking 
along?  Why,  blessed  be  God,  if  we  have  an  interest  in 
Christ ;  mind  that,  if  we  have  an  interest  in  Christ,  God  is 
our  help,  God  is  our  asylum,  our  city  of  refuge,  a  place  ap- 

41* 


486  CHRIST  THE  believer's  REFUGE.       [Seim.  16. 

pointed  by  God  himself,  to  which  the  pursued  saints  may  fly 
by  faith,  and  be  safe.  The  wicked  have  no  notion  of  this  ; 
when  they  are  in  trouble,  what  is  their  refuge?  Let  a  soul  be 
under  spiritual  trouble,  and  cry  out,  "  what  shall  I  do  to  be 
saved?"  Let  him  go  to  a  carnal  minister,  an  unconverted 
wretch  that  knows  nothins:  about  the  matter,  he  shall  be  told^ 
ho !  go,  and  play  an  innocent  game  at  cards,  and  divert  your- 
self;  that  is  to  say,  the  devil  must  be  your  refuge.  Worldly 
people  have  worldly  refuges  ;  and  Cain  would  seem  as  if  he 
was  in  earnest  when  he  said,  my  pvnishnicnt  is  greater  than 
I  can  hear.  What  does  he  do  ?  He  goes  and  diverts  himself 
by  building  a  city,  and  goes  and  amuses  himself  by  building. 
The  devil,  my  brethren,  will  give  you  leave  to  amuse  your- 
selves; you  may  have  your  choice  of  diversions,  only  take  care 
to  be  diverted  from  God,  and  the  devil  is  sure  of  you  ;  but  the 
believer  has  something  better  :  faith  sweeps  av-ay  the  refuge 
of  lies^  and  the  believer  turns  to  his  God,  and  says,  O  my 
God^  thon  shalt  be  my  refvge.  The  devil  pursues  me,  my 
false  friends  have  designs  against  me,  my  own  wicked  heart 
it&elf  molests  me,  my  foes  are  those  of  my  own  house;  but  do 
thou,  O  God,  be  my  refuge,  I  will  fly  there  ;  by  these  it  may 
be  said,  God  is  our  refuge.  The  question  is,  what  shall  I  do 
to  make  him  my  refuge  ?  How  shall  I  be  helped  to  do  so  ? 
You  bid  me  fly ;  you  say,  I  must  fly  there,  but  where  shall  I 
get  wings  ?  How  shall  I  be  supported  ?  Here  is  a  blessed 
v/ord,  God  shall  not  only  be  our  refuge^  but  God  shall  be  our 
strength  also.  Strength  !  what  is  strength  ?  Why,  my  bre- 
thren, to  make  every  day  of  trouble  so  easy  to  us  by  his  power, 
as  to  carry  us  through  it.  God  has  said,  and  will  stand  to  it, 
as  thy  day  is,  so  shall  thy  strength  be.  Afllictions  even  at  a 
distance  will  appear  very  formidable,  when  viewed  by  unbe- 
lief. Our  fears  say,  O  my  God,  if  I  come  to  be  tried  this  or 
that  way,  how  shall  I  bear  it?  But  we  do  not  know  what  we 
can  bear  till  the  trial  comes,  and  we  do  not  know  wliat  strength 
God  can  give  us,  or  what  a  strong  God  he  will  be,  till  he  is 
pleased  to  put  us  into  a  furnace  of  affliction  ;  and  therefore  it 
is  said,  not  only  that  God  is  our  refuge  and  our  strength,  but 
that  God  is  our  help  also.  What  help  ?  Why,  my  dear 
friends,  help  to  support  us  under  the  trouble  ;  help  so  as  to 
comfort  us  as  long  as  the  trouble  lasts  ;  and  blessed  be  God, 
that  the  help  will  never  leave  us,  till  we  are  helped  quite  over 
and  quite  through  it.  But  what  kind  of  help  is  it?  O  blessed 
be  God,  he  is  a  very  present  help.  We  may  have  a  helper, 
but  he  may  be  afar  ofl*;  I  may  be  sick,  I  may  want  a  physi- 
cian, and  may  be  obhged  to  send  miles  for  one  ;  he  might  be  a 
help  if  he  were  here,  but  what  shall  I  do  now  he  is  at  a  dis- 


Serm.  16.]       christ  the  believer's  refuge.  487 

tance.  This  cannot  be  said  of  God,  he  is  not  only  a  help,  but 
he  is  a  present  help  :  "  the  gates  of  the  New  Jerusalem  are 
open  night  and  day."  We  need  not  be  afraid  to  cry  unto  God  ; 
we  cannot  say  of  our  God  as  Elijah  does  of  Baal,  "  perhaps 
he  is  asleep,  or  talking,  or  gone  a  journey  :"  it  is  not  so  with 
our  God,  he  is  a  present  help  ;  he  is  likewise  a  sufficient  help, 
that  is,  a  very  present  help  ;  and  that  too  in  the  time  of  trmi- 
ble.  It  is  but  to  send  a  short  letter,  I  mean  a  short  prayer, 
upon  the  wings  of  faith  and  love,  and  God,  my  brethren,  will 
come  down  and  help  us.  Now  to  this  David  affixes  his  pro- 
batiim  est ;  David  proves  it  by  his  own  experience,  and  there- 
fore if  God  is  our  refuge^  therefore  if  God  is  onr  strength,  if 
God  is  our  help,  if  God  is  a  present  help,  if  God  is  a  very 
present  help,  and  that  too  in  a  time  of  trouble,  what  then? 
therefore  ivill  we  not  fear.  Therefore,  is  an  inference,  and  it 
is  a  very  natural  one  ;  a  conclusion  naturally  drawn  from  the 
foregoing  premises  ;  for  Paul  says,  "  if  God  be  for  us,  who  can 
be  against  us  ?"  There  is  not  a  greater  enemy  to  iaith  than 
servile  fear  and  unbelief  My  brethren,  the  devil  has  an 
advantage  over  us  when  he  has  brought  us  into  a  state  of 
fear ;  indeed,  in  one  sense,  we  should  always  fear,  I  mean 
with  a  filial  fear;  "blessed  is  the  man,"  in  this  sense,  "that 
feareth  always :"  but,  my  brethren,  have  we  strong  faith  in  a 
God  of  refuge?  This  forbids  us  to  fear.  Says  Nehemiah, 
"  shall  such  a  man  as  I  flee  ?"  and  the  christian  may  say, 
shall  a  believer  in  Jesus  Christ  fear  ?  shall  I  fear  that  my  God 
will  leave  me  ?  shall  I  fear  that  my  God  will  not  succor  me  ? 
No,  says  David,  we  will  not  fear  ;  how  so  ?  Why,  though 
the  mountains  be  candied  into  the  midst  of  the  sea,  though 
the  waters  thereof  roar  and  be  troubled,  though  the  moun- 
tains shake  with  the  swelling  thereof  Where  is  Horace, 
where  is  Pindar,  now  ?  Let  them  come  here  and  throw  their 
psalms  down  before  the  sweet  singer  of  Israel.  There  is  not 
such  a  bold  piece  of  imagery  in  any  human  composition  in  the 
world.  Can  any  thing  appear  more  great,  more  considerable 
than  this  ?  Imagine  how  it  was  with  us  some  years  ago,  when 
an  enthusiastic  fool  threatened  us  with  a  third  earthquake  ; 
imagine  how  it  was  with  us  when  God  sent  us  the  same  year 
two  dreadful  earthquakes  ;  had  the  earth  been  at  that  time  not 
only  shook,  but  removed  :  had  the  fountains  of  the  sea  been 
permitted  to  break  in  upon  us,  and  carry  all  the  mountains  of 
England  before  it,  what  a  dreadful  tremor  must  we  ^11  una- 
voidably have  been  in  ?  David  supposes  that  this  may  be  the 
case,  and  I  believe  at  the  great  day  it  will  be  something  like  it : 
the  earth  and  all  things  therein,  are  to  be  burnt  up  ;  and,  my 


488  CHRIST  THE  BELIEVER^S  REFUGE.  [Semi-  16, 

brethren,  what  shall  we  do  then  if  God  is  not  our  refuge,  if 
God  is  not  our  strength  ? 

We  may  apply  it  to  civil  commotions.  David  had  lately 
been  beset  with  the  Philistines,  and  other  enemies,  that  threat- 
ened to  deprive  him  of  his  life ;  and  there  are  certain  times 
when  we  shall  be  left  alone.  This  also,  my  brethren,  may  be 
applied  to  creature  comforts.  Sometimes  the  earth  seems  to  be 
removed.  What  then  ?  Why  all  the  friends  we  take  delight  in, 
our  most  familiar,  friends  our  soul  friends,  friends  by  nature, 
and  friends  by  grace,  ma}^  be  removed  from  us  by  the  stroke 
of  death  ;  we  know  not  how  soon  that  stroke  may  come  ;  it 
piay  come  at  an  hour  we  thought  not  of;  the  mountains 
themselves,  all  the  things  that  seem  to  surround  and  promise 
us  a  lasting  scene  of  comfort,  they  themselves  may  soon  be 
removed  out  of  our  sight ;  what  then  shall  we  do  ?  They 
may  be  carried  into  the  midst  of  the  sea.  What  is  that?  Our 
friends  may  be  laid  in  the  silent  grave,  and  "  the  places  that 
knew  them  may  know  them  no  more."  It  is  easy  talking,  but 
it  is  not  so  easy  to  bear  up  under  these  things  :  but  faith,  my 
brethren  teaches  us  to  say,  though  all  friends  are  gone,  blessed 
be  God,  God  is  not  gone.  A  noble  lady's  daughter,  who  was 
only  four  years  old,  said  to  her  mother,  when  she  was  weep- 
ing for  the  death  of  one  of  her  children,  "  Dear  mamma,  is  God 
Almighty  dead,  that  you  cry  so  long  after  my  sister  ?"  No,  he 
is  not  dead,  neither  does  he  sleep.  But  here  the  imagery  grows 
bolder,  the  painting  stronger,  and  the  resemblance  more  striking: 
though  the  waters  thereof  roar  and  he  troubled.,  though  the 
mountains  shake  loith  the  swelling  thereof  What,  will  not 
this  make  us  fearful  ?  Will  not  this  shake  us  off  our  bottom, 
our  foundation,  and  take  up  the  roots  ?  No,  no,  even  then 
the  believer  need  not  fear ;  why,  God  is  in  the  m^idst  of  her. 
Do  you  not  remember  God  spoke  to  Moses  oiit  of  the  bush  ? 
Did  he  stand  at  a  distance,  and  call  to  him  at  a  distance  from  the 
bush  ?  No,  the  voice  came  out  of  the  bush,  Moses  !  Moses  ! 
as  Mr.  Ainsvvorth,  who  was  a  spiritual  critic,  says. 

Learn  from  hence,  that  in  all  our  ajiictions  God  is  afflict- 
ed :  he  is  in  the  midst  of  the  bush  ;  and  oh  !  it  is  a  sweet  time 
with  the  soul  when  God  speaks  to  him  out  of  the  bush,  when 
he  is  under  affliction,  and  talks  to  him  all  the  while.  Though 
it  was  threatened  by  the  fire  which  surrounded  it,  with  imme- 
diate and  total  desolation  :  yet  the  hush  burned  and  vms  not 
consum^ed.  I  do  not  know  whether  I  told  you,  but  I  believe  I 
told  them  at  Tottenham-court,  and  perhaps  here,  that  every 
christian  has  a  coat  of  arms,  and  I  will  give  it  you  out  of 
Christ's  heraldry,  that  is  th-e  burning  bush  ;  every  christian  is 
burned;  but  not  consumed.    But  how  is  it  the  saint  is  held  up  ? 


Serm.  16.]      christ  the  believer's  refuge.  489 

Whence  does  he  get  his  strength  ;  or  how  is  this  strength, 
this  supporting,  comforting  strength,  conveyed  to  the  heart  ? 
Read  a  little  further,  you  shall  find  David  say.  There  is  a  river ^ 
mind  that,  there  is  a  river,  the  streams  whereof  make  glad 
the  city  of  God,  the  holy  place  of  the  tahernachs  of  the  Most 
High.  Need  I  tell  you,  that  probably  here  is  an  allusion  to 
the  situation  of  Jerusalem,  and  the  waters  of  Shiloah,  that  flow- 
ed gently  through  the  city  of  Jerusalem,  which  the  people  found 
sweet  and  refreshing  in  the  time  of  its  being  besieged.  So  the 
rivers  run  through  most  of  the  cities  in  Holland,  and  bring 
their  commodities  even  to  the  doors  of  the  inhabitants.  Pray, 
what  do  you  think  this  river  is  ?  Why,  I  believe  it  means  the 
covenant  of  grace.  O  that  is  a  river,  the  springs  of  which  first 
J)urst  out  in  Paradise,  when  God  said,  "  the  seed  of  the  woman 
shall  bruise  the  serpent's  head  :"  then  God  made  this  river  visit 
the  habitation  of  man,  as  the  fijst  opening  of  his  everlasting 
covenant. 

No  sooner  had  the  devil  betrayed  man,  and  thought  he  was 
sure  to  get  him  into  the  pit,  even  when  he  was  laughing  at 
man's  misery,  and  thinking  he  was  revenged  of  God  for  driv- 
ing him  out  of  heaven ;  at  that  very  time  did  the  great  God 
open  this  river,  and  make  it  flow  down  in  that  blessed  stream  to 
mankind,  impUed  in  those  words,  it  shall  bruise  thy  head.  O 
this  is  a  stream  which,  I  pray,  may  this  night  make  glad  this 
part  of  the  city  of  God.  If  by  the  river  we  understand  the 
covenant  of  grace,  then,  my  brethren,  the  promises  of  God  are 
the  streams  that  flow  from  it.  There  is  no  promise  in  the 
Bible  made  to  an  unbeliever,  but  to  a  believer ;  all  the  promises 
of  God  are  his,  and  no  one  knows,  but  the  poor  believer  that 
experiences  it,  how  glad  it  makes  his  heart.  God  only  speaks 
one  single  word,  or  applies  one  single  promise^;  for  if  when 
one's  heart  is  overwhelmed  with  sorrow,  we  find  relief  by  un- 
folding ourselves  to  a  faithful,  disinterested  friend  ;  if  a  word 
of  comfort  sometimes  gives  us  such  support  from  a  minister  of 
Christ,  O  !  my  friends,  what  support  must  a  promise  from  God 
applied  to  the  soul  give  ?  And  this  made  a  good  woman  say, 
"  I  have  oft  had  a  blessed  meal  on  the  promises,  when  1  have 
had  no  bread  to  make  a  meal  for  my  body." 

But  by  the  river  we  may  likewise  understand,  the  Spirit  of 
the  living  God.  If  you  remember,  Jesus  Christ  declared  at 
the  great  day  of  the  feast,  "  if  any  man  believe  on  me,  out  of 
his  belly  shall  flow  rivers  of  living  water  :  this,"  saith  the  be- 
loved disciple,  "spake  he  of  the  Spirit,  which  they  that  believe 
on  him  should  receive."  My  brethren,  the  divine  influences 
are  not  only  a  conduit,  but  a  deep  river,  a  river  of  broad 
waters.    Here  is  room  for  the  babes  to  walk,  and  for  the  man 


490  CHRIST  THE  believer's  REFUGE.       [Semi.  16. 

of  God  to  bathe  and  swim  in  from  time  to  time ;  and  supposing 
that  the  river  means  the  Spirit  of  God,  as  I  beheve  really  it 
does,  why  then  the  streams  that  flow  from  this  river  are  the 
means  of  grace^  the  ordinances  of  God,  which  God  makes  use 
of  as  channels,  whereby  to  convey  his  blessed  Spirit  to  the  soul. 
Nay,  by  the  river  we  may  understand,  God  himself ^  who  is 
the  believer's  river,  the  Three-one,  Father,  Son,  and  Holy 
Ghost.  This  river  is  in  the  midst  of  the  city,  not  at  the  court- 
end  of  the  town  only,  or  one  corner,  or  end,  but  quite  through, 
in  a  variety  of  streams,  so  that  high  and  low  may  come  to  it 
for  supply ;  and  not  only  be  supported,  but  have  their  hearts 
made  glad  daily  thereby.  God  help  us  to  drink  afresh  of  this 
river.  If  this  be  the  case,  well  may  David  triumph  and  say, 
"glorious  things  are  spoken  of  the  city  of  God  ;"  are  spoken  of 
Aer,  in  the  feminine  gender.  The  church  is  spoken  of  in  that 
sense,  because  Eve,  the  first  woman,  was  the  mother  of  all 
believers  ;  we  may  apply  this  to  a  single  saint,  as  well  as  to 
a  community  under  trouble,  she  shall  not  he  moved.  Not 
moved  ?  Pray,  would  you  have  them  stupid  ?  Do  you  love 
when  you  strike  a  child,  to  see  it  hardened  and  regardless  ? 
Do  you  not  like  the  child  should  smart  under  it  and  cry,  and 
when  it  is  a  little  penitent,  you  almost  wish  you  had  not  struck 
it  at  all.  God  expects,  when  he  strikes,  that  we  should  be 
moved  ;  and  there  is  -not  a  greater  sign  in  a  reprobate  heart  of 
a  soul  given  over  by  God,  than  to  have  affliction  upon  afflic- 
tion, and  yet  come  like  a  fool  brayed  in  a  mortar^  unmoved 
and  hardened.  My  brethren,  this  is  the  worst  sign  of  a  man 
or  woman  being  given  over  by  God.  Jesus  was  moved,  when 
he  was  under  the  rod ;  he  cries,  '*  father  !  if  it  be  possible  let 
this  cup  pass  from  me  !"  He  was  moved  so  as  to  shed  tears, 
tears  of  blood,  falling  to  the  ground.  Wo,  wo,  wo  be  to  us, 
if  when  God  knocks  at  the  door  by  some  shocking  domestic  or 
foreign  trial,  we  do  not  say,  my  God  !  my  God  !  wherefore 
dostlhou  strike?  When  Ave  are  sick,  we  allow  physicians  to 
feel  our  pulse,  whether  it  be  high  or  languid  ;  and  when  we 
are  sick,  and  tried  with  affliction,  it  is  time  to  feel  our  pulse,  to 
see  if  we  were  not  goin^  into  a  high  fever,  and  do  not  want 
some  salutary  purge.  It  is  expected  therefore  that  we  should 
be  moved  ;  we  may  speak,  but  not  in  a  murmuring  way.  Job 
was  moved,  and  God  knows  when  we  are  under  the  rod  ;  we 
are  all  moved  more  than  we  ought  to  be  in  a  wrong  way  ;  but 
when  it  is  said  here,  she  shall  not  he  m,oved,  it  implies  not  to- 
tally removed  ;  "  perplexed,"  says  the  apostle,  "  but  not  in  des- 
pair :  persecuted,  but  not  forsaken  :  cast  down,  but  not  de- 
stroyed :"  therefore  removal  means  destruction  ;  when  the  earth 
is  moved,  the  mountains  shake,  and  the  waters  roar,  where 


Serm.  16.]       christ  the  believer's  refuge.  491 

can  we  flee  ?  what  can  we  see  but  destruction  all  around  us  ? 
But,  rny  brethren,  since  there  is  a  river,  the  streams  whereof 
inake  glad  the  city  of  God,  since  God  is  our  refuge,  since 
God  is  our  strength,  since  God  is  our  help,  since  God  is  a 
present  help,  since  God  is  a  very  present  help  ifi  time  of 
trouble,  since  God  is  in  the  midst  of  her,  since  God  causes 
the  streams  to  make  her  glad,  blessed  be  God,  we  shall  not,  my 
brethren,  be  totally  moved,  nay,  though  death  itself  does  remove 
our  bodies,  tjaough  the  king  of  terrors,  that  grisly  king,  should 
come  armed  with  all  his  shafts,  yet,  "  in  the  midst  of  death 
we  are  in  life,"  even  then  we  shall  not  he  moved,  even  though 
the  body  is  removed  in  sleep,  the  soul  is  gone  where  it  shall  be 
sorrowful  no  more.  One  would  have  imagined  that  David  had 
said  enough,  but  pray  observe  how  he  goes  on.  he  repeats  it 
again,  for  when  we  are  in  an  unbelieving  frame,  we  have  need 
of  line  upon  line,  words  upon  loords  ;  God  shall  help  her  ; 
ah  !  but  when  ?  when  ?  when  will  he  help  her  ?  when  will  he 
help  her  ?  Why,  right  early  :  God  shall  help  her,  and  that 
right  early.  Why,  sometimes  we  knock  for  a  friend,  but  he 
will  not  get  up  early  in  the  rnorninsf,  but  God  shall  help  ns, 
and  that  right  early  in  the  mornino^.  Ah !  but,  say  you,  I 
have  been  under  trouble  a  long  while :  why,  God's  morning 
is  not  come  :  you  said  right  early ;  yes,  but  you  are  not  yet 
prepared  for  it,  you  must  wait  till  the  precious  right  moment 
comes,  and  you  may  be  assured  of  it.  God  never  gives  you 
one  doubt  more  than  you  want,  or  even  defers  help  one  mo- 
ment longer  than  it  ought  to  be. 

Now  my  dear  hearers,  if  these  things  are  so,  who  dares  call 
the  christian  a  madman  1  If  these  things  are  so,  who  would 
but  be  a  believer  ?  who  would  not  be  a  faithful  follower  of  the 
Son  of  God  ?  My  brethren,  did  you  ever  liear  any  of  the  devil's 
children  compose  an  ode,  that  the  devilis  our  refuge  ;  the  God 
of  this  world,  whom  we  have  served  so  heartily  we  have  found 
to  be  a  present  help  in  time  of  trouble  l  Ah  !  a  present  help 
to  help  us  after  the  devil  :  or  did  you  ever  hear,  since  the 
creation,  of  one  single  man  that  dared  to  say  that  all  the  forty- 
sixth  psalm  was  founded  on  a  lie  ?  No,  it  is  founded  on  mat- 
ters of  fact,  and  therefore  believer,  believer,  I  wish  you  joy, 
although  it  is  a  tautoloo^y.  I  pray  God,  that  from  this  time  forth 
till  we  die,  you  and  I,  when  under  trouble,  may  say  with  Lu- 
ther, come  let  us  sing  the  forty-sixth  psalm. 

As  for  you  that  are  wicked,  what  shall  I  say  to  you  ?  Are 
you  in  high  spirits  to-night  ?  Has  curiosity  brought  you  here 
to  hear  what  the  babbler  has  to  say  on  a  funeral  occasion  ? 
Well,  I  am  glad  to  see  you  here,  though  I  have  scarce  strength 
to  speak  for  the  violence  of  the  heat,  yet  I  pray  God  to  magnify 


492  CHRIST  THE  BELIEVER's  REFUGE.  [Sei'm.  16. 

his  strength  in  my  weakness  ;  and  may  the  God  of  all  mercy 
overrule  curiosity  for  good  to  you.  I  intend  to  speak  about  his 
death  to  the  surviving  friends  ;  but  my  dear  hearers^  the  grand 
intention  of  having  the  funeral  sermon  to-night,  is  to  teach  the 
living  how  to  die.  Give  me  leave  to  tell  you,  that  however 
brisk  you  may  be  now,  there  will  be  a  time  come  when  you 
will  want  God  to  be  your  help.  Some  pulpit  may  ere  long  be 
hung  in  mourning  for  you  :  the  black,  the  dreary  appendages 
of  death  may  ere  long  be  brought  to  your  home ;  and  if  you 
move  in  a  high  sphere,  some  such  escutcheon  as  this,  some 
achievement  may  be  placed  at  your  door,  and  wo,  wo,  wo 
be  to  those  who  in  an  hour  of  death  cannot  say,  God  is  my 
refuge.  You  may  form  schemes  as  you  please  ;  after  you  have 
been  driven  out  of  one  fool's  paradise,  you  may  retreat  into 
another  ;  you  may  say,  now  I  will  sing  a  requiem  to  my  heart, 
and  now  I  shall  have  some  pleasant  seasons ;  but  if  God  loves 
you  he  will  knock  off  your  hands  from  that,  you  shall  have 
thorns  even  in  roses,  and  it  will  embitter  your  comforts.  O 
what  will  you  do  when  the  elements  shall  melt  with  fervent 
heat ;  w^hen  this  earth,  with  all  its  fine  furniture,  shall  be  burnt 
up ;  when  the  archangel  shall  cry,  time  shall  be  no  more  ? 
Whither,  then,  ye  wicked  ones,  ye  unconverted  ones,  will  ye 
flee  for  refuge  ?  O,  says  one,  I  will  fly  to  the  mountains.  O 
silly  fool,  O  silly  fool,  fly  to  the  mountains,  that  are  themselves 
to  be  burnt  up  and  moved.  O,  says  you,  I  will  flee  to  the  sea. 
O  you  fool,  that  will  be  boiling  like  a  pot.  O  then  I  will  flee 
to  the  elements.  They  will  be  melting  with  fervent  heat.  I 
can  scarce  bear  this  hot  day,  and  how  can  you  bear  a  hot  ele- 
ment ?  There  is  no  fan  there,  not  a  drop  of  water  to  cool  your 
tongue.  Will  you  fly  to  the  moon  ?  That  will  be  turned  into 
blood.  Will  you  stand  by  one  of  the  stars  ?  They  will  fall 
away.  I  know  but  one  place  3^ou  can  go  to,  that  is  to  the 
devil ;  God  keep  you  from  that !  Happy  they  that  draw  this 
inference ;  since  every  thing  else  will  be  a  refuge  of  lies.  God 
help  me  from  this  moment,  God  help  me  to  make  God  my  re- 
fuge !  Here  you  can  never  fail ;  your  expectations  here  can 
never  be  raised  too  high ;  but  if  you  stop  short  of  this,  as  the 
Lord  liveth,  in  whose  name  I  speak,  you  will  only  be  a  sport 
for  devils  ;  a  day  of  judgment  will  be  no  day  of  refuge  to  you ; 
you  will  only  be  summoned  like  a  criminal  that  has  been  cast 
already,  to  the  bar  to  receive  the  dreadful  sentence,  "  Depart 
ye  cursed  into  everlasting  fire,  prepared  for  the  devil  and  his 
angels."  There  is  no  river  to  make  glad  the  inhabitants  of 
hell ;  no  streams  to  cool  them  in  that  scorching  element.  Were 
those  who  are  in  hell  to  have  such  an  offer  of  mercy  as  you 
have,  how  would  their  chains  rattle !  how  would  they  come 


Serm.  16.]       christ  the  believer's  refuge.  493 

with  the  flames  of  hell  about  their  ears  !  how  would  they  re- 
joice ev^en  there,  if  a  minister  was  to  tell  them,  come,  come, 
after  you  have  been  here  millions  and  millions  of  years,  there 
shall  come  a  river  here,  to  make  you  glad.  But  the  day  is 
over ;  God  help  us  to  take  warning  ;  and  oh  !  with  what  gra- 
titude should  we  approach  him  to-night,  for  bearing  with,  and 
for  forbearing  us  so  long ;  let  each  say  to-night,  why  am  I  out  of 
hell  ?  How  came  I  not  to  be  damned,  when  I  have  made  every 
thing  else  my  God,  my  refuge,  for  so  many  years  ?  May  good- 
ness lead  every  unconverted  soul  to  repentance,  and  may  love 
constrain  us  to  obedience  :  fly,  fly,  God  help  thee  to  fly,  sinner. 
Hark !  hear  the  word  of  the  Lord,  see  the  world  consumed, 
the  avensrer  of  blood,  this  grim  death,  is  just  at  thy  heels,  and 
if  thou  dost  not  at  this  moment  take  refuge  in  God,  to-night, 
before  to-morrow,  you  may  be  damned  for  ever ;  the  arms  of 
Jesus  yet  lie  open,  his  loving  heart  yet  streams  with  love,  and 
bids  a  hearty  welcome  to  every  poor  soul  that  is  seeking  hap- 
piness in  God.  May  God  grant  that  every  unconverted  soul 
may  be  of  the  happy  number. 

But  my  brethren,  the  most  hea\y  task  of  this  night  yet  lies 
unperformed  ;  indeed,  if  my  friendship  for  the  deceased  did  not 
lead  me  to  it,  I  should  pray  to  be  excused,  my  body  is  so  weak, 
my  nerves  so  unstrung,  and  the  heat  beats  too  intensely  on  this 
tottering  frame,  for  me  to  give  such  a  vent  to  my  affections,  as 
I  am  sure  I  should  give  if  I  were  in  vigorous  health.  You 
may  easily  see,  though  I  have  not  made  that  application,  with 
what  design  I  have  x;hosen  this  Psalm  ;  you  may  easily  see  by 
the  turn,  (I  hope  no  unnatural  one,)  that  has  been  given  to  the 
text  as  we  have  passed  along,  that  I  have  had  in  my  view -a 
mournful  widow  here  before  me.  Did  I  think,  when  this  black 
furniture  was  taken  from  the  pulpit,  when  two  branches  were 
lopt  ofl"  within  about  a  year,  one  after  another,  both  lopt  off 
from  on  earth,  I  hope  and  believe  to  be  planted  for  ever  iit 
heaven,  little  did  I  think  that  the  ax  was  in  a  few  months  to 
be  laid  to  the  root  of  the  father;  little  did  I  think  that  this  pul- 
pit was  then  to  be  hung  in  mourning  for  the  dear,  the  gene- 
rous, the  valuable,  the  universally  benevolent,  Mr.  Beckman ; 
a  benefactor  to  every  body,  a  benefactor  to  the  Tabernacle  ;  he 
has  largely  contributed  both  to  the  Cfiapel  and  Tabernacle, 
and,  my  dear  hearers,  now  his  works  follow  him,  for  he  is  gone 
beyond  the  grave. 

Such  a  singular  circumstance,  I  believe,  rarely  happens,  tlrct 
though  I  was  last  night  at  near  eleven  o'clock  dead  almost  with 
heat,  I  thought  if  death  was  the  consequence,  I  would  go  to  the 
grave  and  have  the  last  look  at  my  dear  departed  friend^ 
to  see  a  new  vault  opened  ;  to  see  a  place  of  which  he  has 

42 


494  CHRIST  THE  believer's  REFUGE.      [Scrm.  16, 

been,  in  a  great  measure,  the  founder  ;  to  see  a  place  which  he 
was  enlarging  at  the  very  time  he  died  ;  to  see  a  new  vault 
there  first  inhabited  by  the  father,  and  two  only  sons,  and  all 
put  there  in  the  space  of  two  years'  time  ;  oh  !  it  was  almost 
too  much  for  me,  it  weighed  me  down,  it  kept  me  in  my  bed 
all  this  day ;  and  now  1  have  risen,  God  grant  it  may  be  to 
give  a  seasonable  word  to  your  souls.  Oh  1  my  friends,  put 
yourselves  in  the  state  of  a  surviving  widow,  and  then  see  who 
is  secure  from  cutting  providences.  The  very  children  when 
they  are  young  are  a  trial ;  but  the  young  man  for  whom  a  hand- 
some fortune  awaited  ;  for  a  tender  loving  father  to  have  his 
son  taken  away  ;  for  the  widow  to  have  her  husband  taken 
away  soon  after  ;  indeed,  dear  madam,  you  had  need  read  the 
forty-sixth  Psalm  ;  you  may  well  say,  '•  call  me  no  more  Nao- 
mi," that  signifies  pleasant,  "  but  call  me  Marah,  for  the  Lord 
hath  dealt  bitterly  with  me."  These  are  strokes  that  are  not 
always  given  to  the  greatest  saints.  Snch  sudden  strokes,  such 
blow  upon  blow  ;  oh  !  if  God  is  not  a  strength  and  refuge,  how 
can  the  believer  support  under  it  ?  But  blessed  be  the  living 
God,  I  am  a  witness  God  has  been  your  strength  ;  I  am  witness 
that  God  has  been  your  refuge  ;  you  have  found,  I  know  you' 
have,  already,  that  there  is  a  river,  a  river  in  which  you  have 
swam  now  for  some  years,  the  streams  whereof  make  glad 
your  waiting  hearts.  Surely  I  shall  never  forget  the  moment 
in  which  I  visited  your  deceased  husband,  when  the  hiccoughs 
came  and  death  was  supposed  to  be  really  come,  to  see  the 
disconsolate  widow  flying  out  of  the  room  unable  to  bear  the 
sight  of  a  departing  husband.  I  know  that  God  was  then 
your  refuge,  and  God  will  continue  to  be  your  refuge.  You 
are  now  God's  peculiar  care,  and  as  a  proof  that  you  will  make 
God  your  refuge,  you  have  chosen  to  make  your  first  appear- 
ance in  the  house  of  God,  in  the  Tabernacle,  where  I  hope 
God  delights  to  dwell,  and  where  you  met  with  God,  and 
which  I  hope  you  will  never  leave  till  God  removes  you  hence. 
Whatever  trials  await  you,  remember  you  are  now  become 
God's  peculiar  care.  You  had  before  a  husband  to  plead  for 
you  ;  he  is  gone,  but  your  pleader  is  not  dead,  he  lives  and 
will  plead  your  cause  ;  may  you  find  him  better  to  you  than 
ten  thousand  husbands  ;  may  he  make  up  the  awful  chasm 
that  death  has  rnade,  and  may  the  Lord  God  be  your  refuge 
in  time,  and  your  portion  to  all  eternity  ;  and  then  you  will 
have  a  blessed  change.  You  are  properly  a  Naomi  :  I  would 
humbly  hope  that  your  daughter-in-law,  which  so  lately  met 
with  a  stroke  of  the  same  nature,  will  prove  a  Rvth  to  you, 
and  though  young  and  having  a  fortune,  she  may  be  tempted 
to  take  a  walk  in  the  world,  yet  J  hope  she  will  say,  "  where 


Serm.  16.]      christ  the  believer's  refuge.  495 

thou  goest,  I  will  go  :  where  thou  lodgest,  I  will  lodge  :  thy 
people  shall  he  my  people,  and  thy  God  my  God  :  where 
thou  diest,  will  I  die,  and  there  will  I  be  buried  ;  the  Lord  do 
so  to  me,  and  more  also,  if  ought  but  death  part  thee  and  me." 
It  is  to  your  honor,  madam,  and  I  think  it  right  to  speak  of  it, 
you  had  the  smiles  of  your  departed  father-in-law  ;  you  had 
behaved  with  deference  and  love  ;  he  was  very  fond  of  you. 
God  make  you  a  comfort  to  your  surviving  mother,  who  has 
adopted  yon,  and  may  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  enable  you  to  take 
God  to  be  your  portion. 

As  for  you  that  are  the  relations  of  the  deceased,  there  is  one 
of  you  that  has  been  honorably  called  to  the  service  of  the 
ministry  :  you,  sir,  was  sent  for  by  an  endearing  uncle  ;  you 
have  been  a  stranger  in  a  strange  land  :  the  Palatines  will  bless 
your  ministry  ;  God  has,  I  hope,  blessed  it,  and  provided  you  a 
place  to  preach  in.  May  God  grant  that  the  church  may  be 
filled  with  his  presence  and  his  glory  ;  and  you,  madam,  be 
made  the  instrument  of  sending  the  news  to  heaven  for  your 
husband,  that,  this  and  that  man  urns  horn  of  God  there.  As 
for  you,  the  other  friends  of  the  deceased,  may  God  grant  that 
when  you  die,  and  Avhen  you  are  buried,  the  people  may  follow 
you  with  tears  as  they  did  dear  Mr.  Beckman  last  niglit.  I  was 
told  by  one  this  morning,  that  walked  along  with  the  funeral, 
that  it  was  delightful  to  hear  what  the  people  said  when  the 
coffin  passed  by  ;  they  blessed  the  person  contained  therein  ; 
oh  !  he  was  a  father  to  the  poor.  The  poor  have  indeed  lost 
a  friend ;  and  I  believe  there  has  not  been  a  man,  a  tradesman 
in  London,  for  these  many  years,  that  has  been  more  lamented 
than  the  dear  man  who  now,  I  hope  is  at  rest.  You  will  know 
how  mindful  he  has  been  of  you,  and  that  soon  after  the  de- 
cease of  his  disconsolate  widow,  his  substance  will  be  divided 
among  some  of  you.  Give  me  leave  to  tell,  and  entreat  you, 
by  the  mercies  of  God  in  Jesus  Christ,  to  be  kind  to  the  lion- 
ored  widow.  Do  not  say,  Mr.  Beckman  my  uncle  is  dead, 
come  pluck  up,  let  us  plague  her  now  she  is  living,  we  shall 
have  all  when  she  is  dead.  The  plague  of  God  will  follow 
you  if  you  do  :  if  you  valued  your  dear  uncle,  do  all  you  can 
to  make  her  life  easy ;  pay  her  that  respect  which  you  would 
pay  the  deceased,  were  he  now  living ;  this  will  show  your 
love  is  genuine,  and  not  counterfeit,  and  do  not  lay  up  wrath 
ag-ainst  the  day  of  wrath.  Follow  the  example  of  your  dear 
deceased  uncle  ;  the  gentleman  was  visible  in  him  as  well  as 
the  christian  ;  he  would  be  in  his  warehouse  early  in  the  morn- 
ing, that  he  might  come  soon  to  his  country  house,  and  tliere 
employ  himself  in  his  friendly  life,  and  open  the  door  to  tlie 
disciples  of  Jesus.     It  is  time  to  draw  to  an  end,  but  I  will 


496  SOUL  PROSPERITY.  [SeriTi.  17. 

speak  a  word  to  the  servants  of  the  family,  who  have  lost  a 
good  and  a  dear  master.  May  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  be  your 
master  for  ever,  that  you  may  be  the  liOrd's  servants,  however 
you  may  be  disposed  of  in  this  world  ;  that  you  may  meet  your 
master,  your  mistress,  and  all  the  family  in  the  kingdom  of  the 
living  God,  then  we  shall  have  a  whole  eternity  to  reflect  upon 
the  goodness  of  a  gracious  God.  O  may  God  help  us  to  sing 
the  forty-sixth  Psalm  ;  may  we  find  him  to  be  our  strength  and 
ovr  refuge^  a  very  jiresent  help  in  the  time  of  trouble  :  may 
the  river  of  the  living  God  make  glad  your  hearts,  and  may 
you  be  Avith  God  to  all  eternity,  through  the  Lord  Jesus. 
Amen  and  Amen. 


SERMON  XVII. 


SOUL  PROSPERITY. 


3  John  ii.  - 

Beloved^  I  wish  above  all  things  that  thou  may  est  prosper,  and  be  in 
health,  even  as  thy  soul  prospereth. 

AVhat  a  horrid  blunder  has  one  of  the  famous,  or  rather 
infamous,  deistical  v/riters  made,  when  he  says,  that  the  gospel 
cannot  be  of  God,  because  there  is  no  such  thing  as  friendship 
mentioned  in  it.  Surely  if  he  ever  read  the  gospel,  having 
fff/es  he  saw  not,  having  ears  he  heard  not :  but  I  believe  the 
chief  reason  is,  his  heart  being  waxen  gross,  he  could  not  un- 
derstand ;  for  this  is  so  far  from  being  the  case,  that  the  Avorld 
never  yet  saw  such  a  specimen  of  steady  and  disinterested 
friendship,  as  was  displayed  in  the  life,  example,  and  conduct 
of  Jesus  Christ  of  Nazareth. 

John,  the  writer  of  this  epistle,  had  the  honor  of  leaning 
(Ml  his  bosotn,  and  of  being  called,  by  way  of  emphasis,  the 
disciple  lohorn  Jesus  loved  ;  and  that  very  disciple,  (which  is 
very  remarkable  concerning  him,)  though  he  was  one  of  those 
whom  the  Lord  himself  named  Sons  of  Thunder,  (Mark  iv. 
17.)  and  was  so  suddenly,  as  Bishop  Hall  observes,  turned  into 
a  son  of  lightning,  that  he  would  have  called  down  fire  from 
heaven  to  consume  his  master's  enemies  :  consequently,  though 
he  was  of  a  natural  fiery  temper,  yet  the  change  in  his  heart 
was  so  remarkable,  that  if  a  judgment  may  be  formed  by  his 
writings,  he  seems  as  full  of  love,  if  not  fuller,  than  any  of  his 


) 


Serm.  17.]  soul  prosperity.  497 

fellow  apostles.  He  learned  pity  and  benevolence  of  the  Father 
of  mercies ;  and,  to  show  how  christian  friendship  is  to  be 
cultivated,  he  not  only  wrote  letters  to  churches  in  general, 
even  to  those  he  never  saw  in  the  flesh,  but  private  letters  to 
particular  saints,  friends  to  whom  he  was  attached,  and 
wealthy,  rich  friends,  whom  God  had,  by  his  Spirit,  raised  up 
to  be  helpers  of  the  distressed.  Happy  would  it  be  for  us,  if 
we  could  all  learn  that  simplicity  of  heart  which  is  displayed 
in  these  particular  words  :  happy  if  we  could  learn  this  one 
rule,  never  to  write  a  letter  without  something  of  Jesus  Christ 
in  it ;  for,  as  Mr.  Henry  observes,  if  we  are  to  answer  for  idle 
words,  much  more  for  idle  letters  ;  and  if  God  has  given  us 
our  pens,  especially  if  he  has  given  us  the  pen  of  a  ready 
writer^  it  will  be  happy  if  we  can  improve  our  literary  corres- 
pondence for  his  glory  and  one  another's  good.  But  what  an 
unfashionable  style,  if  compared  to  our  modern  ones,  is  that  of 
the  apostle  to  Gains.  The  superscription,  from  the  elder  to  the 
well  beloved  Gains  whom  I  love  in  the  truth  ;  there  is  fine 
language  for  you  !  Many  who  call  themselves  Christ's  disci- 
ples, would  be  ashamed  to  write  so  now.  I  send  this,  and 
that,  and  the  other ;  I  send  my  compliments.  Observe  what 
he  styles  himself,  not  as  the  pope;  but  he  styles  himself  the 
elder.  A  judicious  expositor  is  of  opinion,  that  all  the  other 
apostles  were  dead,  and  only  poor  John  left  behind.  I  re- 
member a  remark  of  his,  "  the  taller  we  grow,  the  lower  we 
shall  stoop."  The  apostle  puts  himself  upon  a  level  \vith  the 
common  elders  of  a  church,  that  he  might  not  seem  to  take 
upon  himself  authority,  not  to  rule  as  a  lion,  but  with  a  rod 
of  love  ;  the  elder  to  the  well  beloved  Gains,  whom.  Hove  in 
the  truth.  This  Gains  seems  to  be  in  our  modern  lanofuasfe, 
what  we  call  a  gentleman,  particularly  remarkable  for  his 
hospitality.  Gains  mine  host ;  and  this  Gains  was  well  be- 
loved ;  not  only  beloved,  but  well  beloved  ;  that  is,  one  whom 
I  greatly  esteem  and  am  fond  of;  but  then  he  shows  likewise 
upon  what  this  fondness  is  founded  ;  ivhom  Hove  in  the  truth. 
There  are  a  great  many  people  in  writing  say,  dear  sir,  or 
good  sir,  and  subscribe  your  humble  servant,  sir  ;  and  not 
one  word  of  truth  eithei*  in  the  beginning  or  end  ;  but  John 
and  Gaius's  love  was  in  truth,  not  only  in  words,  but  in  deed 
and  in  truth  ;  as  if  he  had  said,  my  heart  goes  along  with 
my  hand  while  1  am  writing,  and  it  gives  me  pleasure  in 
such  a  correspondence  as  this,  or  whom  I  love  for  the  trnth^s 
sake,  that  is,  whom  I  love  for  being  particularly  attached  to 
the  truth  ;  and  then  our  friendship  has  a  proper  foundation, 
when  the  love  of  God  and  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  is  the 
basis  and  bond  of  it.     One  would  think  this  was  enough  now 

42*= 


498  SOUL  PROSPERITY.  [Serm.  17. 

the  epistles  originally  were  not  divided  into  verses  as  now, 
that  people  may  the  better  find  out  particular  places,  though 
perhaps  not  altogether  so  properly  as  they  might.  The  apos- 
tle's saying  beloved  is  not  needless  tautology,  but  proves  the 
strength  of  his  affection  ;  I  icish  that  thou  may  est  prosper, 
and  he  in  healthy  even  as  thy  soul  prospereth.  Gains  it 
seems  at  this  time  felt  a  weak  constitution,  or  a  bad  habit  of 
body :  this  may  show,  that  the  most  useful  persons,  the 
choicest  favorites  of  heaven,  must  not  expect  to  be  without 
the  common  infirmities  of  the  human  frame  ;  so  far  from  this 
that  it  is  often  found  that  a  thousand  useful  christians  have 
weakly  constitutions. 

That  great  and  sweet  singer  of  Israel,  Dr.  Watts,  I  remem- 
ber about  two  and  thirty  years  ago,  told  me  that  he  had  no 
sleep  for  three  months,  but  what  was  procured  by  the  most 
exquisite  art  of  the  most  eminent  physicians ;  and  my  dear 
hearers,  none  but  those  that  have  such  habits  of  body  can 
sympathize  with  those  that  are  under  them.  When  we  are 
in  high  spirits  we  think  people  might  do  if  they  would,  but 
when  brought  down  ourselves  we  cannot :  but  notwithstanding 
his  body  was  in  this  condition,  his  soul  prospered  so  eminently, 
so  very  eminently,  that  the  apostle  could  not  think  it  a  greater 
mercy,  or  the  church  a  greater  blessing-,  than  that  this  bodily 
health  might  be  as  vigorous  as  the  health  of  his  soul.  I  remem- 
ber the  great  Colonel  Gardiner,  who  had  the  honor  of  being 
killed  in  his  country's  cause,  closes  one  of  his  last  letters  to  me, 
with  wishing  I  might  enjoy  a  thriving  soul  in  a  healthy  body ; 
but  this  is  peculiar  to  the  followers  of  Jesus,  they  find  the  soul 
prospers  most  when  the  body  is  worst ;  and  observe,  he  wishes^ 
him  a  prospering  body  above  all  things,  that  he  might  have 
loy  and  health  with  a  prosperous  soul ;  for  if  we  have  a  good 
heart,  and  good  health  at  the  same  time,  and  our  hearts  are 
alive  to  God,  we  go  on  with  a  fresh  gale.  I  observe,  that  the 
soul  of  man  in  general  must  be  made  a  partaker  of  a  divine 
life,  before  it  can  be  said  to  prosper  at  all.  The  words  of  our 
text  are  particularly  applicable  to  a  renewed  heart,  to  one  that 
is  really  alive  to  God.  When  a  tree  is  dead  we  do  not  so  much 
as  expect  leaves  from  it,  nor  to  see  any  beauty  at  all  in  a  plant 
or  flower  that  we  know  is  absolutely  dead  ;  and  therefore  the 
foundation  of  the  apostle's  wish  lies  here,  that  the  soul  of  Gains, 
and  consequently  the  souls  of  all  true  believers,  have  life  com- 
municated to  them  from  the  Spirit  of  the  living  God.  Such 
a  life  may  God  of  his  infinite  mercy  impart  to  each  of  us  !  and 
I  think  if  I  am  not  mistaken,  and  I  believe  I  may  venture  to 
say  that  I  am  not,  that  where  the  divine  life  is  implanted  by  the 
Spirit  of  the  living   God,  that  hfe  admits  of  decrease   and 


Serm.  17.]  soul  prosperity.  499 

increase,  admits  of  dreadful  decays,  and  also  of  some  blessed 
revivings.  The  rays  of  the  divine  life  being  once  implanted,  it 
will  grow  up  to  eternal  life  ;  the  new  creation  is  just  like  the 
old  when  God  said  "  let  there  be  light,  and  there  was  licrht," 
which  never  ceased  since  the  universe  was  made,  and  the 
favorite  creature  man  was  born.  Upon  a  survey  of  his  own 
works,  God  pronounced  everT/  thing  goodj  and  entered  into 
his  rest ;  so  it  will  be  with  all  those  who  are  made  partakers 
of  the  divine  nature.  "  The  water  that  I  shall  give  him,  shall 
be  a  well  of  water  springing  up  into  everlasting  life." 

My  brethren,  from  our  first  coming  into  the  world,  till  our 
passing  out  of  it  to  the  spirits  of  just  men  made  perfect^  all  the 
Lord's  children  have  found,  some  more,  and  others  less,  that 
they  have  had  dreadful  as  well  as  blessed  times,  and  all  has 
been  overruled  to  bring  them  nearer  to  God :  but  I  believe,  I 
am  sure,  I  speak  to  some  this  night,  that  if  it  was  put  to  their 
choice,  had  rather  know  that  their  soul  prospered,  than  to 
have  ten  thousand  pounds  left  them ;  and  it  is  supposed  that 
we  may  not  only  know  it  ourselves,  but  that  others  may  know 
it,  that  their  profiting^  as  Paul  says,  may  appear  to  all. 
Because  John  says,  I  ivish  above  all  things,  that  thy  body 
may  be  in  health,  as  thy  soid  prospers.  O  may  all  that  con- 
verse with  us  see  it  in  us  !  We  may  frequently  sit  under  the 
gospel,  but  if  we  do  ftot  take  a  great  deal  of  care,  however 
orthodox  we  are,  we  shall  fall  into  practical  Antinomianism, 
and  be  contented  that  we  were  converted  twenty  or  thirty 
years  -ago,  and  learn,  as  some  Antinomians,  to  live  by  faith. 
Thank  God,  say  some,  we  met  with  God  so  many  months  ago, 
but  are  not  at  all  solicitous  whether  they  meet  with  him  any 
more  ;  and  there  is  not  a  single,  individual  here  that  is  savingly 
acquainted  with  Jesus  Christ,  but  wishes  his  soul  prospered 
more  than  his  body. 

The  great  question  is,  how  shall  I  know  that  my  soul  pros- 
pers ?  I  have  been  told  that  there  is  such  a  thing  as  knowing 
this,  and  that  I  can  be  conscious  of  it  myself,  and  others  too.  It 
may  not  be  misspending  an  hour,  to  lay  down  some  marks, 
whereby  we  may  know  whether  our  souls  prosper  or  no.  If 
there  be  any  of  you  of  an  Antmomian  turn  of  mind,  (I  do  not 
know  there  are  any,)  I  do  not  know  but  you  will  be  of  the 
same  mind  -of  the  man  that  came  to  me  in  Leadenhall  twenty- 
five  years  ago.  Sir,  says  he,  you  preached  upon  the  marks  of 
the  birth.  Marks,  says  I,  yes,  sir.  O  thank  God,  says  he,  I 
am  above  marks,  I  do  not  mind  marks  at  all :  and  you  may  be 
assured  persons  are  upon  the  brink  of  Antinomianism,  that  say 
away  with  your  legal  preaching.  I  wonder  they  do  not  say, 
as  they  go  along  the  streets,  away  with  your  dials,  away  with 


500  SOUL  PROSPERITY.  '   [Serm.  17. 

your  dials,  we  do  not  want  marks,  we  know  what  o'clock  it  is 
without  any.  If  the  marks  upon  the  soul  of  a  believer  are 
like  the  sun-dial,  there  are  marks  to  prove  that  we  are  upon 
the  right  foundation  ;  if  the  sun  does  not  shine  on  the  sun-dial, 
there  is  no  knowing  what  o'clock  it  is  :  but  let  it  shine^  and  in- 
stantaneously you  know  the  time  of  the  day  :  this  is  not  known 
when  it  is  cloudy  ;  and  who  dare  to  say  but  that  a  child  of 
God,  for  the  want  of  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  shining  upon 
his  heart,  may  write  bitter  things  against  himself.  A  good 
man  may  have  the  vapors,  as  one  Mr.  Brown  had,  that  wrote 
a  book  of  good  hymns,  who  was  so  vaporish  that  no  body 
could  make  him  believe  he  had  a  soul  at  all.  Let  the  sun 
shine,  the  believer  can  see  whether  the  sun  is  in  the  meridian 
at  the  sixth,  ninth,  or  twelfth  hour.  O  that  there  might  be 
great  searching  of  heart.  I  have  been  looking  up  to  God  for 
direction ;  I  hope  the  preaching  of  this  may  be  to  awaken 
some,  to  call  back  some  backsliders,  to  awaken  some  sinners 
that  do  not  care  whether  their  souls  prosper  or  no.  I  do  not 
mean  the  Tabernacle  comers,  or  the  Foundry  comers,  or  the 
Church,  or  Dissenters,  but  I  speak  to  all  of  you,  of  whatever 
denomination  you  are;  God  of  his  infinite  mercy  give  you  his 
Spirit.  You  that  are  believers,  come,  let  us  have  that  common 
name  among  us  all;  if  we  have  it  we  go  off  well.  If  you 
want  to  know  whether  your  souls  prosper,  that  is,  whether  they 
are  healthy,  (you  know  what  a  person  means  when  he  Avishes 
your  body  to  prosper,)  let  me  ask  you  how  it  is  between  you 
and  God,  with  respect  to  secret  prayer  ?  Good  Mr.  Bunyan 
says,  if  we  are  prayerless,  we  are  Christless.  None  of  God's 
people,  says  he,  come  into  the  world  still-born.  Good  Mr. 
Burkitt,  (whose  commentary  has  gone  through  five  or  six  and 
twenty  editions;  and  yet  I  think  if  he  was  now  alive,  and  to 
preach  once  or  twice  a  day,  they  would  cry,  away  Avith  his 
commentary,  and  preaching  and  all,)  speaks  to  the  same  pur- 
pose. Come  into  the  rcorld  still-horn  !  what  language  is  that 
in  a  preacher's  mouth?  But  it  will  do  for  those  that  like  to 
use  marks  and  signs.  "  I  will  pour  out  a  Spirit  of  grace  and 
supplication,"  says  the  Lord  ;  and  I  will  venture  to  say,  if  the 
Spirit  of  grace  resides  in  the  heart,  the  Spirit  of  supplication 
will  not  be  wanting.  Persons  under  their  first  love  dare  not 
go  without  God  ;  they  go  to  God,  not  as  the  formalist  does, 
nor  for  fear  of  going  to  hell,  or  being  damned.  It  is  a  mercy 
any  thing  drives  to  prayer ;  and  a  person  imder  the  spirit  of 
bondage,  that  has  just  been  brought  to  the  liberty  of  the  sons 
of  God,  goes  freely  to  his  heavenly  father  under  the  disco- 
veries and  constraints  of  divine  love.  Come  I  will  appeal  to 
yourselves  j  did  not  you,  like  a  dear  fond  mother,  if  the  child, 


I 


Serm.  17.]  _  soul  prosperity.  501 

the  beloved  chiid,  made  but  the  least  noise  in  the  world,  O, 
says  the  mother,  the  dear  child  cries,  I  must  go  and  hush  it : 
so  time  was,  when  many  hearkened  to  the  call  of  God,  and 
could  no  more  keep  from  the  presence  of  God  in  secret, 
than  a  fond  mother  from  the  presence  of  her  dear  child.  Now 
if  your  souls  prosper,  this  connection  between  you  and  God 
will  be  kept  up  ;  I  do  not  say  that  you  will  always  have  the 
same  fervor  as  when  you  first  set  out ;  I  do  not  say  you  will 
always  be  carried  up  into  the  third  heavens  ;  the  animal 
spirits  possibly  will  not  admit  of  such  solace  ;  but  you  should 
inquire  with  yourselves,  whether  you  would  be  easy  to  be  out 
of  God's  company?  Steal  from  behind  your  counter,  and  go 
and  converse  with  God.  Sir  Thomas  Abney,  who  was  obser- 
vable for  keeping  up  constant  prayer  in  his  family,  being  asked 
how  he  kept  up  prayer  that  night  he  was  sworn  in  Lord  May- 
or ?  Very  well,  says  he,  I  invited  the  company  into  my  room, 
and  entertained  them,  and  when  the  time  came,  I  told  them,  I 
must  leave  them  a  little,  while  T  went  and  prayed  with  my 
family,  and  returned  again.  God  grant  we  may  have  rnany 
such  L<ord  Mayors.  If  our  souls  prosper,  the  same  principle 
will  reign  in  us,  and  make  us  conscientiously  attend  on  the 
means  of  grace.  It  is  a  most  dreadful  mark  of  an  enthusias- 
tic turn  of  mind,  when  persons  think  they  are  so  high  in 
grace,  that  they  thank  God  they  have  no  need  of  ordinances. 
Our  being  the  children  of  God  is  so  far  from  being  the  cause 
of  our  wanting  no  ordinances,  that,  properly  speaking,  the 
ordinances  are  intended  for  the  nourishing  of  the  children  of 
God  ;  not  only  for  the  awakening  the  soul  at  first,  but  for  the 
feeding  of  the  soul  afterwards.  If  the  same  nourishment  the 
child  receives  before,  feeds  it  after  it  is  born  ;  and  as  the  man- 
na never  failed,  but  the  children  of  Israel  partook  of  it  daily 
while  in  the  wilderness,  till  they  came  to  Canaan,  so  we  shall 
want  our  daily  bread,  we  shall  want  the  God  of  grace  and 
mercy  to  convey  his  divine  life  into  our  hearts,  till  we  get  into 
the  heavenly  Canaan.  There  faith  will  be  turned  into  vision, 
and  then  we  shall  not  want  ordinances ;  and  let  people  say  what 
they  will,  if  our  sduIs  prosper  we  shall  be  glad  of  ordinances, 
we  shall  love  the  place  where  God  dwells;  we  shall  not  say, 
such  a  one  preaches  and  I  will  not  go,  but  if  we  are  among 
them  we  shall  be  glad  of  a  good  plain  country  dish,  as  Avell 
as  a  fine  garnished  dessert ;  and  if  our  souls  prosper,  we  shall 
be  fond  of  the  messengers  as  well  as  the  message ;  we  shall 
admire  as  much  to  hear  a  good  ram's  horn,  such  as  blowed 
down  the  walls  of  Jericho,  as  a  fine  silver  trumpet.  So  in  all 
the  ordinances  of  the  Lord,  and  that  of  the  Lord's  supper  for 
example  ;  if  the  soul  does  not  attend  thereon,  it  is  an  evidence 


502  SOUL  PROSPERITY.  [Serm.  17. 

that  it  does  not  prosper.  It  is  a  wonder  if  that  soul  has  not 
done  something  to  make  it  afraid  to  meet  God  at  his  table. 
"  Adam  where  art  thou  /"  says  the  eternal  Logos  to  his  fallen 
creature  ;  and  every  time  we  miss,  whether  we  think  of  it  or 
no,  the  Redeemer  puts  it  down  ;  but  if  our  souls  prosper,  how 
shall  we  run  to  the  table  of  the  Lord,  and  be  glad  to  come 
often  to  the  commemoration  of  his  death. 

I  will  venture  to  affirm  farther,  that  if  your  souls  prosper, 
you  will  grow  downwards.  What  is  that?  Why  you  will 
grow  in  the  knowledge  of  yourselves.  I  heard,  when  I  was 
at  Lisbon,  that  some  people  there  began  at  the  top  of  the  house 
first.  It  is  odd  kind  of  preaching  that  will  do  for  the  Papists, 
resting  merely  in  externals.  The  knowledge  of  ourselves  is 
the  first  thing  God  implants.  Lord^  let  me  knoio  'myself^  was  a 
prayer  that  one  of  the  Fathers  put  up  for  sixteen  years  toge- 
ther ;  and  if  you  have  high  thoughts  of  yourselves,  you  may 
know  you  are  light-headed,  you  forget  what  poor  silly  crea- 
tures you  are.  As  our  souls  prosper,  we  shall  be  more  and 
more  sensible,  not  only  of  the  outside,  but  of  the  inside  ;  we 
first  battle  with  the  outward  man,  bat  as  we  advance  in  the 
divine  life,  we  have  nearer  views  of  the  chambers  of  imagery 
that  are  in  our  hearts  ;  and  one  day  after  another  we  shall  find 
more  and  more  abomination  there,  and  consequently  we  shall 
see  more  of  the  glory  of  Jesus  Christ,  the  wonders  of  that  Im- 
manucl,  who  daily  delivers  us  from  this  body  of  sin  and  death ; 
and  I  mention  this,  because  there  is  nothing  more  common, 
especially  with  young  christians.  I  used  formerly  to  have  at 
least  a  hundred,  or  two  hundred  in  a  day,  who  would  come 
and  say,  O  dear,  I  am  so  and  so,  I  met  with  God ;  ah !  that  is 
quite  well :  a  week  after  they  would  come  and  say,  O  sir,  it  is 
all  a  delusion,  there  was  nothing  in  it ;  what  is  the  matter? 
Oj  never  was  such  a  wretch  as  I  am,  I  never  thought  I  had 
such  a  wicked  heart.  Oh  !  God  cannot  love  me  ;  now,  sir,  all 
my  fervor,  and  all  that  I  felt  is  gone  ;  and  what  then  ?  Does 
a  tree  never  grow  but  when  it  grows  upward?  Some  trees,  I 
fancy  grow  downward  ;  and  the  deeper  you  grow  in  the  know- 
ledge of  yourself,  the  deeper  you  grow  in  the  knowledge  of 
God  and  his  grace,  that  discovers  the  corruptions  of  your 
hearts.  Do  not  you  find  that  aged  men  look  back  upon  some 
former  states.  I  know  some  people  cannot  look  back  to  see 
how  many  sins  they  have  been  sfiiilty  of,  but  if  grace  helps  us 
to  a  sight  of  our  inherent  corruptions,  it  will  make  us  weary  of 
it,  and  lead  us  to  the  blood  of  Christ  to  cleanse  us  from  it ;  con- 
sequently, if  your  soul's  prosper,  the  more  you  will  fall  in  love 
with  the  glorious  Redeemer,  and  with  his  righteousness.  I 
never  knew  a  person  in  my  life  that  diligently  used  the  word, 


Serm.  17.]  soul  prosperity.  503 

and  other  means,  but  as  they  improved  in  grace,  saw  more  and 
more  of  the  necessity  of  depending  upon  a  better  righteousness 
than  their  own.  Generally,  when  we  first  set  out,  we  have  bet- 
ter hearts  than  heads  ;  but  if  we  grow  in  the  divine  life,  our 
heads  will  grow  as  well  as  our  hearts,  and  the  Spirit  of  God 
leads  out  of  abominable  self,  and  causes  us  to  flee  more  and 
more  to  that  glorious  and  complete  righteousness  that  Jesus 
Christ  wrought  out. 

The  more  your  souls  prosper,  the  more  you  will  see  of  the 
freeness  and  distinguishing  nature  of  God's  grace,  that  all  is 
of  grace.  We  are  all  naturally  free-willers,  and  generally 
young  ones  say,  O  we  have  found  the  Messiah,  of  whom 
Moses  and  the  prophets  spoke  ;  which  is  right,  except  that 
word  we  have  found  ;  for  the  believer  a  little  after  learns,  that 
the  Messiah  had  found  him.  I  mention  this,  because  we 
ought  not  to  make  persons  offenders  for  a  word  ;  we  should 
bear  with  younsf  christians,  and  not  knock  a  young  child's 
brains  out  because  he  cannot  speak  in  blank  verse. 

Let  it  not  be  forgotten  also,  that  the  more  your  souls  pros- 
per, the  more  you  will  rise  above  the  world.  You  cannot 
think  that  1  mean  you  should  be  negligent  about  the  things 
of  this  life.  Nothing  tries  my  temper  more,  than  to  see  any 
about  me  idle ;  an  idle  person  tempts  the  devil  to  tempt  him. 
In  the  state  of  paradise,  Adam  and  Eve  were  to  dress  the  gar- 
den, and  not  to  be  idle  there  ;  after  the  fall,  they  were  to  till 
the  ground  ;  but  if  any  body  says  that  the  Methodists  think  to 
be  idle,  they  injure  them.  We  tell  people  to,  rise  and  be  at 
their  work  early  and  late,  that  they  may  redeem  time  to  attend 
the  word.  If  all  that  speak  against  the  Methodists  were  as 
dilioent,  it  would  be  better  for  their  wives  and  families.  What, 
do  you  think  a  true  Methodist  will  be  idle  ?  No,  he  will  be 
busy  with  his  hands,  he  knows  lime  is  precious,  and  therefore 
he  will  work  hard  that  he  may  have  to  give  to  them  that  need, 
and  at  the  same  time  he  will  live  above  the  world  ;  and  you 
know  the  earth  is  under  your  feet,  so  is  the  world.  When  he 
goes  to  sleep,  he  will  say,  I  care  not  whether  I  awake  more.  I 
can  look  back,  and  tell  you  of  hundreds  and  hundreds  that 
once  seemed  alive  to  God,  and  have  been  drawn  away  with  a 
little  filthy,  nasty  dirt.  How  many  places  are  there  empty 
here,  that  have  been  filled  with  persons  that  once  were  zealous 
in  their  attendance  ?  As  a  person  the  other  day,  to  whose 
bavins:  a  place  it  was  objected,  that  he  was  a  Methodist ;  no, 
says  he,  I  have  not  been  a  Methodist  these  two  years.  I  do 
not,  for  my  part,  wish  people  joy  when  they  get  money  ;  only 
take  care  it  does  not  get  into,  and  put  your  eyes  out ;  if  your 
money  increases,  let  your  zeal  for  good  works  increase.     Per- 


504  soui.  PROSPERITY.  [Serm.  17. 

haps  some  stranger  will  say,  I  thought  you  was  against  good 
works.  I  tell  you  the  truth,  I  am  against  good  works  ;  do  not 
run  away  before  1  have  finished  my  sentence  ;  we  are  against 
good  works  being  put  in  the  room  of  Christ,  as  the  ground  of 
our  acceptance  ;  but  we  look  upon  it.  if  we  have  a  right  faith, 
our  faith  will  work  by  love.  Ever  since  I  was  a  boy,  I  remem- 
ber to  have  heard  a  story  of  a  poor  indigent  beggar,  who  asked 
a  clergyman  to  give  him  alms,  which  being  refused,  he  said, 
will  you  please,  sir,  to  give  me  your  blessing ;  says  he,  God 
bless  you  ;  O,  replied  the  beggar,  you  would  not  give  me  that 
if  it  was  worth  any  thing.  There  are  many  who  will  talk 
very  friendly  to  you,  but  if  they  suppose  you  are  come  for  any 
thing,  they  will  run  away  as  from  a  pick-pocket ;  whereas,  if 
our  souls  prospered,  we  should  "count  it  more  blessed  to  give 
than  to  receive."  When  we  rise  from  our  beds,  this  would  be 
our  question  to  ourselves,  what  can  I  do  for  God  to-day? 
What  can  I  do  for  the  poor  ?  Have  I  two,  or  five,  or  ten 
talents?  God  help  me  to  do  for  the  poor  as  much  as  if  I 
knew  I  was  to  live  only  this  day. 

In  a  word,  if  your  souls  prosper,  my  dear  hearers,  you  will 
grow  in  love.  There  are  some  good  souls,  but  very  narrow 
souls ;  they  are  so  afraid  of  loving  people  that  differ  from 
them,  that  it  makes  me  uneasy  to  see  it.  Party  spirit  creeps 
in  among  christians,  and  whereas  it  was  formerly  said,  see 
how  these  christians  love  one  another !  now  it  may  be  said, 
see  how  these  christians  hate  one  another !  I  declare  from 
the  bottom  of  my  heart,  that  I  am  more  and  more  convinced 
that  the  principles  I  have  preached  are  the  word  of  God.  Pray 
what  do  you  do  at  Change  ;  is  there  such  a  thing  as  a  Presby- 
terian, or  Independent,  or  Church-walk  there  ?  Is  there  any 
chambers  there  for  the  Presbyterians,  and  Independents,  and 
Churchmen  to  deal  in  ?  People  may  boast  of  their  wildfire 
zeal  for  God,  till  they  cannot  bear  the  sight  of  a  person  that 
differs  from  them.  The  apostle  commends  Gains  for  his 
catholic  love,  for  his  love  to  strangers.  That  was  a  glorious 
saying  of  a  good  woman  in  Scotland,  Come  in,  says  she,  ye 
blessed  of  the  Lord ;  I  have  a  house  that  will  hold  a  hun- 
dred, and  a  heart  that  will  hold  ten  thousand.  God  give  us 
such  a  heart ;  he  that  dwelleth  in  love,  dwelleth  in  God.  I 
could  mention  twenty  marks,  and  so  go  on  wire-drawing  till 
nine  or  ten  o'clock  ;  but  it  is  best  to  deal  with  our  souls  as 
with  our  bodies,  to  eat  but  little  at  a  time.  It  is  so  with  preach- 
ing ;  though  I  do  not  proceed  any  farther  in  my  discourse, 
God  bless  what  has  been  said. 

But  is  there  a  child  of  God  here  that  can  go  away  without 
a  drooping  heart  ?     I  do  not  speak  that  you  may  think  me 


Serm.  17.]  soul  prosperity.  505 

humble ;  I  love  sincerity,  inward  and  outward,  and  hate  guile. 
When  I  think  what  God  has  done  for  me,  how  often  he  has 
pruned  me,  and  dug  about  me,  and  when  I  think  how  little  I 
have  done  for  God,  it  makes  me  weep  if  possible,  tears  of 
blood  ;  it  makes  me  cry,  O  my  leanness,  my  leanness,  as  I 
expressed   myself  with   my  friend   to-day.     This  makes  me 
long,  if  my  strength  of  body  would  permit,  to  begin  to  be  in 
earnest  for  my  Lord.     What  say  you,  my  dear  friends,  have 
all  of  you  the  same  temper  ?     Have  you  made  the  progress  you 
ought  to  have  done  ?     O  London  !  I^ondon  !  highly  favored 
London !  what  would  some  people  give  for  thy  privileges  ? 
What  would  the  people  I  was  called  to  preach  to  but  this  day 
se'ennight  ?     A  good,  a  right  honorable  lady,  about  three  and 
twenty  miles  oif,  has  brought  the  gospel  there.     The  people 
that  I  preached  to,  longed  and  thirsted  after  the  same  mes- 
sage :  they  said,  they  thought  they  never   heard  the   truth 
before.     You  have  the  manna  poured  out  round  the  camp, 
and  I  am  afraid  you  are  calhng  it  light  bread  ;  at  least,  I  am 
afraid  you  have  had  a  bad  digestion.     Consider  of  it,  and  for 
Jesus  Christ's  sake  tremble  for  fear  God  should  re?nove  his 
candlestick  from  among  you.     Laborers  are  sick  ;  those  that 
did  once  labor  are  almost  worn  out,  and  others  only  bring 
themselves  into  a  narrow  sphere,  and  so  confine  their  useful- 
ness.   There  are  few  that  like  to  go  out  into  the  fields  :  broken 
heads  and  dead  cats  are  no  more  the  ornaments  of  a  Metho- 
dist, but  silk  scarves.     Those  honorable  badges  are  now  no 
more  ;  the  languor  has  got  from  the  ministers  to  the  people, 
and  if  you  do  not  take  care,  we  shall  all  fall  dead  together. 
The  Lord  Jesus  rouse  us — the  Son  of  God  rouse  us  all.     Ye 
should  show  the  world  the  way,  and  ye  that  have  been  Metho- 
dists of  many  years  standing,  show  the  young  ones  that  have 
not  the  cross  to  bear  as  we  once  had,  what  ancient  Metho- 
dism was. 

As  for  you  who  are  quite  negligent  about  the  prosperity  of 
your  souls  ;  who  only  mind  your  bodies  ;  who  are  more 
afraid  of  a  pimple  in  your  faces,  than  the  rottenness  of  your 
hearts ;  that  will  say,  O  give  me  a  good  bottle  and  a  fowl, 
and  keep  the  prosperity  of  your  souls  to  yourselves.  You  had 
better  take  care  what  you  say,  for  fear  God  should  take  you 
at  your  word.  I  know  some  tradesmen  and  farmers,  and  one 
had  a  wife,  perhaps  with  a  fortune  too,  who  prayed  they 
might  be  excused ;  they  never  came  to  the  supper,  and  God 
sent  them  to  hell  for  it  too.  This  may  be  your  case.  I  was 
told  to-day  of  a  young  woman  that  was  very  well  on  Sunday, 
when  she  left  her  friends,  when  she  came  home  was  racked 
with  pain — had  an  inflamation  in  her  bowels,  and  is  now  a 

43 


506  SOUL  DEJECTION.  [Serm.  18. 

breathless  corpse.  Another  that  I  heard  of,  a  Christless 
preacher,  that  always  minded  his  body,  when  he  was  near 
death,  said  to  his  wife,  "  I  see  hell  opened  for  me-7-I  see  the 
damned  tormented — I  see  such  a  one  in  hell  that  I  debauched.'^ 
In  the  midst  ,of  his  agony  he  said,  "  I  am  coming  to  thee — I 
am  coming — I  must  be  damned — God  will  damn  my  soul," 
and  died.  Take  care  of  jesting  with  God :.  there  is  room 
enough  in  hell,  and  if  you  neglect  the  prosperity  of  your  souls, 
what  will  become  of  you?  What  will  you  give  for  a  grain 
of  hope  when  God  requires  your  souls  ?  Awake  thou  that 
sleepest  I  Hark  !  hark  !  hark  !  hear  the  word  of  the  Lord, 
the  living  God.  Help  me,  O  ye  children  of  God  :  I  am  come 
with  a  warrant  from  Jesus  of  Nazareth  to-night.  Ye  ministers 
of  Christ  that  are  here,  help  me  with  your  prayers.  Ye  ser- 
vants of  the  living  God,  help  me  with  your  prayers,  0  with 
what  success  did  I  preach  in  Moorfields  when  I  had  ten 
thousand  of  God's  people  praying  for  me.  Pray  to  God  to 
strengthen  my  body  :  do  not  be  afraid  I  shall  hurt  myself  to- 
night :  I  do  not  care  what  hurt  I  may  do  to  myself  if  God 
may  bless  it :  I  can  preach  but  little,  but  may  God  bless  that 
little.  I  weep  and  cry,  and  humble  myself  before  my  God 
daily,  for  being  laid  aside  :  I  would  not  give  others  the  trouble 
if  I  could  preach  myself  You  have  had  the  first  of  me,  and 
you  will  have  the  last  of  me.  The  angels  of  God  waited  for 
your  conversion,  and  are  now  ready  to  take  care  of  the  soul 
when  it  leaves  the  rotten  carcass.  The  worst  creature  under 
heaven,  that  has  not  a  penny  in  the  world,  may  be  welcome 
unto  God.  However  it  has  been  with  us  in  times  past,  may 
our  souls  prosper  in  time  to  come ;  which  God  grant  of  his 
infinite  mercy.     Amen. 


SERMON  XVIII. 


SOUL  DEJECTION. 


Psalm  xliii.  5. 

Why  art  thou  cast  down,  O  my  soul?  and  why  art  thou  disquieted 
within  me  ?  Hope  in  God :  for  I  shall  yet  praise  him,  who  is  the 
health  of  my  countenance,  and  my  God. 

I  HAVE  often  told  you  in  my  plain  way  of  speaking,  that 
grace  is  very  frequently  grafted  on  a  crab-stock ;  that  the 
Lord  Jesus  picks  out  persons  of  the  most  peevish,  churlish 


Serm.  18.]  soul  dejection.  507 

disposition,  and  imparts  to  them  the  largest  measure  of  grace, 
but  for  want  of  a  better  natural  temper,  a  great  deal  of  grace 
does  not  shine  so  brisfht  in  them,  as  a  small  deofree  in  those 
that  are  constitutionally  good  natured.  You  will  hear  them 
always  complaining  something  or  other  is  the  matter.  What  a 
pity  it  is  we  cannot  all  agree  in  one  thing,- to  leave  off  chiding 
others  to  chide  our  own  selves,  till  we  can  find  nothing  in 
ourselves  to  chide  for  ;  this  we  shall  find  will  be  a  good  Avay 
to  grow  in  the  divine  life,  when,  by  constant  application  to  the 
Lamb  of  God,  we  get  a  rpastery  over  those  things  which 
hitherto  have  had  the  mastery  over  us.  But  are  these  the 
only  people  that  complain  ?  Are  people  of  a  melancholy  dis- 
position only  subject  to  a  disquietude  of  heart  ?  I  will  venture 
to  aflirm,  that  the  greatest,  the  dearest  children  of  God,  have 
their  complaining,  and  their  dreary  hours.  Those  who  have 
been  favored  witli  large  measures  of  grace,  even  those  that 
have  been  wrapped  up  as  it  were,  to  the  third  heavens,  bask- 
ing on  the  mount,  in  the  sunshine  of  redeeming  grace,  and  in 
raptures  of  love  crying  out.  It  is  good  for  us  to  he  here ;  even 
these  must  go  down  to  Gethsemane  ;  and  if  they  would  not 
be  scorched  with  a  strong  burning  fever  from  the  sun  of  pros- 
perity, shall  find  clouds  from  time  to  time  overshadowing 
them,  not  to  burn,  but  to  keep  them  low.  It  is  on  this  ac- 
count, that  you  see  good  men  in  different  frames  at  different 
times  ;  our  Lord  himself  was  so ;  he  rejoiced  sometimes  in 
spirit,  but  at  other  times  you  find  him,  especially  near  the  last, 
crying  out,  My  soul  is  exceeding  sorroivfid,  eveu  unto  death  ; 
tarry  you  here  and  watch.  And  I  am  going  to  tell  you  of 
one  to-night,  who  had  the  honor  of  beins:  called  the  man  after 
God^s  own  heart ;  and  who,  though  an  Old  Testament  saint, 
was  greatly  blessed  witli  a  New  Testament  spirit,  and  had 
the  honor  of  composing  Psalms,  which  in  all  past  ages  of  the 
church  have  been,  and  in  future  ones  will  be,  a  rich  magazine 
and  store-house  of  spiritual  experience,  from  which  the  chil- 
dren of  God  may  draw  spiritual  armor  for  fiofhting  the  good 
fight  of  faith,  until  God  shall  call  them  to  life  eternal :  may 
this  be  your  happy  lot.  What  frame  was  this  good  man  in, 
when  he  composed  this  forty-second  Psalm  ?  The  Psalm  itself 
can  best  tell.  It  seems  composed  when  he  was  either  perse- 
cuted by  Saul,  or  driven  from  his  own  court  by  his  fondling, 
beloved  son,  Absalom :  then  David  appeared  truly  great.  I 
honor  him  when  I  see  him  yonder,  attending  a  few  sheep  ;  but 
I  admire  the  young  stripling,  when  I  see  him  come  out  with 
his  sling  and  stone,  and  aiming  it  at  the  head  of  Goliath,  the 
enemy  of  God  ;  or,  when  exalted  and  filling  the  seat  of  justice ; 
but  to  me  he  never  appears  greater,  than  when  he  is  bowed 


508  SOUL  DEJECTION.  [Serm.  18. 

down  in  low  circumstances,  beset  on  every  side,  struggling 
between  sense  and  faith;  and  as  the  sun,  after  an  eclipse, 
breaking  forth  with  greater  luster  to  all  the  spectators.  In  this 
view  we  must  consider  this  great,  this  good  man,  David,  when 
he  cries  out,  Wht/  art  thou  cast  down,  O  my  soul  7  and  why 
art  thou  disquieted  witiiin  me  7    Hope  thou  in  God. 

Supposing  you  understand  the  words  as  a  question.  Why 
art  thou  cast  down.  O  'my  soul,  though  thou  art  in  such  cir- 
cumstances ?    Pray  now  what  is  the  cause  of  thy  being  so 
dejected  ?     The  word  implies,  that  he  was  sinking  under  the 
weight  of  his  present  burden,  like  a  person  stooping  under  a 
load  that  lies  upon  his  shoulders  ;  and  the  consequence  of  this 
pressure  without,  was  disquietude,  uneasiness,  and  anxiety 
within  ;  for  say  what  you  will  to  the  contrary,  there  is  such 
a  connection  between  soul  and  body,  that  when  one  is  disor- 
dered, the  other  must  sympathize  with  its  ever  loving  friend. 
Or,  you  may  understand  it  as  chiding  himself,  Why  art 
thou  cast  down,  O  my  soul,  lohy  art  thou  disquieted  within 
'me,  how  foolish  it  is  to  be  thus  drooping  and  dejected  ;  how 
improper  for  one  favored  of  God  with  so  many  providences, 
and  special  particular  privileges,  for  such  a  one  as  thou  art, 
thus  to  stoop,  and  be  made  subject  to  every  temptation  ;  why 
dost  thou  give  thy  enemies  such  room  to  find  fault  with  thy 
religion  on  account  of  thy  gloomy  looks,  and  the  disquietude 
of  thy  heart  ?    A  yoke  which  thou  wilt  find  to  be  lined  with 
love,  and  God  will  keep  it  from  galling  thy  shoulders.     You 
see  he  speaks  not  to  others,  but  to  himself ;  would  to  God  we 
did  thus  learn  that  charity  begins  at  home.     Then  he  goes  to 
God  with  his  case,  O  my  God,  says  he,  my  soul  is  cast  down 
within  me.     O  that  we  could  learn,  when  in  these  moods,  to 
go  more  to  God,  and  less  to  man,  we  should  find  more  relief, 
and  religion  would  be  less  dishonored.     But  see  how  faith 
triumphs  in  the  midst  of  all ;   no  sooner  does  unbelief  lift  up 
its  head,  but  faith  immediately  puts  it  down.     A  never-faihng 
maxim  is  here  proposed,  hope  thou  in  God,  trust  in  God,  be- 
lieve in  God  ;  for  I  am  sure,  and  all  of  you  that  know  Jesus 
Christ  are  persuaded  of  it  too,  that  all  our  troubles  arise  from 
our  unbelief     O  unbelief,  injurious  bar  to  comfort,  force  of 
tormenting  fear  !    on  the  contrary,  faith  bears  every  thing. 
Put  thy  trust  in  God,  as  in  the  old  translation  ;  hope  in  God, 
as  in  the  new,  /  shall  7iotu  praise  him.     The  devil  tells  me 
my  trouble  is  So  great,  I  shall  never  lift  up  my  head  again ; 
but  unbehef  and  the  devil  are  liars  ;  I  shall  yet  praise  him  ; 
my  God  will  carry  me  through  all ;    I  sliall  yet  praise  him, 
even  for  casting  me  down ;  1  shall  praise  him  even  for  that 
which  is  the  cause  of  all  my  disquietude ;    he  will  be  the 


Serm.  18.]  soul  dejection.  509 

health  of  my  countenance ;  thougli  my  afflictions  have  now 
made  my  body  low,  suck  np  my  spirits  and  hurt  my  animal 
frame,  he  will  he  the  health  of  iny  countenance  ;  1  shall  by 
and  by  see  him  again,  and  be  favored  with  those  transforming 
views,  which  my  God  has  favored  me  with  in  times  past : 
he  is  the  health  of  iny  countenance^  and  viy  God :  though  the 
devil  tempts  me,  and  my  evil  neighbors  say,  where  is  iioio 
thy  God  J  Dost  thou  think  thou  art  a  child  of  God,  and  thy 
father  suffers  thee  to  be  cast  down  ?  1  tell  thee,  O  Satan,  that 
God  who  I  have  been  so  vilely  tempted  as  to  believe  has  for- 
saken me,  will  come  over  the  mountains  of  my  guilt,  will  for- 
give my  backslidings  against  himself,  my  unbelief  shall  not 
make  his  promises  of  none  effect ;  I  shall  praise  him  even 
while  I  live,  I  shall  praise  him  before  I  die,  I  shall  praise  him 
for  ever  in  heaven,  where  he  will  be  after  death,  tJie  health  of 
iny  countenance^  and  my  God ;  thus  faith  will  get  the  better 
in  a  saint.  David  was  sometimes  left  to  say,  in  effect,  all 
things  are  against  me  ;  yet,  still  in  most  of  the  Psalms,  in  this, 
the  text,  the  113th,  and  many  of  the  rest,  he  triumphs  in  God; 
and  he  composed  but  very  few  without  praising  at  the  end, 
though  he  complains  at  the  beginning.  God  help  us  thus 
to  do  ! 

But  it  is  time  to  leave  off  speaking,  particularly  of  David, 
and  to  turn  to  you  to  whom  these  words,  1  pray  God,  may 
prove  salutary  and  useful.  I  have  liad  a  great  struggle  in 
my  mind  this  afternoon  what  I  should  preach  from;  1  have 
been  praying  and  looking  up  to  God,  and  could  not  preach 
for  my  life  on  any  other  text,  Avhich  has  often  been  the  case 
before,  and  whenever  it  was,  some  poor  soul  has  been  com- 
forted and  raised  up  ;  and  among  such  a  mixed  multitude, 
there  are  some,  no  doubt,  come  to  this  poor  despised  place, 
cast  down  and  disquieted  within  ;  I  shall  endeavor  to  inquire 
what  you  are  cast  down  for,  and  then  I  shall  propose  a  great 
cure  for  you,  namely,  trust  in  God ;  and  I  pray  that  what 
was  David's  comfort  may  be  yours.  Why  should  we  not  ex- 
pect an  answer,  when  we  pray  that  God  before  you  go  home 
may  make  you,  whether  you  will  or  no,  leave  your  burdens 
behind  you  /  And  God  keep  you  from  taking  them  up  as  you 
go  home. 

Probably,  there  may  be  some  of  you  that  are  real  believers  ; 
perhaps  I  ought  to  ask  your  pardon  :  where  am  I  preaching'/ 
In  the  Tabernacle,  the  most  despised  place  in  London ;  so 
scandalous  a  place,  that  many  of  the  children  of  God  would 
rather  go  elsewhere  !  God  help  us  to  keep  up  our  scandal ! 
But  yet  I  believe  there  are  many  king's  daughters  here  ;  many 
of  you  whom  God  enabled  in  this  place  first  to  say,  My  Lord^ 

43* 


510  SOUL  DEJECTION.  [Semi.  18. 

and  my  God.  When  you  put  your  fingers,  as  it  were,  on  the 
print  of  Christ's  nails,  and  put  your  hands  into  his  side,  and- 
were  no  lon£:er  faithless,  but  behcving,  you  thought  you 
should  never  be  cast  down  any  more,  but  now  you  have  found 
yourselves  mistaken  ;  and  I  shall  endeavor,  in  the  prosecution 
of  this  text,  to  speak  to  all  that  are  cast  down  whether  before 
or  after  conversion,  and  then  to  such  that  were  never  cast 
down  at  all ;  and  if  you  was  never  cast  down  before,  God  cast 
you  down  now. 

What  are  persons  cast  doAvn  for?  AYhat  are  some  of  you 
disquieted  within  for?  1  have  reason  to  believe,  from  the 
notes  put  up  at  both  ends  of  the  town,  that  there  are  many  of 
you  that  have  arrows  of  conviction  stuck  fast  in  your  souls.  I 
have  taken  in  near  two  hundred  at  the  other  end  of  the  town, 
within  a  fortnight ;  if  this  be  the  case,  that  God  is  thus  at 
work,  let  the  devil  roar,  and  we  will  go  on  in  the  name  of  the 
Lord.  And  what  are  you  cast  down  for  ?  Some  poor  soul 
will  say,  with  a  sense  of  sin,  the  guilt  of  it,  the  enmity  of  it,  the 
very  aggravated  circumstances  that  attend  it,  appear  and  set 
themselves  as  in  battle  array  before  me  :  once  I  thought  I  had 
no  sin,  at  least  I  thought  that  sin  Avas  not  so  exceeding  sinful ; 
but  I  now  find  it  such  a  burden  that  I  could  almost  say  with 
Cain,  "it  is  greater  than  I  can  bear."  And  perhaps  some  of 
you  are  so  cast  down,  as  in  your  haste  to  say  as  Colonel 
Gardiner,  that  great  man  of  God  told  me  himself  had  said 
when  under  conviction,  "I  believe  God  cannot  be  just,  unless 
lie  damns  my  wicked  soul."  Is  this  thy  case  ?  Art  thou 
wicked,  art  thou  so  cast  down,  so  disquieted,  that  thou  canst 
not  rest  night  nor  day  ?  Shall  I  send  thee  away  without  any 
comfort  ?  Shall  I  send  thee  away  as  the  legal  preachers  do  ? 
As  a  minister  some  time  ago  did,  v/hen  a  man  told  him  how 
wicked  he  had  been ;  O,  says  he,  if  you  are  so  wicked,  you 
are  damned  to  be  sure,  I  shall  not  trouble  myself  with  you. 
When  a  poor  negro  was  taken  up  for  thieving,  another  went 
to  him  and  said,  you  are  so  bad  1  must  turn  my  back  to  you  ; 
that  is  the  law,  but  the  gospel  is  turn  thy  face  to  God ;  think  not 
that  God  is  dealing  with  thee  as  an  absolute  God,  a  God  out 
of  Christ.  I  would  have  nothing  to  do,  says  Luther,  with  an 
absolute  God  :  as  such  he  is  a  consuming  fire.  Trust  God 
in  Christ,  throw  thyself  upon  him,  throw  thyself  on  the  Son 
of  God;  cry  with  thy  brother,  and  now  thou  art  in  that 
temper,  thou  wilt  not  be  ashamed  to  call  the  thief  thy  brother ; 
say  with  him,  "  Lord,  remember  me  when  thou  art  in  thy 
Ivingdom ;"  thou  shalt  yet  praise  him,  thou  shalt  yet  have  the 
forgiveness  of  thy  sins  ;  thy  pardon  shall  not  only  be  sealed  in 
heaven,  but  thou  shalt  have  it  in  thy  heart :  these  are  only  the 


Serm.  18.]  soul  dejection.  511 

pangs  of  the  new  birth,  the  first  struggHnsfs  of  the  soul  imtnerg- 
ing  into  the  divine  life  ;  he  shall  yet  iBe  the  health  of  thy 
countenance  :  these  poor  cheeks,  though  bedewed  with  tears, 
shall  by  and  by  have  a  fine  blush,  when  a  pardoning  God 
comes  with  his  love  ;  it  shall  even  make  a  change  in  thy  coun- 
tenance, for  as  a  heavy  heart  makes  a  man's  countenance  sad, 
so  a  cheerful  heart  makes  the  countenance  pleasant :  thou  shalt 
know  him  to  be  thy  God,  thou  shalt  say,  mi/  Lord,  and  my 
God.  Lord  Jesus,  grant  this  may  be  the  happy  moment.  Was 
Jesus  here,  was  the  Redeemer  now  in  this  metropolis,  I  am  sure 
he  would  go  about  the  streets,  he  would  be  a  field  preacher,  he 
would  go  out  into  the  highways  and  hedges,  he  would  invite, 
he  would  run  after  them ;  Lord  Jesus,  take  the  veil  from  our 
hearts,  and  let  us  see  to-night  thy  loving  heart  as  the  Son  of 
God  !  Trust  in  God,  you  will  say,  it  is  very  easy  for  you  to 
say  so,  but  I  cannot  trust  in  God  ;  can't  you ;  who  told  you 
that  ?  That  is  the  work  of  God ;  you  are  not  far  from  the 
kingdom  of  God.  AYho  convinced  thee  of  thy  inability  to 
believe  ;  do  you  think  the  devil  did  I  No,  it  was  the  Spirit  of 
God  procured  by  the  blood  of  the  Lamb,  that  was  to  come  to 
convince  the  world  of  sin.  If  thou  canst  not  trust  as  thou 
wouldst,say,  "Lord,  I  believe,  help  my  unbelief:"  stretch  out  thy 
poor  hand.  I  am  thinkino^  of  Sunday  last,  when  I  was  giving 
the  sacrament,  I  observed  there  was  one  blind  communicant 
that  could  not  see,  but  he  thrust  out  his  hand ;  I  observed 
several  lame  persons,  but  there  were  enough  to  give  it  to  them  ; 
I  saw  also  a  poor  barrow  woman,  and  I  took  particular  care  to 
give  the  cup  to  her ;  so  I  put  it  up  to  the  mouth  of  the  poor 
blind  man  :  if  that  is  the  case,  what  love  must  there  be  in  God 
to  the  poor  soul ! 

But,  methinks,  I  hear  some  poor  soul  say,  that  is  not  my 
case,  I  am  not  cast  down  for  that,  but  I  am  cast  down  because 
after  that  I  knew  God  to  be  my  God,  after  I  knew  Jesus  to  be 
my  King,  and  after  I  had  mounted  upon  my  high  places,  the 
devil  and  my  unbelieving  heart  threw  me  down  ao^ain  ;  would 
you  not  have  me  cast  down  ?  Would  you  not  have  me  dis- 
quieted ?  A  person  of  an  Antinomian  spirit  would  say,  do  not 
tell  me  of  your  frames,  I  have  learned  to  live  by  faith,  I  do  not 
care  whether  Christ  manifests  himself  to  me  or  no,  I  have  the 
word  and  the  promise,  I  am  content  with  a  promise  now  ;  so 
these  poor  creatures  go  on  without  any  frame,  because  they  will 
not  live  in  it :  from  such  Antinomianism,  good  God  deliver  me. 
How !  how !  how  !  not  cast  down  at  an  absent  God,  nor  dis- 
quieted when  God  withdraws  ?  Where  are  you  gone  ?  You 
are  gone  far  from  your  father's  house  ;  if  nothing  else  will  do, 
may  your  father  whip  you  home  again.     But  tender  hearts 


512  SOUL  DEJECTION.  [Scrm.  18. 

when  they  reflect  how  it  was  once,  are  cast  down ;  David 
says,  "  My  tears  have  been  my  meat  day  and  night,  for  I  had 
gone  with  a  multitude  to  the  house  of  God."  Here  he  looks 
back  upon  his  former  enjoyments,  his  spiritual  prosperity,  (as 
Job  looks  back  upon  his  temporal,)  and  says,  Why  art  thou 
cast  doicn,  O  my  soul  1  it  is  because  I  do  not  meet  God  in  his 
ordinances  as  I  used  to  do  ;  poor  deserted,  panting  soul !  poor 
disquieted  soul !  he  must  be  the  health  of  thy  countenance,  he 
will  yet  be  thy  God.  Who  was  it  sought  Jesus  sorrowing? 
What  would  you  have  thought  of  the  virgin  Mary  if  she  had 
said,  I  do  not  care  whether  I  see  my  son  or  not ;  she  sought 
him.  and  found  him  in  the  temple.  God  grant  every  poor 
deserted  soul  may  find  him  to-night ;  I  mean,  in  the  temple  of 
his  heart.  And  in  the  case  of  Mary,  she  says,  "  They  have 
taken  away  my  Lord,  and  I  know  not  where  they  have  laid 
him :"  if  they  had  not  taken  away  her  Lord,  Mary  would  have 
been  rich :  so  you  may  say  your  corruptions,  your  backslid- 
ings,  and  ingratitude,  have  taken  away  your  Lord.  Lord 
grant  thou  mayest  find  him  to-night.  He  that  said,  Mary,  can 
call  thee  to-night,  and  can  make  thee  say,  my  dear  Lord,  1 
come  to-night ;  he  can  call  thee  by  thy  name. 

But,  say  you,  I  am  cast  down  because  I  am  wearied  with 
temptation :  not  only  my  God  is  departed  from  me,  but  an  evil 
spirit  is  come  upon  me  to  torment  me ;  1  am  haunted  with 
this  and  that  evil  suggestion,  that  I  am  a  terror  to  myself 
Come,  come,  hear  what  David  saith  in  the  beginning  of  the 
Psalm,  "  As  the  hart  panteth  after  the  water  brooks,  so  panteth 
my  soul  after  thee,  O  God."  What  say  you  to  that  ?  If  you 
have  a  mind  to  see  the  beauty  of  this  verse,  read  Mr.  Hervey's 
Theron  and  Aspasio,  which  will  live  when  its  despisers  are 
dead  ;  and  those  that  have  endeavored  to  disparage  him  will 
be  obliged  to  own,  that  he  was  one  of  the  greatest  luminaries 
we  ever  had,  and  one  that  has  laid  down  the  doctrines  of  the 
gospel,  in  a  manner  to  charm  and  allure  the  great  and  noble. 
Well,  is  it  thy  case  that  unbelief  assails  thee,  go  where  thou 
wilt  ?  Well,  still  trust  in  God,  thou  shalt  yet  j)raise  him  for 
the  health  of  his  countenance  :  he  will  com.m.and  his  loving 
kindness  in  the  day.  and  his  song  shall  he  with  thee  in  the 
night.  Though  it  be  night,  there  is  some  moon,  blessed  be 
God,  or  some  stars  ;  and  if  there  is  a  fog  that  you  cannot  see, 
God  can  quiet  his  people  in  the  dark,  he  will  make  the  enemy 
flee  ;  fear  him  not,  God  will  comfort  thee,  if  thou  trust  in 
him. 

But,  say  you,  I  am  cast  down  and  disquieted  within  me  ;  why  ? 
Because  I  have  one  affliction  after  another,  no  sooner  is  one 
trial  gone,  but  another  succeeds  ;  now  I  think  I  shall  have  a 


Serm.  18.]  soul  dejection.  513 

little  rest,  the  tormenter  will  not  come  nigh  me  to-day,  but  no 
sooner  has  the  christian  so  said,  but  another  storm  comes,  and 
the  clouds  return  after  the  rain  ;  then  we  think  we  must  be  cast 
down,  and  that  we  ought  to  be  disquieted ;  this  was  David's  case ; 
what  does  he  say  ?  "  All  thy  waves  and  thy  billows  are  gone 
over  me."  I  believe  he  found  after  that,  there  were  more  waves 
to  come  than  he  had  yet  felt :  why?  says  a  poor  distressed  soul, 
because  I  have  been  so  long  in  Christ,  and  have  those  cursed 
corruptions  yet  within.  I  have  thought  to  have  been  rid  of 
them  all  long  ago  ;  I  thought  I  had  no  corruptions  left  thirty- 
three  years  ago,  and  that  the  Canaanites  were  all  rooted 
out  of  the  land,  that  Pharaoh  and  his  host  were  all  dro\vned 
in  the  Red  Sea  ;  but  if  I  find  the  old  man  is  strong  in  me,  I 
look  upon  myself  to  be  less  than  the  least  of  all  saints,  God 
knows  ;  and  you  that  walk  near  God,  and  have  made  greater 
advances  in  the  divine  life,  if  you  are  honest  must  say,  O  this 
body  of  sin  and  death,  if  I  shut  this  old  man  out  the  fore  door, 
he  comes  in  at  the  back  door.  Come,  come,  come  soul,  trust 
in  God,  he  will  give  power  to  the  saint,  he  will  give  strength, 
and  in  due  time  deliver  thee  :  go  to  God,  tell  him  of  them ; 
beg  thy  Redeemer  to  take  his  whip  into  his  hand,  either  of 
small  or  large  cords,  and  use  it  rather  than  your  corruptions 
should  get  head  again. 

Time  would  fail  to  mention  all  that  are  cast  down  on  these 
accounts,  but  I  must  mention  one  more  ;  perhaps  some  of  you 
may  be  cast  down  with  fear  not  of  death  only,  but  of  judg- 
ment. I  believe  there  are  thousands  of  people  die  a  thousand 
times,  for  fear  of  dying  once.  Drs.  Mather  and  Pemberton,  of 
New  England,  were  always  afraid  of  dying,  but  when  they 
came  to  die,  one  or  both  of  them  said  to  some  that  were  inti- 
mate with  them,  is  this  all,  I  can  hear  this  very  well :  and  I 
have  generally  found  that  a  poor  soul,  that  cannot  act  that 
faith  on  God  it  once  did,  or  in  old  age  when  the  body  grows 
infirm,  as  they  used  to  do,  yet  they  go  off  rejoicing  in  God,  as 
a  good  soul  that  was  buried  at  the  Chapel  the  other  day  said, 
/  am,  i^oing  over  Jordan.  Therefore,  O  poor  soul,  leave  this 
to  God,  he  will  take  care  of  thy  dying  hour.  If  any  of  you 
are  poor  here,  and  I  was  to  promise  to  give  you  a  coffin  and  a 
shroud  you  would  be  easy  ;  now  can  you  trust  the  word  of  a 
man,  and  not  that  of  God  ?  Well,  the  Lord  help  you  to  trust 
in  him  ;  "  having  loved  his  own,  he  loves  them  unto  the  end  f 
he  is  a  faithful,  unchangeable  friend,  that  sticketh  closer  than 
a  brother. 

Who  would  not  be  a  christian,  who  would  but  be  a  be- 
liever, my  brethren  ?  See  the  preciousness  of  a  believer^s 
faith  :  the  quaclis  will  say,  here  buy  this  packet,  which  is 


514  SOUL  DEJECTION.  [Serm.  18. 

good  for  all  diseases,  and  is  really  worth  nothing:  but  this 
will  never  fail  the  soul.  Now  I  wish  I  could  make  you  all 
angry  ;  I  am  a  sad  mischief  maker  ;  but  I  will  assure  you,  I 
do  not  want  to  make  you  angry  with  one  another  :  some  peo- 
ple that  profess  to  have  grace  in  their  hearts,  seem  resolved  to 
set  all  God's  people  at  variance  ;  they  are  like  Samson's  foxes 
with  fire-brands  in  their  tails,  setting  fire  to  all  about  them. 
Are  any  of  you  come  from  the  Foundry,  or  any  other  place 
to-night  ?  I  do  not  care  where  you  come  from,  I  pray  God  you 
may  all  quarrel  to-night ;  I  want  you  to  fall  out  with  your 
own  hearts  ;  if  we  were  employed  as  we  ought  to  be,  we 
should  have  less  time  to  talk  about  the  vain  things  that  are 
the  subjects  of  conversation.  God  grant  your  crosses  may  be 
left  at  the  cross  of  the  Lamb  of  God  this  night. 

And  if  there  be  any  of  you  here,  (as  no  doubt  there  are 
many,)  that  are  crying  what  nonsense  he  is  preaching  to- 
night, I  should  not  wonder  if  they  were  to  mimic  me  when 
they  go  home  ;  if  they  should  say,  I  thank  God,  I  was  never 
cast  down  ;  you  take  God  s  name  in  vain  ;  you  thank  God 
you  was  never  cast  down  :  the  very  answer  you  have  given 
makes  me  cast  down  for  you  ;  why  so  ?  Why,  as  the  Lord 
liveth,  I  speak  out  of  compassion,  there  is  but  one  step  between 
thee  and  death.  Do  you  not  know  the  sessions  began  at  the 
Old  Bailey  to-day  ?  If  there  were  any  capitally  convicted, 
what  would  you  think  to  see  them  playing  at  cards,  or  go  on 
rattling,  and  drinking,  and  swearing?  Would  not  you  your- 
selves cry,  and  if  it  were  a  child  of  your  own,  would  it  not 
break  your  heart  ?  But  yet  thou  art  that  wretch ;  I  must  weep 
for  thee,  my  brother  sinner  ;  we  had  both  one  father  and  mo- 
ther, Adam  and  Eve  ;  this  was  our  sad  original. 

Dear  christians,  pray  for  me  to-night.  I  remember  once  I 
was  preaching  in  Scotland,  and  saw  ten  thousand  affected  in  a 
moment,  some  with  joy,  others  crying  I  cannot  believe  ;  others, 
God  has  given  me  faith  ;  some  fainting  in  their  friends'  arms  : 
seeing  two  stout  creatures  upon  a  tomb  stone,  hardened  indeed, 
1  cried  out,  you  rebels  come  down,  and  down  they  fell  directly, 
and  cried  before  they  went  away,  What  shall  we  do  to  be 
saved  ?  Have  any  of  you  apprentices,  whom  you  have 
brought  from  time  to  time  to  the  Tabernacle,  but  now  will  not 
let  them  come,  because  you  think  they  grow  worse  and  worse, 
and  you  will  be  tempted  to  leave  off  praying  for  them  ?  Do  not 
do  that ;  who  knows  but  this  may  be  the  happy  time.  Child- 
ren of  godly  parents,  apprentices  of  godly  people,  servants  of 
people  who  fear  the  Lord,  that  hear  gospel  preachers,  that  are 
on  the  watch  for  every  infirmity,  that  go  to  their  fellow  ser- 
vants and  say,  these  saints  love  good  eating  and  drinking ; 


Serm.  18.]  soul  dejection.  615 

they  are  only  gospel  gossips.  Is  this  the  case  with  any  of  you? 
If  it  is,  you  are  in  a  deplorable  condition,  under  the  gospel  and 
not  convinced  thereby.  O  may  God  bring  down  you  rebels  to- 
night ;  may  this  be  the  harppy  hour  you  may  be  cast  down  and 
disquieted  within  you.  What  can  I  say  more  ?  I  would 
speak  till  I  burst ;  I  would  speak  till  I  could  say  no  more  ;  O 
poor  souls  that  hast  never  yet  been  cast  down.  I  will  tell  you. 
if  you  die  without  being  cast  down,  however  you  may  die,  and 
have  no  pangs  in  your  death,  and  your  carnal  relations  may 
thank  God  that  you  died  like  lambs,  but  no  sooner  will  your 
souls  be  out  of  your  bodies,  but  God  will  cast  you  down  to 
hell ;  you  will  be  lifting  up  your  eyes  in  yonder  place  of  tor- 
ment ;  you  will  be  disquieted,  but  there  will  be  nobody  there 
to  sd.Y,  hope  thou  in  God^  for  I  shall  yet  praise  him.  O  my 
God,  when  I  think  of  this,  I  could  go  to  the  very  gates  of  hell 
to  preach.  I  thought  the  other  day,  O  if  I  had  my  health,  I 
would  stand  on  the  top  of  every  hackney  coach,  and  preach 
Christ  to  those  poor  creatures.  Unconverted  old  people,  un- 
converted 3^oung  people,  will  you  have  no  compassion  on  your 
own  souls  \  If  you  will  damn  yourselves,  remember  I  am 
free  from  the  blood  of  you  all.  O  if  it  be  thy  blessed  will, 
Lord  most  holy,  O  God  most  mighty,  take  the  hearts  of  these 
sinners  into  thy  hand.  Methinks  I  see  the  heavens  opened, 
the  Judge  sitting  on  his  throne,  the  sea  boiling  like  a  pot,  and 
the  Lord  Jesus  coming  to  judge  the  world  :  well,  if  you  are 
damned,  it  shall  not  be  for  want  of  calling  after.  O  come, 
come,  God  help  you  to  come,  whilst  Jesus  is  standing  ready  to 
receive  you.  O  tly  to  the  Savior  this  night  for  refuge  ;  remem- 
ber if  you  die  in  an  unconverted  state  you  must  be  damned 
for  ever. 

O  that  I  could  but  persuade  one  poor  soul  to  fly  to  Jesus 
Christ ;  make  him  your  refuge ;  and  then  however  you  may 
be  cast  down,  hope  in  God.  and  you  shall  yet  praise  him. 
God  help  those  that  have  believed,  to  hope  more  and  more  in 
his  salvation,  till  faith  be  turned  into  vision,  and  hope  into 
fruition.     Even  so,  Lord  Jesus.     Amen  and  Amen. 


616  THE  GOSPEL,  [Semi.  19. 

SERMON  XIX. 


THE    GOSPEL,    A    DYING    SAINT's    TRIUMPH. — A   FUNERAI. 
SERMON. 


Mark  xvi.  15,  16. 

And  he  said  unto  them,  Go  ye  into  all  the  world,  and  preach  the  gos- 
pel to  every  creature.  He  that  believeth  and  is  baptized  shall  be 
saved,  but  he  that  believeth  not  shall  be  damned. 

I  AM  persuaded  I  need  not  inform  this  auditory,  that  when 
ambassadors  are  sent  to  a  prince,  or  when  judges  go  their  re- 
spective circuits,  it  is  always  customary  for  them  to  show  their 
credentials,  to  open  and  read  their  commissions,  by  which  they 
act  in  his  rhajesty's  name.  The  same  is  absolutely  necessary 
for  those  who  are  ambassadors  of  the  Son  of  God,  as  they  would 
be  faithful  to  their  Lord,  since  they  are  to  sit  with  him  on  the 
throne,  when  he  shall  come  the  second  time  to  judge  both  evil 
angels  and  men.  If  any  should  ask  me,  where  is  their  com- 
mission ?  it  has  been  just  now  read  unto  you.  Here  it  is  in  my 
hand,  it  is  written  with  the  king's  own  hand,  by  the  finger  of 
the  ever  blessed  God,  and  sealed  with  the  signet  of  his  eternal 
Spirit,  with  his  broad  seal  annexed  to  it.  The  commission  is 
short,  but  very  extensive  ;  and  it  is  remarkable,  it  was  given 
out  just  before  the  Redeemer  went  to  heaven  ;  he  reserved  it 
in  infinite  wisdom  for  his  last  blessing,  to  appoint  and  employ 
vicegerents  to  carry  on  his  work  on  earth.  He  that  hath  an 
ear  to  hear  let  him  hear,  what  the  Son  of  God  says  to  a  com- 
pany of  poor  fishermen.  There  was  not  one  scholar  among 
them  all.  What  does  he  say  ;  Go  ye  into  all  the  world,  and 
jpreaclh  the  gospel  to  every  creature.  Let  us  pause  a  while,  and 
before  we  go  further  let  us  see  what  mercy,  what  love,  and  yet 
withal,  what  equal  majesty  are  blended  in  this  expression  or 
commission.  Go  ye,  ye  poor  fishermen,  ye  that  are  what  let- 
ter-learned doctors  will  look  upon  as  illiterate  men ;  Go  ye, 
that  have  hitherto  been  dreaming  of  temporal  preferments, 
quarreling  "  who  should  sit  on  my  right  hand  and  on  my  left 
hand  in  my  kingdom :"  Go  ye,  not  stay  till  the  people  come  to 
you,  but  imitate  the  conduct  of  your  Master  ;  Go  ye,  remem- 
bering that  the  devil  will  not  permit  souls  to  be  fond  of  hearing 
you.  Go  therefore.  Where  ?  Into  all  the  world.  There  is 
a  commission  for  you  ;  there  was  never  such  a  commission  on 
the  earth:  there  never  was  any  hke  this;   Go  into  all  the 


Serm.  19.]  a  dying  saixt's  triumph.  517 

world,  that  is,  into  the  Gentile  as  well  as  the  Jewish  world. 
Hitherto  my  gospel  has  been  confined  to  the  Jews  ;  I  once  told 
yon,  you  mnst  not  go  to  the  Gentiles  ;  I  once  told  a  poor  wo- 
man that  came  to  me,  "  it  is  not  meet  to  take  the  children's 
bread  and  give  it  unto  dogs  :''  bnt  the  partition  wall  being  now 
broke  down,  the  veil  of  the  temple  being  now  rent  in  twain,  he 
gave  them  a  universal  commission  ;  Go  ye  therefore  into  all 
the  world  ;  how  !  what,  go  into  other  ministers'  parishes  ?  For 
there  was  not  a  district  then  but  what  was  settled  with  shep- 
herds, such  as  they  were  ;  yes,  yes,  Go  into  all  the  world  : 
and  though  I  will  not  pretend  to  say,  that  this  enjoins  minis- 
ters to  go  into  every  part  of  the  world ;  yet  I  insist  upon  it, 
and  by  the  grace  of  God,  if  I  were  to  die  for  it  I  will  say,  that 
no  power  on  earth  has  power  to  restrain  ministers  from  preach- 
ing where  a  company  of  people  are  willing  to  hear  ;  and  if 
ministers  were  of  a  right  temper,  they  would  say  as  a  minister 
did  at  Oxford,  that  used  to  visit  the  prisoners  there.  I  remem- 
ber I  once  Avent  to  ask  him  whether  I  might  go  and  visit  some 
of  his  parish  ;  wliether  he  was  offended  at  our  going  to  visit 
the  prisoners  ?  No,  no,  says  he,  I  am  glad  I  have  any  such 
young  curates  as  you.  And  if  ministers  were  of  such  a  tem- 
per now,  the  devil  would  fly  before  us.  As  good  Mr.  Philip 
Henry  said  to  the  minister  of  Broad  Oaks,  from  whence  he 
Avas  ejected,  but  preached  afterwards  in  a  barn,  and  meeting 
the  minister  after  the  sermon  was  over  ;  Sir,  says  Mr.  Henry, 
/  have  been  making  bold  to  throw  a  handful  of  seed  into 
yonr  ground.  Thank  you,  sir,  says  he,  God  bless  it,  there  is 
work  enough  for  us  both.  We  may  talk  of  what  we  will, 
search  into  the  bottom,  it  is  not  for  want  of  light,  but  of  more 
zeal  and  love  to  the  Son  of  God :  if  we  were  as  warm,  and  full 
of  the  love  of  God  as  we  ought  to  be,  these  petty  excuses  we 
urge  to  save  our  bones,  would  not  be  so  much  as  mentioned  ; 
we  should  go  out,  and  leave  these  carcasses  to  the  grace  of 
God.  I  do  not  see  how  we  can  act  as  priests  of  the  Church 
of  England  without  doing  it.  Be  so  kind  as  to  read  the  Or- 
dination Service  as  soon  as  you  go  home  ;  for  the  office  of 
ordination  and  consecration  of  bishops,  priests,  and  deacons,  is 
left  out  of  most  the  common  prayer  books,  so  that  people  are 
as  io^norant  of  it  as  if  it  was  not.  The  office  of  a  priest  is 
this  :  he  is  not  to  confine  himself  to  his  place,  no  ;  what  then  ? 
Why  he  is  to  go  forth,  and  seek  after  the  children  of  God 
that  are  dispersed  in  this  naughty  icorld  ;  these  are  the  very 
words  that  the  bishop  speaks  to  us  when  we  are  ordained  ;  but 
if  we  are  confined  to  one  particular  place,  and  are  to  be  shut 
up  in  one  corner,  pray  how  do  we  seek  the  children  of  God 
that  are  dispersed  in  this  naughty  world  ?     Parishes  and  set- 

44 


513  THE  GOSPEL,  [Seim.  19. 

tied  ministers  there  must  be,  but  we  are  not,  I  insist  on  it,  to 
be  hindered  from  preaching  Christ  any  where,  because  he  bids 
us  go  into  all  the  world  ;  here  is  our  hcense.  I  acknowledsfo 
the  Chapel  is  licensed  ;  here  is  my  license,  and  wherever  I  go 
I  will  produce  my  license.  Where  ?  Why  out  of  the  10th 
of  Mark  ;  Go  ye  and  pi'each  the  gospel  to  all  the  world  : 
there  is  the  license,  and  the  Spirit  of  Christ  helping  us  to 
preach  by  that  license  will  make  all  the  devil's  children  cow- 
ards before  us.  We  have  tried  them  these  thirty  years,  would 
to  God  we  set  about  it  now  ;  if  I  had  strength  I  would  set 
about  it  to-morrow  ;  I  only  grieve  that  my  body  will  not  hold 
out  for  field  preaching,  elsQ  Kennington  Common  should  be  my 
pulpit,  for  any  place  is  consecrated  where  Christ  is  present. 
Well,  what  must  we  go  forth  to  do  ?  Go  ye  into  all  the  icorld 
and  preach  ;  preach  1  what  is  that  ?  Why  the  original  word 
for  preach  is  to  speak  out,  as  a  crier  does  that  cries  goods  that 
are  lost,  proclaim  it.  And  Isaiah  would  be  reckoned  a  dread- 
ful enthusiast  if  now  alive.  How  does  he  preach  ?  He 
preaches  in  the  king's  chapels  with  such  language  and  elo- 
quence as  would  carry  all  before  it ;  and  yef  how  does  he 
preach  ?  "  Ho,  every  one  that  thirsteth."  O,  he  lifts  up  his 
voice  like  a  trumpet.  And  the  word  preach  signifies  to  pro- 
claim ;  to  cry  aloud,  and  spare  not.  How  do  you  like  one 
that  cries  your  lost  goods  if  he  only  whispers  ?  Would  you 
choose  to  employ  a  man  that  you  could  not  hear  two  yards  7 
O,  say  you,  I  shall  never  find  my  goods  :  and  if  persons  have 
what  qualifications  they  may,  if  they  cannot  be  heard  at  all, 
they  need  not  preach  at  all.  I  know  a  prebend  in  the  cathe- 
dral of  York,  who  spoke  so  very  low  nobody  heard  him ;  some- 
ho&Y  ^^^^7  ^'^^y  never  heard  such  a  moving  sermon  in  all  their 
lives  in  that  cathedral,  for  it  made  all  the  people  move  out,  be- 
cause they  could  not  hear.  The  matter  of  the  ministry  of  the 
gospel  is  of  infinite  importance  :  unless,  my  brethren,  we  could 
be  heard,  what  do  we  preach  for  ?  It  implies  earnestness  in 
the  preaching  and  the  preacher.  You  expect  a  person,  like 
one  that  is  crying  your  goods,  to  be  in  earnest ;  and  if  we 
preach,  and  make  the  king's  proclamation,  we  should  be  in 
earnest.  It  is  said,  •'  Christ  opened  his  mouth  and  taught." 
Now  a  modern  critic  would  laugh  at  that ;  open  his  mouth, 
say  they,  how  could  he  speak  without  opening  his  mouth  ? 
Would  it  not  be  better  to  say,  he  taught  them.7  No,  no,  there 
is  no  idle  word  in  God's  book.  It  is  said,  the  Lord  Jesus 
opened  his  mouth  :  what  for  ?  Why  to  get  in  breath  that  he 
might  speak  loud  to  the  people,  when  the  heavens  were  his 
sounding  board  :  then  did  he  open  his  mouth,  and  taught  them 
in  earnest,  powerfully ;  and  therefore  the  people  m.ade  this 


Serm.  19.]  a  dying  saint's  triumph.  519 

observation  when  he  had  done  s}x;aldnor,  "  tliat  lie  spoke  as 
one  havino^  authority,  and  not  as  the  scribes."  Tliere  is  no 
dis}iensation  from  preachins:,  but  sickness  or  want  of  abihties, 
to  those  that  are  ordained  to  preach ;  and  therefore  it  was  a 
proverb  in  the  primitive  church,  that  it  becomes  a  bishop  to 
die  preaching-.  BisJiop  Jewell,  that  blessed  minister  of  the 
Church  of  Eno^land,  o-ave  that  answer  to  a  person  tliat  met  his 
lordship  walking  on  foot  in  the  dirt,  going  to  prea(;h  to  a  few 
people.  AVhy  does  your  lordship,  weak  as  you  are,  expose 
yourself  thus  ?  Says  he,  it  becomes  a  bisliop  to  die  preacli- 
ing.  Lord  send  all  the  world  that  have  bishops  such  jewels  as 
he  was  !  Pray  what  are  they  to  preach  ?  Not  themselves. 
What  are  they  to  preach  ?  Why,  they  are  to  preach  not  mo- 
rality ;  not  morality  !  come,  do  not  be  frisrhtencd,  any  of  you 
that  are  afraid  of  good  works,  do  not  be  frightened  this  morn- 
ing :  I  say  not  morality;  that  is,  morality  is  not  to  be  the  grand 
point  of  their  preaching  ;  they  are  not  to  preach  as  a  hcatlien 
philosopher  would.  A  late  bishop  of  Lincoln,  who  has  not 
been  dead  a  long  while,  said  to  his  chaplain.  You  are  not  a 
minister  of  Cicero,  or  any  of  the  lieathen  philosophers  ;  you 
are  not  to  entertain  your  people  with  dry  morality,  but  remem- 
ber you  are  a  minister  of  Christ ;  you  are,  therefore,  to  preach 
the  gospel ;  and  if  you  will  not  preach  the  gospel  in  tJic 
church,  you  must  not  be  angry  for  the  poor  people's  going  out 
into  the  fields  where  they  hear  the  gospel ;  that  is  to  be  your 
grand  theme,  Go  into  all  the  world  and  2)reach  the  gospel. 

Now  the  gospel  signifies  good  news,  glad  tidings.  Behold  I 
bring  yoii^  said  the  angel,  glad  tidingi^  of  great  joi/.  Mean 
and  contemptible  as  the  office  of  a  preacher  may  bethought  now, 
the  angels  were  glad  of  the  commission  to  preach  this  gospel : 
and  Dr.  Goodwin,  that  learned,  pious  soul,  says  in  his  familiar 
wa^?-,  and  that  is  the  best  Avay  of  writing,  God  had  but  one 
son,  and  he  made  a  minister  of  him:  and  I  add,  he  made  an 
intinerant  minister  of  him  too.  Well,  and  some  say,  you  must 
not  preach  the  law :  you  cannot  preach  the  gospel  without 
preaching  the  law :  for  you  shall  find  by  and  by,  we  are  to 
preach  something  that  the  people  must  be  saved  by ;  it  is  im- 
possible to  tell  them  liow  they  are  to  be  saved,  unless  we  tell 
them  what  they  are  to  be  saved  from.  The  way  the  Spirit  of 
God  takes,  is  like  that  we  take  in  preparing  the  ground.  Di> 
you  think  any  farmer  would  have  a  crop  of  corn  next  year 
unless  they  plough  now  ?  You  may  as  well  expect  a  crop  of 
corn  on  unploughed  ground,  as  a  crop  of  grace  untill  a  soul  is 
convinced  of  its  being  undone  without  a  Savior.  That  is  the 
reason  we  have  so  many  mushroom  converts,  so  many  persons 
that  are  always  happy  !  happy  !  happy  !  and  never  were  mis- 


520  Tin:  GOSPEL,  [Serm.  19. 

erable :  why  ?  Because  their  stony  grouiid  is  not  ploughed  np  ; 
they  have  not  a  conviction  of  the  law  :  they  are  stony  ground 
liearers  :  "  they  hear  the  word  with  joy,  and  in  a  time  of  temp- 
tation, (which  will  soon  come  after  a  seeming  or  real  conver- 
sion,) tliey  fall  away."  They  serve  Christ  as  the  young  njan 
5;erved  the  Jews  that  laid  hold  of  him,  Avho,  when  he  found  he 
Avas  like  to  become  a  prisoner  for  following  Christ,  left  his 
garments:  and  so  some  people  leave  their  profession.  That 
makes  me  so  cautious  now,  Avhich  I  was  not  thirty  years  ago, 
of  pronouncing  people  converts  so  soon.  I  love  now  to  wait 
a  little,  and  see  if  people  bring  forth  fruit ;  for  there  are  so 
many  blossoms  which  March  winds  you  know  blow  away, 
that  I  cannot  believe  the)'-  are  converts  till  I  see  fruit  brought 
forth.  It  will  do  converts  no  harm  to  keep  them  a  little  back  : 
it  will  never  do  a  sincere  soul  any  harm. 

Vie  are  to  preach  tlie  gospel :  to  whom  ?  7  o  cveri/  creature  : 
here  is  the  commission,  every  creature.  I  suppose  the  apos- 
tles were  not  to  see  every  creature ;  they  did  not  go  into  all 
nations  :  they  had  particular  districts  :  but  Avherever  they  did 
go  they  preached.  Did  you  ever  hear  that  Paul,  or  any  of  the 
apostles  sent  away  a  congregation  Avithout  a  sermon  ?  No,  no  ; 
Avhen  turned  out  of  the  temple  they  preached  in  the  higliAvays, 
hedges,  streets,  and  lanes  of  the  city ;  they  Avent  to  the  Avater 
side ;  there  Lydia  Avas  catched.  My  brethren,  Ave  have  a 
commission  here  from  Christ ;  and  not  only  a  commission,  but 
we  have  a  command  to  ^treacli  to  every  creature  :  all  that  are 
Avillmg  to  hear.  "  He  that  hath  an  ear  to  hear,  let  him  hear  ;" 
and  if  some  shall  say,  they  Avill  not  come  if  Ave  do  preach, 
Avould  to  God  A\^e  tried  them,  "  Avhere  the  carcass  is  there  Avill 
the  eagles  be  gathered  together."  We  are  to  preach  glad 
tidings  of  salvation  ;  to  tell  a  poor  benighted  Avorld  lying  in  the 
wicked  one  the  devil,  their  state  and  condition  ;  Ave  are  to  tell 
them,  "  God  is  love  ;"  to  tell  them,  that  God  loA^es  them  better 
than  they  do  themseh^es.  We  nmst  preach  the  laAv,  but  not 
leaA^e  the  people  there.  We  must  tell  them  Iioav  Moses  brings 
them  to  the  borders  of  Canaan,  and  then  tell  them  of  a  glorious 
Josluia  that  Avill  carry  them  over  Jordan ;  first  to  shoAV  them 
their  Avants ;  and  then  point  out  to  them  a  Jesus  that  can 
supply,  and  more  than  supply  all  their  Avants.  This  Ave  are 
to  tell  every  creature:  and  it  is  for  this  that  people  stone  gospel 
preachers.  I  do  not  think  the  prisoners  Avould  be  angry  Avith 
us  if  Ave  AA^ere  to  tell  them,  the  king  commissions  us  to  declare 
to  them  that  tliey  might  come  out  of  their  prison,  that  their 
chains  may  be  knocked  off.  If  you  Avas  to  go  to  one  of  them 
and  say,  Here  you  have  your  chains  ;  and  he  Avas  to  say,  I 
haA^e  no  chains  on  at  all,  you  Avould  think  that  man's  brain 


Serm.  19.]  a  dying  saint's  triumph.  521 

was  turned :  and  so  is  every  man's  who  does  not  see  himself 
to  be  in  the  chains  of  sin  and  deceit.  We  are  "  to  preach 
liberty  to  the  captives,  to  proclaim  the  acceptable  year  of  the 
Lord  ;  sound  the  jubilee  trumpet,  and  tell  them  the  year  of 
release  is  come  :"  that  Jesus  can  make  them  happy. 

But,  pray,  if  we  are  to  preach,  what  are  the  creatures  to  do 
that  see  the  need  of  this  salvation  ?  I  will  tell  you  ;  they  are 
to  believe.  He  that  belie ceth  and  Is  baptized  shall  be  saved, 
but  he  that  believeth  not  shall  be  damned.  The  grand  topics 
Christ's  ministers  are  to  preach,  are  '-repentance  towards  God, 
and  faith  in  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ."  The  men  of  the  world 
fancy  they  have  believed  already,  and  some  of  them  lift  up 
their  heads  and  say.  Thank  God,  we  have  believed  ever  since 
we  were  born  ;  and  in  one  sense  many  people  believe,  but  in 
what  sense  ?  Just  as  the  devil  believes  ;  they  believe,  and  still 
continue  devils  in  their  carnal  state  ;  that  is,  they  assent  to 
the  gospel,  they  assent  to  it  as  a  thing  that  is  credible.  This 
is  our  school  definition  of  faith  ;  and  I  believe  there  are  thou- 
sands that  call  themselves  christians,  that  do  not  believe  a 
thousandth  part  of  what  the  devil  does.  The  devil  believes 
more  than  an  Arian,  for  he  does  not  believe  Chjist  to  be  God  : 
the  devil  says,  "  I  know  whom  thou  art,  the  Holy  One  of 
God."  The  devil  will  rise  up  in  judgment  against  him.  He 
believes  more  than  a  Socinian,  who  believes  Jesus  Christ  to  be 
no  more  than  an  extraordinary  man  ;  and  he  believes  more 
of  Jesus  Christ  than  thousands  of  professors  do,  who  are 
neither  Arians  or  Socinians.  There  are  a  thousand  things  in 
this  book  (the  Bible,)  that  many  people,  if  you  come  to  close 
quarters  with  them,  will  say  they  do  not  believe,  though  they 
are  ashamed  to  own  it.  The  furthest  that  they  go,  is  to  assent 
to  the  creed,  to  the  Lord's  prayer,  and  Ten  Commandments ; 
and  if  they  can  say  these  in  their  mother  tongue  and  have 
been  baptized  by  the  priest,  and  confirmed  by  the  bishop,  and 
^o  to  church  once  a  week,  and  now  and  then  on  holidays, 
they  think  they  are  not  only  believers  but  strong  behevers.  I 
am  not  against  going  to  church,  nor  against  the  creed,  the 
Lord's  prayer  and  the  commandments ;  I  love  and  honor 
them,  and  I  pray  God  we  may  always  have  them;  and  I 
would  not  have  our  liturgy  or  articles  departed  from,  for  ten 
thousand  worlds.  Many  would  have  them  altered,  because 
there  are  some  faults  in  them  ;  but  if  our  modern  people  were 
t6  alter  them,  they  would  make  them  worse  than  they  are. 
But  believing  is  something  more  ;  it  is  coming  to  Jesus  Christ, 
receiving  Jesus  ;  rolling  ourselves  on  Jesus  ;  it  is  a  trusting  in 
the  Lord  Jesus.  I  do  not  know  any  one  single  thing  more 
variously  expressed  in  the  scriptures  than  believing.     Why  ? 

44* 


522  THE  GOSPEL,  [Serm.  19. 

Because  it  is  the  marrow  of  the  gospel.  Without  faith  we 
cannot  be  justified,  either  in  our  persons  or  performances  ; 
and  therefore  the  Holy  Ghost  has  variously  expressed  it,  to 
let  us  see  the  importance  of  the  point.  It  is  expressed  by  a 
coming,  trusting,  receiving,  and  relying,  (all  which  amounts 
to  the  same  thing)  under  a  felt  conviction  that  we  are  lost, 
undone,  condemned  without  him  ;  for,  as  a  good  old  puritan 
observes,  Christ  is  beholden  to  none  of  us  for  our  hearts  ;  we 
never  should  come  to  Jesus  Christ,  the  sinner's  last  shift,  till 
we  feel  we  cannot  do  without  him. 

We  are  like  the  woman  with  the  bloody  issue  ;  she  spent  a 
great  deal  of  money  upon  physicians  ;  if  she  had  the  sum  of 
one  half  guinea  more,  till  that  was  gone,  she  never  would 
have  come  to  Christ ;  but  having  spent  all,  and  then  hearing 
that  Jesus  was  to  come  that  way,  a  sense  of  her  need,  a  feeling 
sense  of  her  impotence,  and  insufficiency  of  all  other  applica- 
tions, made  her  come  to  Christ ;  saying  in  heart,  "  If  I  could 
but  touch  the  hem  of  his  garment,  I  should  be  whole ;  Jesus, 
the  son  of  David,  would  have  mercy  on  me  ;"  or  words  to 
that  purpose.  She  did  not  go  about  and  say,  pray  lend  me  a 
common  prayer  book  ;  it  was  not  in  print  then.  Where  must 
she  borrow  one  ;  her  heart,  touched  by  God,  was  the  best  com- 
mon prayer  ]  and  a  few  words  uttered  from  a  sense  of  her 
weakness  and  misery,  was  more  rhetoric,  was  more  music  in 
the  ears  of  God,  than  an  extempore  prayer  by  a  gifted  man, 
admiring  himself  for  an  hour  and  a  half  As  a  person  told 
me  but  yesterday,  of  a  poor  outlandish  papist  that  was  con- 
demned to  die,  held  out  for  a  long  while  ;  he  would  not  speak 
to  a  protestant  minister,  but  a  night  or  two  before  he  suffered, 
comes  out  to  him,  and  says,  Me  now  see  the  necessity  of  a 
greater  ahsoliitioir  than  a  priest  can  give  me  ;  and  then,  in 
his  broken  language,  cries  out.  Dear  Lord  Jesns,  show  thy 
charity  to  thy  poor  sinner !  There  is  language  !  there  is 
rhetoric  for  you  !  and  we  ourselves  like  such  language.  You 
do  not  like  fawning  people  that  come  into  your  room,  and  by 
their  very  manner  of  coming,  prove  they  are  not  sincere  ;  but 
a  poor  creature  that  comes  to  pour  out  two  or  three  words, 
you  see  is  honest,  you  will  not  say  to  such  a  one,  why  do  you 
come  to  me,  and  not  speak  blank  verse  ?  Why  do  you  come 
to  me  and  not  speak  fine  language  ?  No  ;  sincerity  is  the 
thing ;  sincerity  is  all  in  all.  When  we  are  once  convinced 
of  our  need  and  helplessness,  and  of  Jesus  being  a  Redeemer, 
that  is  mighty  and  willing  to  save,  a  poor  soul  then  throws 
himself  upon  this  Jesus,  receives  this  Jesus,  ventures  upon 
this  Jesus,  believes  the  word,  and  by  thus  venturing  on  the 
promise,  receives  from  Jesus  the  thing  promised.     "  Faith 


Serm.  19.]  a  dying  saint's  triumph.  523 

comes  by  hearing,  and  hearing-  by  the  word  of  God."  But 
then,  where  there  is  true  faith,  that  will,  my  dear  heareis,  be 
attended  with  what?  AVhy,  with  salvation.  He  that  he- 
lieveth,  and  is  baptized,  saith  our  Lord,  shall  be  saved: 
saved  from  what  ?  Why,  from  every  thing  that  he  Avants  to 
be  saved  from,  and  receives  every  thing  God  can  give  to  com- 
plete his  whole  salvation.  What  is  it  a  poor  sinner  wants  to 
be  saved  from?  O,  sin,  sin,  the  guilt  of  sin.  The  first  con- 
viction brings  the  creature  to  God  by  force  :  there  are  very 
few  that  are  drawn  by  love  entirely  :  and  I  seldom  find  any 
of  those  that  have  been  draAvn  by  love,  but  have  had  dreadful 
conflicts  afterwards  :  for  either  before  or  after  conversion,  our 
hearts  must  be  ploughed  up,  or  we  shall  never  be  prepared  for 
the  kingdom  of  heaven. 

Ye  shall  be  saved  from  the  painful  guilt  of  sin  :  what  is 
that?  Why,  the  common  prayer  book  will  tell  you,  in  the 
communion  office  ;  "  the  remembrance  of  our  sins  is  grievous 
unto  us,  and  the  burden  of  them  is  intolerable."  There  is 
Methodistical  language.  Cranmer,  Latimer,  or  Hooper,  were, 
my  brethren,  what  ?  Why,  they  were  Methodist  preachers ; 
and  they  used  to  preach  in  Paul's-Cross,  a  pulpit  said  to  be 
made  in  tlie  shape  of  a  cross,  near  St.  Paul's  church ;  and  a 
salary  given  for  the  very  purpose,  I  believe  to  this  day.  No 
matter  where  we  preach,  so  that  sinners  feel  Christ's  power  in 
delivering  them  from  this,  which  certahily  implies  a  conscious- 
ness of  pardon.  I  do  not  think  the  poor  creature  that  was 
respited  the  other  day,  would  have  believed  it,  had  he  not  seen 
the  king's  warrant  just  before  the  others  were  carried  out. 
Why,  say  they,  here  is  his  majesty's  pardon  ;  he  takes  and  re- 
ceives it  with  joy,  and  is  now  treed  from  the  gallows.  And  if 
persons  can  give  this  credence  to  an  earthly  king,  why  cannot 
a  believer  have  a  sense  of  the  pardon  of  his  sins  from  God  ?  If 
a  person's  reading  this  to  me,  telling  me  the  king  has  pardoned 
me,  has  such  an  effect,  why  may  not  God's  word,  backed  by 
his  Spirit,  be  brought  home  with  such  power  on  my  heart,  that 
I  may  be  assured  God  has  pardoned  me,  as  well  as  a  criminal 
that  his  king  has  saved  ?  If  this  is  gospel,  away  with  it,  say 
some,  who  think  we  are  not  to  be  justified  till  we  come  to  judg- 
ment. O  blessed  creatures  !  this  is  modern  divinity  !  our  re- 
formers knew  nothing  about  it.  We  are  to  be  declared,  if  you 
please,  justified,  in  the  day  of  Jesus  Christ,  who  will  pronounce 
it  before  all  mankind.  But,  my  brethren,  we  are  to  be  married 
to  Jesus  Christ  in  this  world,  and  the  marriage  is  to  bo  declared 
in  another:  and  I  will  insist  upon  it,  though  I  will  not  pretcMid 
to  say  that  all  that  have  not  full  assurance  are  not  christians, 
yet  I  will  say  that  assurance  is  ucccssa/ y  for  the  well  being  of 


524  THE  GOSPEL,  [Serni.  19. 

a  christian  ;  the  comfortable  being,  though  not  for  his  very- 
existence  :  and  I  will  venture  to  say,  that  a  soul  was  never 
brought  to  Christ,  but  what  had  some  ground  of  assurance  of 
pardon  ;  though,  for  want  of  knowing  better,  he  put  it  by,  and 
did  not  know  the  gift  of  God  when  it  came.  But  my  brethren, 
we  shall  he  saved  from  all  our  sins.  Here  is  glad  tidings 
of  great  joy  now  come.  Satan  may  hear  that :  and  any  of 
you  hear  that  are  coming  into  the  Chapel  as  you  pass  along. 
I  am  glad  to  see  poor  creatures  come,  that  I  may  tell  them, 
God  IS  love.  Believers,  you  shall  be  saved  from  all  your  sins, 
every  one  of  them  ;  they  shall  all  be  blotted  out.  Generally, 
when  persons  are  convinced,  the  devil  preaches  despair  ;  some 
great  sin  lies  upon  them  ;  and  says  the  poor  sinner,  I  shall  be 
saved  from  all  but  that ;  had  I  not  been  guilty  of  such  a  crime, 
I  might  have  hope,  but  I  am  guilty  of  such  a  sin,  which  is  so 
awful,  with  such  dreadful  aggravations,  I  am  afraid  I  shall 
never  be  pardoned.  But,  my  dear  souls,  Christ  is  love  ;  and 
when  he  loves  to  forgive,  he  forgives  like  a  God  ;  "I  will  blot 
out  your  iniquities,  trans<jressions,  and  sins."  "  Come  now," 
saith  the  Lord,  "let  us  reason  together:  thous^h  your  sins  are 
as  scarlet,  yet  shall  they  be  as  white  as  snow."  I  am  so  far  from 
being  unwilling  to  save  or  pardon,  that  the  angels,  every  time 
the  gospel  is  preached,  are  ready  to  tune  their  harps,  and  long 
to  sing  an  anthem  to  some  poor  sinner's  conversion. 

They  shall  be  saved  from  the  power  of  sin.  Do  you  not 
remember  that  when  Joshua  was  going  on  with  his  conquests, 
there  were  some  kings  in  a  cave  ;  and  when  he  returned, 
he  ordered  them  to  bring  the  kings  out  for  God's  people  to  tread 
upon  them.  When  I  read  that  passage,  I  used  to  think  these 
kings  were  like  our  corruptions  hid  in  the  cave  of  our  hearts, 
and  the  stone  of  unbelief  rolled  to  keep  them  in  :  but  when 
we  receive  Christ  by  faith,  and  have  pardon  in  him,  our  great 
Joshua  takes  away  the  stone,  and  says,  bring  out  these  kingSy 
these  corruptions,  that  have  reigned  over  my  peoj^le,  and  by 
faith  let  thetn  tread  on  the  Jiecks  of  them.  Our  great  Master, 
when  he  gave  the  command  in  the  text,  says,  "these  signs  shall 
follow  them  that  believe  in  my  name,  they  shall  cast  out  devils, 
they  shall  speak  with  nev/  tongues,  they  shall  take  up  serpents, 
and  if  they  drink  any  deadly  thing,  it  shall  not  hurt  them." 
These  were,  things  peculiar,  in  one  sense,  to  the  apostles  ;  but 
in  the  power  of  faith,  and  as  brought  home  to  every  believer, 
he  casts  out  devilish  lusts ;  and  if  they  had  drank  any  deadly 
thing,  as  God  knows  we  have,  they  may  do  by  them  as  Paul 
did  by  the  viper,  through  the  power  of  faith  cast  them  off,  and 
by  this  means  prove  that  Christ  is  God. 

This  is,  my  dear  hearers,  a  present  salvation.     The  wicked- 


Serm.  19.]  a  dying  saint's  triumph.  525 

est  wretch  in  the  world  will  cry,  I  hope  to  be  saved,  though 
they  have  no  notion  of  being  saved  but  after  their  death  ;  as  a 
woman  in  Virginia,  told  me  once,  when  I  said  she  must  be 
born  again  ;  I  believe  you,  sir,  but  that  must  be  after  I  am 
dead.  And  by  people's  living  as  they  do,  one  would  suppose 
that  they  think  they  are  not  to  be  saved  till  they  die,  because 
they  live  so.  But  as  I  have  told  you,  I  tell  you  again,  Christ's 
salvation  is  a  great  salvation  ;  and  all  that  Christ  does  for  his 
people  on  earth,  is  but  an  earnest  of  good  things  to  come,  an 
anticipation  of  what  he  is  to  do  for  them  in  heaven.  Our 
Lord  says  the  kingdom  of  God  is  within  yon  ;  the  kingdom  is 
come  nigh  unto  you.  You  must  not  only  believe  on  Christ, 
but  believe  in  him  :  we  are  not  only  to  be  baptized  in  the  name 
of  the  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost,  but  we  are  to  be  baptized 
into  the  nature,  of  the  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost ;  this  is 
the  baptism  of  the  Spirit,  and  this  is  that  salvation  which  God 
grant  we  may  all  partake  of 

We  are  to  be  saved,  my  brethren,  from  what?  Why,  from 
the  fear  of  death.  "  He  came  to  deliver  them,  who,  through 
fear  of  death,  were  all  their  lifetime  subject  to  bondage." 
What,  are  there  no  children  of  God  but  those  that  have  full 
assurance?  You  never  heard  me  say  so;  yet  I  am  apt  to 
speak  a  little  fast,  but  at  the  same  time  I  would  choose  not  to 
speak  so  fast  as  to  speak  contrary  to  the  word  of  God.  There 
are  a  great  many  good  souls,  that  at  times  may  doubt  the  real- 
ity of  this  work  upon  their  souls  :  a  relaxed  habit  of  body,  a 
nervous  disorder,  you  may  say  what  you  please,  will  make  a 
weak  child  of  God  doubt  of  what  God  has  done  in  them,  and 
that  hurts  the  mind  as  it  has  such  a  close  connection  with  the 
body ;  but  then  a  believer  is  low :  God's  people  are  low  per- 
sons :  as  the  greatest  geniuses  are  most  liable  to  lowness  of 
spirit,  for  the  scabbard  is  not  strong  enough  for  the  sword,  and 
persons  that  talk  much  must  wear  out  in  time ;  but  this  I  affirm, 
it  is  our  privilege  to  liv^e  above  the  fear  of  death.  We  do  not 
live  up  to  our  dignity  till  every  day  we  are  waiting  for  the 
coming  of  our  Lord  from  heaven  ;  and  I  am  persuaded  of  this, 
though  I  believe  there  may  be  some  exceptions,  that  the  reason 
why  we  do  not  live  more  above  the  fears  of  death  is,  because 
we  keep  in  so  much  with  these  polhUed  eartlily  things.  You 
may  have  the  best  eyes  in  the  world,  and  only  put  your  hands 
before  them,  you  will  find  the  sun  hid  from  you  ;  and  so  you 
may  have  a  large  fire,  but  throw  some  earth  upon  the  fire  that 
is  in  your  parlor,  or  drawing  rooms,  and  you  will  find  the  fire 
damped.  And  how  can  people  have  much  of  God  or  heaven, 
when  they  have  so  much  of  the  earth  in  their  hearts  ?  It  is  our 
privilege  to  live  above  the  fear  of  death,  though  we  are  not  to 


526  THE  GOSPEL,  [Senn.  19. 

be  saved  from  dying  ;  and  I  am  sure  a  believer  would  not  be 
saved  from  dying  for  a  million  of  worlds ;  it  would  be  death  to 
him  not  to  die  ;  but  a  soul  touched  with  the  love  of  God,  even 
in  sickness,  in  the  midst  of  a  burning  fever,  in  the  midst  of  a 
fire  that  will  burn  a  thousand  bodies  up,  convulsed  with  tor- 
tures and  pains  in  every  limb ;  a  believer  is  enabled  sometimes 
to  say,  O  my  God,  O  wy  God,  thou  art  love  ;  I  aui  ready  to 
come  to  thee  in  the  midst  of  all.  Blessed  be  God,  I  need  not 
go  far  for  example  ;  yonder,  under  the  gallery,  lies  the  remains, 
the  carcass  of  a  dear  saint,  who  was  for  twenty-five  days  toge- 
ther, burned  with  a  fever,  enough  to  scorch  any  creature  up ; 
yet,  one  filled  with  love  and  power  divine,  blessed  the  Lord 
Jesus  ;  though  she  cried  out,  if  I  was  not  supported,  the  agony 
of  my  body  would  make  me  impatient  ;  yet  never  said  a  mur- 
muring word,  but  in  the  midst  of  all  cried  out  to  those  about 
her,  God  is  love  !  O  7ny  joys  !  O  the  comforts  that  I  feel  ! 
and  in  her  very  last  moments  cried  out,  /  am  coming  ;  dear 
Lord,  I  ain  coming  ;  and  so  sweetly  slept  in  Jesus.  If  this 
is  enthusiasm,  God  give  us  a  good  share  of  it  when  we  come 
to  die  !  These  are  dying  and  yet  living  witnesses  that  God 
is  love  7  She  was  in  raptures  when  Mr.  Shepherd  Avent  to 
visit  her  :  she  desires  me  to  tell  you,  that  God  is  love :  desired 
me  to  tell  you  in  the  chapel  pulpit,  that  she  was  called  about 
four  years  ago.  I  think  Mr.  Lee  was  the  instrument  of  her 
conversion.  Now  her  body  is  to  be  put  to  bed  at  noon  ;  but 
her  soul  is  crying,  O  the  joys  !  the  joys  !  the  joys  !  of  being 
saved  by  a  blessed  Emmanuel !  Now  will  any  one  dare  to 
deny  this  evidence  ?  Do  you  see  worldly  people  work  them- 
selves up  into  that  frame  when  they  die  ?  Visit  them  when 
they  are  near  death  :  ah  dear  !  they  are  in  the  vapors  ;  they 
are  so  afraid  of  dying,  that  the  doctor  will  not  suffer  us  to  come 
near  them ;  no,  not  common  clergymen,  for  fear  we  should 
damp  their  spirits  :  till  they  find  they  are  just  gone,  and  then 
they  give  us  leave  to  say  the  farewell  prayer  to  them :  but 
they  that  are  born  from  above,  that  are  made  new  creatures  in 
Christ,  feel  something  that  smiles  upon  them  in  death.  She 
told  them,  she  believed  God  would  let  her  go  over  Jordan  dry 
shod  ;  that  was  her  expression.  If  this  is  salvation  on  earth, 
what  must  it  be  in  heaven  ?  If  in  the  midst  of  the  tortures  of 
a  burning  fever,  a  raptured  soul  can  cry,  O  the  joys  !  O  the 
co7nforts  I  Lord  I  am  coining!  I  am  coming  !  what  must 
that  be  when  inclosed  in  a  Redeemer's  arms?  In  order  to  which, 
the  glorious  angels  stand  at  the  top  of  the  ladder  to  take  a  poor 
wearied  pilgrim  home.  Lord,  give  us  not  only  such  a  frame 
when  we  are  dying,  but  wliile  we  are  living ;  for  if  it  is  comfort- 
able to  die  in  such  a  frame,  why  not  to  live  in  it?  to  live  in 


Serm.  19.]  a  dying  saint's  triumph.  627 

heaven  on  earth.  O,  say  you,  I  thank  God  I  walk  by  faith  ; 
I  have  the  promise.  Well,  thank  God  you  have  the  promise  ; 
but  with  the  promise,  learn  to  walk  by  that  ''faith,  which  is 
the  evidence  of  things  not  seen,"  which  brings  God  down, 
brings  heaven  near,  and  gives  the  soul  a  heart-felt  experience, 
that  God  is  love.  Here  is  a  salvation  worthy  of  a  God  !  Here 
is  a  salvation  worthy  of  the  Mediator's  blood !  For  this  he 
groaned — for  this  he  bled — for  this  he  died — for  this  he  arose 
—for  this  he  ascended — for  this  he  sent  the  Holy  Ghost — and 
for  this  purpose  he  now  sends  him  into  the  hearts  of  his  peo- 
ple. My  brethren,  what  say  you  to  this  ?  I  hope  it  is  enough 
to  make  you  cry  out,  Lord,  let  my  latter  end  he  like  hers. 
This  may  comfort  you  that  are  mourners  about  her  corpse — 
this  may  comfort  a  fond  husband,  whose  beloved  is  now  taken 
away  by  a  stroke.  What  a  mercy  is  it  sir,  that  you  was  in- 
strumental to  bring  her  under  the  word?  She  was  once  averse 
to  coming  here  :  what,  leave  my  parish  church !  said  she ! 
ivhat,  go  to  a  conventicle,  to  a  Tabernacle  of  Methodists  !  He 
advised  her  again  and  again  to  come :  at  last,  one  day  as  they 
were  going  to  St.  Giles's,  she  says,  "  well,  come  put  up  your 
,walking-stick,  if  it  falls  towards  St.  Giles's  I  will  go  there  ;  if 
to  the  Chapel,  1  will  go  there."  The  stick  fell  towards  the 
Chapel,  she  came,  and  was  converted  to  God.  O,  with  what 
joy  must  her  husband  meet  her  again  in  the  kingdom  of  hea- 
ven !  and  O  happy  day,  in  which  she  was  encouraged  to  seek 
at'ter  God.  Last  week,  another  was  buried  in  tlie  like  circum- 
stances ;  and,  blessed  be  God,  in  yonder  burying-ground  are 
the  remains  of  many  precious  souls,  that  in  the  day  of  judg- 
ment will  let  the  world  know  whettier  this  Chapel  was  built 
for  God  or  not. 

O  what  an  awful  word  is  that  in  the  latter  clause  of  the  text, 
he  that  believcth  not  shall  be  damned.  Pause, — I  will  give 
you  time  to  think  a  little ;  if  you  would  have  Christ  as  good 
as  his  word  of  promise,  remember  he  will  be  as  good  as  his 
word  of  threatening.  You  hear  the  necessity  of  preaching 
the  gospel,  because  upon  believino- or  non-believing,  our  salva- 
tion or  damnation  will  turn.  What,  will  you  laugh  at  the 
minister  that  cries  out,  Lord  help  you  to  come ;  come,  come, 
do  you  think  that  we  have  nothing  else  to  say,  and  are  at  a 
loss  for  words,  when  we  cry  come,  come,  come,  to  fill  up  our 
sermons  ?  No,  it  is  part  of  our  commission  ;  it  is  one  great 
part.  And,  my  fellow  sinners,  we  are  come  to  tell  you,  that 
our  Master  has  a  two-edged  sword,  as  well  as  a  golden  scepter ; 
and  if  you  will  not  come  under  the  sound  of  the  word,  and  do 
not  feel  the  converting  power  of  it,  you  must  feel  the  confound- 
ing weight  of  it.     I  jepcat  it  again  to  you,  he  that  believeth  not 


528  THE  GOSPEL,  &c.  [Serm.  19. 

shall  he  damned :  the  very  word  is  terrible,  God  grant  you 
may  never  know  how  terrible  it  is.  You  are  condemned 
already  ;  he  that  believeth  not  is  so,  John  iii.  18.  why  ?  "  Be- 
cause he  hath  not  believed  on  the  name  of  the  Son  of  God." 
It  is  not  his  being  a  whoremongei  or  adulterer  that  will  damn 
him,  but  his  unbehef  is  the  damning  sin  ;  for  this  he  will  be 
condemned  ;  for  ever  banished  from  the  presence  of  the  ever 
blessed  God :  and  how  will  you  rave,  how  will  you  tear,  and 
how  will  you  wring  your  hands,  when  you  see  your  relations, 
your  friends,  those  whom  you  despised,  and  were  glad  they 
were  dead  out  of  your  way,  "  see  them  in  Abraham's  bosom, 
and  yourselves  lifting  up  your  eyes  in  torment !"  O  my  dear 
hearers,  do  let  me  plead,  let  me  entreat  you  ;  if  that  would  do, 
I  would  down  on  my  knees ;  if  that  would  do,  I  would  come 
down  from  the  pulpit,  I  would  hang  on  your  necks,  I  would 
not  let  you  go,  1  would  offer  myself  to  be  trodden  under  your 
feet.  I  have  known  what  it  is  to  be  trodden  under  the  foot  of 
men  thirty  years  ago,  and  I  am  of  the  same  temper  still :  use 
me  as  you  will,  I  am  a  poor  sinner  ;  and  if  I  was  to  be  killed 
a  thousand  ways,  I  suffer  no  more  than  my  reward,  as  an  un- 
profitable servant  of  God  :  but  do  not  trample  the  dear  Jesus 
under  foot ;  what  has  he  done  to  you  ?  Was  it  any  harm  to 
leave  his  father's  bosom,  come  down  and  die,  and  plead  for 
sinners  ?  See  him  yonder  hang  on  the  tree  !  behold  him  with 
his  arm  stretched  out !  see  him  all  of  a  bloody  gore,  and  in  his 
last  agony  preaching  love  !  Would  you  give  him  a  fresh  stab  ? 
Are  there  any  of  you  here  that  think  the  sword  did  not  pierce 
him  enough  ;  that  they  did  not  drive  the  briars  and  thorns  into 
his  head  deep  enough  ?  And  will  you  give  him  the  other 
blow,  the  other  thorns  ?  And  will  you  pierce  him  afresh,  and 
go  away  without  believing  he  is  love  ?  I  cannot  help  it ;  I 
am  free  from  the  blood  of  you  all.  Oh  that  you  may  not  damn 
your  own  souls  !  Do  not  be  murderers  ;  nor  like  Esau,  sell 
your  birth-right  for  a  mess  of  pottage.  God  convince  you  ; 
God  convert  you  ;  God  help  those  that  have  believed  to  be- 
lieve more ;  that  they  may  experience  more  and  more  this 
salvation,  till  faith  is  turned  into  vision,  and  hope  into  fruition ; 
till  we  have  all,  with  yonder  saint,  and  all  that  have  gone  before 
us,  experienced  complete  salvation  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven  : 
even  so,  Lord  Jesus.     Amen  and  Amen. 


Serm.  20.]  Jacob's  ladder.  529 

SERMON  XX. 


Genesis  xxviii.  12 — 15. 

And  he  dreamed,  arid  behold,  a  ladder  set  upon  the  earth,  and  the  top 
of  it  reached  to  heaven:  and  behold,  the  angels  of  God  ascending- 
and  descending  on  it.  And  behold,  the  Lord  stood  above  it,  and 
said,  I  am  the  Lord  God  of  Abraham  thy  father,  and  the  God  of 
I  aac  :  the  land  whereon  thou  liest,  to  thee  will  I  give  it,  and  to  thy 
seed.  And  thy  seed  shall  be  as  the  dust  of  the  earth;  and  thou 
shall  spread  abroad  to  the  west  and  to  the  east,  and  to  the  north 
and  to  the  south :  and  in  thee,  and  in  thy  seed  shall  all  the  families 
of  the  earth  be  blessed.  And  behold,  I  am  with  thee,  and  will  keep 
thee  in  all  places,  whither  thou  goest,  and  will  bring  thee  again  into 
this  land :  for  I  will  not  leave  thee  until  I  have  done  that  which  I 
have  spoken  to  thee  of. 

The  wise  man  observes,  that  "in  the  multitude  of  dreams 
there  is  many  vanities,"  being  often  the  effects  of  a  pecuUar 
disorder  of  body,  or  owing-  to  some  disturbance  of  the  mind. 
They  whose  nervous  system  has  been  long  relaxed,  who  have 
had  severe  domestic  trials,  or  have  been  greatly  affected  by 
extraordinary  occurrences,  know  this  to  be  true  by  their  own 
experience ;  but  however  this  may  be,  there  have  been,  and 
possibly  may  be  still,  dreams  that  have  no  manner  of  depen- 
dence on  the  indisposition  of  the  body,  or  other  natural  cause, 
but  seem  to  bring  a  divine  sanction  with  them,  and  make 
peculiar  impressions  on  the  party,  though  this  was  more  fre- 
quent before  the  canon  of  scripture  was  closed,  than  now. 
God  spoke  to  his  people  in  a  dream,  in  a  vision  of  the  night ; 
witness  the  subject  of  our  present  meditation,  a  dream  of  the 
patriarch  Jacob's,  when  going  forth  as  a  poor  pilgrim  with  a  staff 
in  his  hand,  from  his  father's  house,  deprived  of  his  mother's 
company  and  instruction,  persecuted  by  an  elder  brother, 
without  attendants  or  necessaries,  only  leaning  on  an  invisible 
power.  I  need  not  inform  you  in  how  extraordinary  a  way  he 
obtained  the  blessing,  which  provoked  his  brother  to  such  a 
degree,  as  determined  him  to  be  the  death  of  Jacob,  as  soon  as 
ever  his  aged  father  dropped  :  to  what  a  height  did  this  wicked 
man's  envy  rise  when  he  said,  "the  days  of  mourning  for  my 
father  will  soon  come,"  and  what  then  ?  Why,  though  I  have 
some  compassion  for  the  old  man,  and  therefore  will  not  lay 
violent  hands  upon  my  brother  while  my  father  is  alive,  yet  I 
am  resolved  to  kill  him  before  my  father  is  cold  in  his  grave. 

45 


530  Jacob's  ladder.  [Serm.  20. 

This  is  the  very  spirit  of  Cain,  who  talked  to  his  brother,  and 
then  slew  him :  this  coming  to  the  ears  of  his  mother,  she  tells 
the  good  old  patriarch  her  husband,  who,  loving  peace  and 
quietness,  takes  the  good  advice  of  the  Aveaker  vessel,  and 
orders  Jacob  to  go  to  his  mother's  brother,  Laban,  and  stay  a 
little  while  out  of  Esau's  sight,  (perhaps  out  of  sight  out  of 
mind)  and  by  and  by  probably,  said  he,  thou  mayest  come  to 
thy  father  and  mother  again  in  peace  and  safety.  Jacob,  though 
sure  of  (he  blessing  in  the  end,  by  his  father's  confirmation  of 
it,  yet  prudently  makes  use  of  proper  means  ;  therefore  he  obey- 
ed his  parents  :  and  wo,  wo,  be  to  those  who  think  a  parent's 
blessino^  not  worth  their  askino^  for  !  Havinor  had  his  mother's 
blessing  as  well  as  his  father's,  without  saying,  I  will  try  it 
out  with  my  brother,  I  will  let  him  know  that  I  am  not  afraid 
of  him,  he  views  it  as  the  call  of  God,  and  like  an  honest, 
simple  pilgrim,  went  out  from  Beersheba  towards  Haran.  Was 
it  not  a  little  unkind  in  his  parents  not  to  furnish  him  with 
some  necessaries  and  conveniences  ?  When  the  servant  was 
sent  to  fetch  a  wife  for  Isaac,  he  had  a  great  deal  of  attendance^ 
why  should  not  Jacob  have  it  noAV  ;  his  father  might  have  sent 
him  away  with  great  parade  :  but  I  am  apt  to  believe  this  did 
not  suit  Jacob's  real,  pilgrim  spirit ;  he  was  a  plain  man.  and 
dwelt  in  tents,  when,  perhaps,  he  might  have  dwelt  under 
cedar  roofs  ;  he  chose  a  pilgrim's  life,  and  prudence  directed 
him  to  go  thus  in  a  private  manner,  to  prevent  increasing 
Esau's  envy,  and  giving  the  fatal  blow. 

Methinks,  I  seelhe  young  pilgrim  weeping  when  he  took 
his  leave  of  his  father  and  mother  ;  he  went  on  foot,  and  they 
that  are  acquainted  with  the  geography  of  the  place,  say  that 
the  first  day  of  his  journey  he  walked  not  less  than  forty 
Englisii  miles  ;  what  exercise  must  he  have  had  all  that  way ; 
no  Avonder,  therefore,  that  by  the  time  the  sun  was  going  down, 
poor  Jacob  felt  himself  v^ery  weary,  for  we  are  told,  ver.  11. 
that  '-he  lighted  on  a  certain  place,  and  tarried  there  all 
night  because  the  sun  was  set."  There  is  a  particular  empha- 
sis to  be  put  on  this  term,  a  certain  place  ;  he  saw  the  sun 
going  down,  he  was  a  stranger  in  a  strange  land.  You  that 
are  born  in  England  can  have  very  little  idea  of  it,  but  persons 
that  travel  in  the  American  woods  can  form  a  more  proper 
idea,  for  you  may  there  travel  a  hundred  and  a  thousand 
miles,  and  go  through  one  continued  tract  of  tall  green  trees^ 
like  the  tall  cedars  of  Lebanon  ;  and  the  gentlemen  of  America, 
from  one  end  to  the  other,  are  of  such  hospitable  temper,  as  I 
have  not  only  been  told,  but  have  found  among  them  upwards 
of  thirty  years,  that  they  would  not  let  public  houses  be  licens- 
ed, that  they  might  have  an  opportunity  of  entertaining  Eng- 


I 


Serm.  20.]  Jacob's  ladder.  531 

lish  friends  ;  may  God,  of  his  infinite  mercy,  grant  this  union 
may  never  be  dissolved. 

Well,  Jacob  arrived  at  a  certain  place,  and  perhaps  he  saw  a 
good  tree  that  would  serve  him  for  a  canopy ;  however,  this 
we  are  told,  he  tarried  there  all  night  because  the  sun  was  set, 
and  he  took  of  the  stones  of  that  place  and  put  them  for  his 
pillow,  and  laid  down  in  that  place  to  sleep  ;  hard  lodgings 
for  him  who  was  used  to  lie  otherwise  at  home.  I  do  not  hear 
him  say,  I  wish  I  was  back  to  my  mother  again,  I  wish  I  had 
not  set  out ;  but  upon  the  hard  ground  and  hard  pillow  he  lies 
down.  I  believe  never  poor  man  slept  sweeter  in  his  life,  for 
it  is  certainly  sweet  sleep  when  God  is  near  us  ;  he  did  not 
know  but  his  brother  might  follow  and  kill  him  while  he  was 
asleep,  or  that  the  wild  beasts  might  devour  him.  In  America, 
when  they  sleep  iti  the  woods,  and  I  expect  to  have  some  such 
sleeping-times  in  them  before  a  tweh^e-month  is  over,  we  are 
obliged  to  make  a  fire  to  keep  the  wild  beasts  from  us.  I  have 
often  said  then,  and  I  hope  I  shall  never  forget  it,  when  I  rise 
in  the  morning,  this  fire  in  the  woods  that  keeps  the  wild 
beasts  from  hurting  us,  is  like  the  fire  of  God's  love  that  keeps 
the  devil  from  hurting  us :  thus  weary  and  solitary  he  falls 
asleep,  and  sweetly  dreams,  a?id  behold.  I  do  not  remember 
many  passages  of  scripture  where  the  word  behold  is  repeated 
so  many  times  in  so  short  a  space,  as  in  the  passage  before  us, 
doubtless  the  Lord  would  have  us  particularly  take  notice  of 
it,  even  us  upon  whom  the  ends  of  the  world  have  come  ? 
Behold  a  ladder  set  upon  the  earthy  and  the  top  reached  to 
heaven  ;  and  behold^  the  angels  of  God  ascending  and 
descending  upon  it ;  and  behold  the  Lord  stood  above  it ;  so 
here  are  three  beholds  in  a  very  few  lines.  Was  there  any 
thing  very  extraordinary  in  that  ?  Perhaps  the  deists  would 
say,  your  patriarch  was  tired,  and  dreamed  amongother  things, 
of  a  ladder  ;  yes,  he  did,  but  this  dream  was  of  God,  and  how 
kind  was  he  to  meet  him  at  the  end  of  the  first  day's  journey, 
to  strengthen  and  animate  him  to  go  forward  in  this  lonesome 
pilgrimage ! 

This  ladder  is  reckoned  by  some  to  denote  the  providence 
of  God  :  it  was  let  down  as  it  were  from  heaven,  particularly 
at  this  time  to  poor  Jacob,  that  he  might  know  that  however 
he  was  become  a  pilgrim,  and  left  his  all,  all  for  God's  glory, 
that  God  would  take  care  for  his  comfort,  and  give  his  angel 
charge  over  him  to  keep  him  in  all  his  ways,  which  was 
denoted  by  the  angels  ascending  and  descending  upon  the  lad- 
der. Some  think  that  particular  saints  and  countries,  have 
particular  guardian  angels,  and  therefore  that  the  angels  that 
ascended  were  those  that  had  the  particular  charge  of  that 


532  Jacob's  ladder.  [Serm.  20. 

place,  so  far  as  Jacob  had  come  ;  that  the  angels  that  descended 
were  another  set  of  angels,  sent  down  from  heaven  to  guard 
him  in  his  future  journey ;  perhaps  this  is  more  a  fancy  than 
the  word  of  God.  However,  I  very  much  like  the  observation  of 
good  Mr.  Burkitt.  "Why  should  we  dispute  whether  every 
individual  believer  has  a  particular  angel,  when  there  is  not 
one  believer  but  has  guards  of  angels  to  attend  him,"  which 
are  a  great  deal  better  than  a  great  many  servants,  that  prove 
our  plagues,  and  instead  of  waiting  upon  us,  make  us  wait 
upon  them. 

But,  my  dear  hearers,  I  do  not  know  one  spiritual  commen- 
tator but  agrees  that  this  ladder  was  a  type  of  the  liOrd  Jesus 
Christ ;  and  that  as  Jacob  was  now  banished  from  his  father's 
house,  and  while  sleeping  upon  a  hard,  cold  stone,  God  was 
pleased  not  only  to  give  him  a  blessed  sight  of  Jesus  Christ, 
in  whom  Jacob  believed. 

A  ladder  you  know  is  something  by  which  we  climb  from 
one  place  to  another ;  hence,  in  condescension  of  our  weak 
capacities,  God  ordered  a  ladder  to  be  let  down,  to  show  us 
that  Christ  is  the  way  to  heaven  :  "  I  am  the  way,  the  truth, 
and  the  life  ;"  "I  am  the  door,"  says  he  ;  "  neither  is  there  sal- 
vation in  any  other,  for  there  is  no  other  name  given  under 
heaven  whereby  we  must  be  saved."  The  deists,  who  own  a 
God  but  deny  his  Son,  dare  go  to  a  God  out  of  Christ ;  but 
Jacob  is  here  taught  better ;  how  soon  does  God  reveal  the 
gospel  unto  him  ;  here  is  a  ladder,  by  which  God  preaches  to 
us ;  if  you  have  a  mind  to  chmb  from  earth  to  heaven,  you 
must  get  up  by  the  Son  of  God  ;  no  one  ever  pointed  out  a 
proper  way  to  heaven  for  ns  but  himself  When  Adam  and 
Eve  fell  from  God,  a  flaming  sword  turned  every  way  to  keep 
them  from  the  tree  of  life  ;  but  Jesus  alone  is  a  new  and  living 
way,  not  only  to  the  Holy  of  Holies  below,  but  into  the  immedi- 
ate presence  of  God  ;  and  that  we  might  know  that  he  was  a 
proper  Savior,  the  top  of  it  reached  to  heaven.  If  it  had  stop- 
ped short  Jacob  might  have  said,  ah  !  the  ladder  is  within  a 
little  way  of  heaven,  but  does  not  quite  reach  it ;  if  I  climb  up 
to  the  top  I  shall  not  get  there  after  all.  But  the  top  reached 
to  heaven,  to  point  out  the  divinity  and  exaltation  of  the  Son 
of  God.  Such  a  Savior  became  us  who  was  God,  God  over  all, 
blessed  for  ever  more  ;  and  therefore  the  Arian  scheme  is  most 
uncomfortable  and  destructive.  To  talk  of  Christ  as  a  Savior 
that  is  not  God,  is  no  Christ  at  all.  I  would  turn  deist  to-morrow 
if  I  did  not  know  that  Christ  was  God  ;  "  but  cursed  is  the  man 
that  builds  his  faith  upon  an  arm  of  flesh."  If  Christ  is  God, 
the  Arians  and  Socinians,  by  their  own  principles,  are  undone 
for  ever ;  but  Jesus  Christ  is  very  God,  and  very  man,  begotten 


Serm.  20.]  jacob'S  ladder,  533 

(and  not  made)  of  the  Father ;  God,  of  his  infinite  mercy, 
write  his  divinity  deep  in  our  hearts! 

The  bottom  of  the  ladder  reached  to  the  earth  ;  this  points 
out  to  us  the  humihation  of  the  blessed  Lord  :  for  us  men,  he 
came  down  from  heaven  ;  we  pray  to  and  for  a  descending  God. 
All  the  sufferings  which  our  Lord  voluntarily  exposed  himself 
to,  were  that  he  might  become  a  ladder  for  you  and  I  to  climb 
up  to  heaven  by.  Come  down  from  the  cross  say  they,  and 
we  will  believe  thee ;  if  he  had,  what  would  have  become  of 
us  ?  Did  they  believe  on  him  when  he  was  dead,  buried,  and 
risen  again  ?  No.  Some  people  say,  if  Christ  was  here,  we 
should  love  him ;  just  as  much  as  they  did  when  he  came  down 
before.  If  he  had  come  down  from  the  cross,  they  would  have 
hung  him  up  again.  O  that  you  and  I  might  make  his  cross 
a  step  to  glory  ! 

As  the  top  of  the  ladder  pointed  out  his  exaltation,  the  bot- 
tom of  his  humiliation,  the  two  sides  of  the  ladder  being  joined 
together,  point  out  the  union  of  the  Deity  and  manhood  in  the 
person  of  Christ ;  and  that  as  this  ladder  had  steps  to  it,  so 
blessed  be  God,  Jesus  Christ  has  found  out  a  way  whereby  we 
may  go,  step  after  step,  to  glory.  The  first  step  is  the  righteous- 
ness of  Christ,  the  active  and  passive  obedience  of  the  Redeemer; 
no  setting  one  foot  upon  this  ladder  without  coming  out  of 
ourselves,  and  relying  wholly  upon  a  better  righteousness  than 
our  own.  Again,  all  the  other  steps  are  the  graces  of  the  blessed 
Spirit ;  therefore,  you  need  not  be  afraid  of  our  destroying 
inward  holiness,  by  preaching  the  doctrine  of  the  imputation 
of  Christ's  righteousness,  that  one  is  the  foundation,  the  other 
the  superstructure  ;  to  talk  of  my  having  the  righteousness  of 
Christ  imputed  to  my  soul,  without  my  having  the  holiness  of 
Christ  imparted  to  it,  and  bringing  forth  the  fruits  of  the  Spirit 
as  an  evidence  of  it,  is  only  deceiving  ourselves.  I  would  never 
preach  upon  imputed  righteousness,  without  speaking  of  inward 
holiness,  for  if  you  do  not  take  a  great  deal  of  care,  you  will  una- 
wares, under  a  pretense  of  exalting  Christ,  run  into  Antinomian- 
ism,  depths  that  Calvin  never  went  into ;  probably,  you  will 
imbitter  others'  spirits  that  do  not  agree  with  you,  and  at  the 
same  time  hurt  the  fruits  of  the  Spirit.  May  God  give  you 
clear  heads,  and  at  the  same  time  warm  hearts. 

On  the  ladder  Jacob  saw  the  angels  of  God  ascending  and 
descending  ;  what  is  that  for  ?  To  show  that  they  are  minis- 
tering spirits,  sent  forth  to  minister  to  them  that  shall  be  heirs 
of  salvation ;  therefore  we  find  them  attending  upon  Christ. 
We  do  not  hear  much  of  them  after  the  canon  of  scripture  was 
closed,  but  as  soon  as  Christ  was  born,  the  angels  sang :  till 
then  we  never  hear  of  their  singing  below,  as  far  as  I  can 

45* 


534  JACOB  s  LADDER.  [Scrm.  20. 

judge,  since  the  creation ;  then  the  sons  of  God  shouted  for 
joy ;  but  when  Eve  reached  out  her  hand  to  pluck  the  fatal 
apple,  and  gave  to  Adam,  earth  groaned,  and  the  angels  hung, 
as  it  were,  their  harps  upon  the  willows ;  but  when  Christ  the 
Second  Adam,  was  born,  the  angels  sang  at  midnight,  '•  Glory- 
to  God  in  the  highest."  I  pray  to  God  we  may  all  die  singing 
that  anthem,  and  sing  to  all  eternity.  After  his  temptations, 
they  came  and  ministered  to  him.  After  his  resurrection  two 
appeared  again,  one  at  the  head,  another  at  the  foot  of  his  se- 
pulcher,  to  let  those  that  looked  into  the  sepulcher  know,  that 
they  would  not  only  wait  upon  the  head  but  the  foot :  and  the 
angels  are  glad  to  wait  upon  the  meanest  of  the  children  of 
God.  When  our  Lord  departed,  a  cloud  received  him  out  of 
their  sight,  which  probably  was  a  cloud  of  angels.  Having 
led  his  disciples  out  of  the  city,  he  blessed  them,  and  then  away 
he  went  to  heaven.  May  that  blessing  rest  upon  you  and  your 
children !  This  intimates  that  God  makes  use  of  angels  to 
attend  his  people,  especially  when  they  are  departing  into 
eternity  :  perhaps,  part  of  our  entertainment  in  heaven  will  be, 
to  hear  the  angels  declare  how  many  millions  of  times  they 
have  assisted  and  helped  us.  Our  Lord  says,  angels  do  there 
behold  the  face  of  the  Father  of  his  little,  ones  ;  and  therefore  I 
love  to  talk  to  the  lambs  of  the  flock,  and  why  should  I  not 
talk  to  them  whom  angels  think  it  their  honor  to  guard  ;  and 
if  it  was  not  for  this,  how  would  any  children  escape  the  dan- 
gers they  are  exposed  to  in  their  tender  age  ?  It  is  owing  to 
the  particular  providence  of  God,  that  any  one  child  is  brought 
to  manhood  ;  therefore  I  cannot  help  admiring  that  part  of  the 
Litany,  in  which  we  pray,  that  God  would  take  care  not  only 
of  the  grown  people,  but  of  children  also.  God  take  care  of 
yours  both  in  body  and  soul. 

But  what  gave  the  greatest  comfort  to  Jacob  was,  that  the 
Lord  was  on  the  top  of  the  ladder,  which  I  do  not  know  wheth- 
er it  would  have  been  so,  if  .Jacob  had  not  seen  God  there. 
It  comforts  me,  I  assure  you,  to  think,  that  whenever  God  shall 
call  for  me,  I  shall  be  carried  by  angels  into  Abraham's  bosom  ; 
and  I  have  often  thought  that  v/henever  the  time  comes,  that 
blessed,  long  longed  for  moment  comes,  as  soon  as  ever  they 
have  called  upon  me,  my  first  question  will  be  to  them,  where 
is  my  dear  master  ?  Where  is  Jesus  ?  Where  is  the  dear  Emman- 
uel, who  has  loved  me  with  an  everlasting  love,  and  has  called 
me  by  his  grace,  and  has  sent  you  to  fetch  me  home  to  see  his. 
face  ?  But  I  believe  you,  and  I  shall  have  no  occasion  to  ask 
where  he  is,  for  he  will  come  to  meet  us — he  will  stand  at  the 
top  of  his  ladder  to  take  his  pilgrims  in  ;  so  God  was  at  the 
top  of  the  ladder ;  pray,  mind  that.    He  appears  not  sitting; 


Serm.  20.]  Jacob's  ladder.  535 

as  he  is  often  represented  in  heaven,  but  standing ;  as  much 
as  to  say,  here,  here,  Jacob,  thy  brother  wants  to  kill  thee  ;  here 
thou  art  come  out  without  a  servant,  art  lying  upon  a  hard  bed, 
but  here  I  am  ready  in  order  to  preserve  thee ;  I  stand  above,  and 
I  see  thy  weariness — I  see  the  fatigue  and  hardships  thou  hast  yet 
to  undergo,  though  thou  dost  not  see  it  thyself;  thou  hast  thrown 
thyself  upon  my  providence  and  protection,  and  I  will  give 
thee  the  word  of  a  God  that  I  will  stand  by  thee.  The  Lord 
stood  above  :  if  he  had  said  nothing,  that  would  have  been 
enough  to  have  shown  his  readiness  to  help. 

But  God  speaks,  behold  :  well  might  this  word  be  ushered  in 
with  the  word  behold :  a  ladder  set  on  the  earth,  and  behold 
the  angels  of  God  ascending  and  descending  on  it ;  and  above 
all,  behold  God  speaking  from  it !  What  doth  he  say  ?  /  am 
the  Lord  God  of  Abraham  thy  father.  O  !  happy  they  that 
can  say,  the  Lord  God  of  my  father  ;  happy  you  that  have  fa- 
thers and  mothers  in  heaven.  I  remember,  about  twenty-five 
years  ago,  as  I  was  traveling  from  Bristol,  I  met  with  a  man  on 
the  road,  and  being  desirous  to  know  whether  he  was  serious 
or  not,  I  began  to  put  in  a  word  for  Christ ;  (and  God  forbid  I 
should  travel  with  any  body  a  quarter  of  an  hour  without 
speaking  of  Christ  to  them)  he  told  me  what  a  wicked  crea- 
ture he  had  been  :  but,  sir,  says  he,  in  the  midst  of  my  wick- 
edness, people  used  to  tell  me,  you  have  a  good  many  prayers 
on  file  for  you ;  your  godly  father  and  mother  have  prayed 
very  often  for  you  ;  and  it  was  the  pleasure  of  God  he  was 
wrought  upon,  and  brought  to  Christ.  Lay  in  a  good  stock 
for  your  children  ;  get  a  good  many  prayers  in  for  them ;  they 
may  be  answered  when  you  are  dead  and  gone.  Ia?n  the  God 
of  Abraham  thy  father  ^  not  thy  grand  father  ;  to  put  him  in 
mind  what  an  honor  God  would  put  upon  him,  to  make  him  as 
it  were,  the  father  of  the  church.  '•  Though  you  have  many 
instructors,"  says  Paul,  "  you  have  but  one  Father :"  and.  the 
God  of  Isaac  ;  the  land  whereon  thou  liest,  to  thee  will  I  give 
ity  and  to  thy  seed.  Amazing !  amazing !  You  know  very 
well  when  persons  buy  or  come  to  an  estate,  they  usually  take 
possession  of  it  by  some  ceremony,  such  as  receiving  or  takings 
up  a  piece  of  dirt,  or  twig,  in  their  hand,  as  a  sign  of  their 
title.  Now  says  God,  poor  Jacob,  tliou  dost  little  think  that 
this  very  spot  of  ground  that  thou  liest  on  to-ni^^ht,  cold  and 
stiff,  I  intend  to  give  to  thee,  and  thy  posterity,  for  an  inherit- 
ance. O  my  brethren,  live  all  to  God,  and  God  will  give  all 
to  you.  Who  would  have  thought  of  this  ;  probably  Jacob 
did  not.  It  is  as  if  God  took  pleasure  in  seeing  his  dear  chil- 
dren lie  on  such  hard  ground  ;  if  he  had  been  on  a  feather  bed, 
he  might  not  have  had  such  a  visit :  thou  shalt  have  now  a 


536  Jacob's  ladder.  [Serm.  20. 

God  to  lean  upoia ;  to  thee  will  I  give  it,  and  to  thy  seed, 
which  shall  be  as  the  dust  of  the  earth,  and  thou  shall  spread 
abroad  to  the  west,  and  to  the  east,  and  to  the  north,  and  to 
the  south  :  and  in  thee,  and  in  thy  seed,  shall  all  the  families 
of  the  earth  be  blessed.  Thus  did  heaven  balance  the  loss  of 
the  comforts  of  his  father's  house,  by  the  discovery  of  his  and 
his  offspring's  prosperity,  by  an  interest  in  the  promised  seed. 

My  particular  circumstances  call  me  to  observe,  and  I  be- 
lieve that  God  has  done  it  on  purpose  to  encourage  me,  that 
faith,  resting  on  the  promise,  is  >  easily  resigned  to  the  loss  of 
present  good,  whereas  worldly  hearts  consider  prosperity  as  a 
portion  ;  they  do  not  care  if  the  devil  takes  them  hereafter,  so 
they  have  it  now  ;  and  that  makes  carnal  people  wonder  how 
we  can  give  up  things  in  this  world,  for  the  sake  of  those  not 
yet  born  ;  but  it  is  to  glorify  God,  and  lay  a  foundation  for 
others'  happiness.  Here  God  gives  Jacob  to  know,  that  here- 
after his  seed  should  spread  on  the  east,  west,  north,  and  south, 
his  branches  should  multiply,  and  at  last  from  his  loins  should 
Jesus  Christ  come  ;  what  for  ?  In  whorn  all  the  families  of 
the  earth  shoidd  be  blessed.  God  Almighty  grant  we  may  be 
blessed  in  him. 

Then  if  Jacob  should  say  in  his  heart,  hast  thou  no  promise 
for  me  ?  here  another  behold  comes  in  ;  Behold  I  a7n  with 
thee,  and  loill  keep  thee  in  all  jjlaces  whither  thou  goest. 
What  a  word  is  this  !  Thou  hast  nobody  with  thee,  nothing 
but  a  staff,  (he  could  not  carry  much  upon  his  back,  like  a 
poor  soldier  with  a  knapsack  behind,  and  a  little  bread  in  his 
pocket)  well,  saith  God,  I  do  not  despise  thee  because  thou  art 
destitute,  but  I  love  thee  the  better  for  it ;  thy  brother  Esau 
longs  to  kill  thee,  but  if  Esau  stabs  thee,  he  shall  stab  thy 
God  first ;  I  will  not  only  be  with  thee  now,  but  I  will  watch 
every  step  thou  takest,  /  ivill  be  tcith  thee  in  all  places  whi- 
ther thou  goest :  as  much  as  to  say,  Jacob,  thou  art  a  pilgrim, 
thy  life  is  to  be  a  moving  life  ;  I  do  not  intend  thou  shalt  settle 
and  keep  in  one  place  ;  thy  life  is  to  be  a  life  of  changes  ;  thou" 
art  to  move  from  place  to  place,  but  /  laill  be  with  thee  in  all 
places  whither  thou  goest,  and  thereby  it  shall  be  known  that 
I  am  Jacob's  God,  and  also  by  my  bringing  thee  again  into 
this  land.  He  not  only  assures  him  of  a  successful  journey, 
whither  he  was  now  going,  but  promises  to  bring  him  back 
once  more  to  see  his  dear  father  and  mother,  and  relations 
again  :  I  will  bring  thee  back  to  this  land  ;  and  to  confirm  his 
faith  and  hope,  the  great  God  adds,  /  will  not  leave  thee  till 
I  have  done  that  I  have  spoken  to  thee  of ;  that  is,  all  the 
good  he  hath  just  now  promised.  Some  people  promise,  but 
they  cannot  do  it  to-day,  and  they  will  not  do  it  to-morrow. 


Senii.  20.]  Jacob's  laddeji.  537 

I  have  known  the  world,  and  have  wrung  the  changes  of  it 
ever  since  I  have  been  here  ;  but,  blessed  be  God,  an  un- 
changeable Christ,  having  loved  his  own,  he  loved  them  to  the 
end :  I  will  not  leave  you  till  I  have  performed  all  things  I 
have  promised  you.  May  this  promise  come  upon  you  and 
your  children,  and  all  that  God  shall  call. 

Thus  spake  the  great  Jehovah  to  poor  Jacob,  just  setting 
out  to  a  strange  land,  knowing  not  whither  he  went ;  but 
now  God  speaks  not  only  to  Jacob,  but  he  speaks  to  you  ; 
and,  blessed  be  the  living  God,  he  speaks  to  me  also,  less  than 
the  least  of  all ;  and  as  my  design  is  (though  I  cannot  tell  but 
this  may  be  the  last  opportunity)  to  speak  something  to  you 
about  my  departure  ;  yet,  brethren,  my  grand  design  in  preach- 
ing to  you  is,  to  recommend  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  to  your 
souls  ;  and,  before  I  go,  to  make  a  particular,  personal  appli- 
cation. Give  me  leave,  therefore,  to  ask  you,  (it  may  be  the 
last  time  I  may  ask  many  of  you,)  whether  you  have  ever  set 
your  foot  upon  this  blessed  ladder,  the  Son  of  God  ?  I  ask 
you  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  in  the  name  of  the 
Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost,  did  you  ever  set  your  foot,  I  say, 
upon  this  ladder  ?  That  is,  did  you  ever  believe  on  Jesus 
Christ,  and  come  to  him  as  poor  lost  sinners,  relying  upon  no 
other  righteousness  than  that  of  the  Son  of  God  ?  Perhaps,  if 
you  was  to  speak,  some  of  you  would  say,  away  with  your 
ladder;  and  what  will  you  do  then?  Why,  say  you,  I  will 
climb  to  heaven  without  it ;  what  ladder  will  you  climb  upon? 
O,  I  think  to  go  to  heaven  because  I  liave  been  baptized  ;  that 
ladder  will  break  under  you  ;  what,  a  ladder  made  of  water, 
what  are  you  dreaming  of?  No ;  O,  I  think  I  shall  go  to  heaven 
because  I  have  done  nobody  any  harm ;  what,  a  ladder  made 
of  negative  goodness  ?  No ;  I  think  to  go,  you  will  say,  by 
good  works  ;  a  ladder  made  of  good  works,  that  has  not  Christ 
for  its  bottom,  what  is  that?  I  think,  say  you,  to  go  to  heaven 
by  my  prayers  and  fastings  ;  all  these  are  good  in  their  place  : 
but,  my  brethren,  do  not  think  to  climb  to  heaven  by  these 
ropes  of  sand.  If  you  never  before  set  your  foot  on  Christ, 
this  blessed  ladder,  God  grant  this  may  be  the  happy  time. 

I  have  been  praying  before  most  of  you  were  up,  I  believe, 
that  God  would  give  me  a  partmg  blessing.  I  remember,  soon 
after  I  left  England  last,  that  a  dear  christian  friend  told  me, 
that  there  was  one  woman,  who  came  only  out  of  curiosity, 
that  dated  her  conversion  from  hearing  my  last  sermon  ;  and, 
I  bless  God,  I  never  once  left  England,  but  some  poor  soul  has 
dated  their  conversion  from  my  last  sermon.  When  I  put  on 
my  surplice,  to  come  out  to  read  the  second  service,  I  thought 
it  was  just  like  a  person  being  decently  dressed  to  go  out  to 


638  Jacob's  ladder.  [Serm.  2(X 

be  executed  ;  I  would  rather,  was  it  the  will  of  God  it  should 
be  so,  than  to  feel  what  I  do  in  parting  from  you,  then  death 
would  put  an  end  to  all ;  but  I  am  to  be  executed  again  and 
again,  and  nothing  will  support  me  under  the  torture,  but  the 
consideration  of  God's  blessing  me  to  some  poor  souls.  Do 
pray  for  me,  ye  children  of  God,  that  God  would  give  us  a 
parting  blessing.  God  help  you,  young  people,  to  put  your 
foot  on  this  ladder  ;  do  not  climb  up  wrong :  the  devil  has  a 
ladder,  but  it  reaches  down  to  hell ;  all  the  devil's  children  go 
down,  not  up ;  the  bottom  of  the  devil's  ladder  reaches  to  the 
depth's  of  the  damned,  the  top  of  it  reaches  to  the  earth  :  and 
when  death  comes,  then  up  comes  the  devil's  ladder  to  let  you 
down;  for  God's  sake  come  away  from  the  devil's  ladder; 
climb,  climb,  dear  young  men.  O  it  delighted  me  on  Friday 
night  at  the  Tabernacle,  when  we  had  a  melting  parting 
sacrament ;  and  it  delighted  me  this  morning  to  see  so  many 
young  men  at  the  table ;  God  add  to  the  blessed  number  i 
Young  women  put  your  feel  upon  this  ladder ;  God  lets  one 
ladder  down  from  heaven,  and  the  detil  brings  another  up 
from  hell.  O,  say  you,  I  would  climb  up  God's  ladder,  I  think 
it  is  right,  but  I  shall  be  laughed  at ;  do  you  expect  to  go  to 
heaven  without  being  laughed  at?  The  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
help  you  to  climb  to  heaven ;  come,  climb  till  you  get  out  of 
hearing  of  their  laughter.  O  trust  not  to  your  own  righteous- 
ness, your  vows,  and  good  resolutions. 

Some  of  you,  blessed  be  God,  have  climbed  up  this  ladder, 
at  least  are  climbing ;  well,  I  wish  you  joy,  God  be  praised  for 
setting  your  feet  on  this  ladder,  God  be  praised  for  letting  down 
this  ladder.  I  have  only  one  word  to  say  to  you,  for  Jesus 
Christ's  sake,  and  your  own  too,  climb  a  little  faster ;  take  care 
the  world  does  not  get  hold  of  your  heels.  It  is  a  shame  the 
children  of  God  do  not  climb  faster ;  you  may  say  what  you 
please,  but  the  lukewarmness  of  God's  people  is  more  provok- 
ing to  him  than  all  the  sins  of  the  nation.  We  cry  out  against 
the  sins  of  the  land  ;  would  to  God  we  did  cry  out  more  of  the 
sins  of  the  saints  ;  "  I  will  spew  you  out  of  my  mouth,  because 
you  are  lukewarm,"  says  Christ ;  and  if  any  of  you  say  you 
cannot  climb  because  you  are  lame-footed,  look  to  Jesus  Christ, 
my  dear  friends,  and  your  afflictions  shall  make  you  climb  ; 
and  if  any  of  you  are  coming^  down  the  ladder  again,  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  bless  the  foolishness  of  preaching  to  help  you  up 
again.  O,  say  you,  I  am  giddy,  I  shall  fall  ;  here,  I  will  give 
you  a  rope,  so  God  lets  down  a  promise  :  climb,  climb,  then,  till 
you  get  higher,  into  a  better  climate,  and  God  shall  put  his 
hand  out  by  and  by  when  you  get  to  the  top  of  the  ladder  to 


Serm.  20.]  Jacob's  ladder.  539 

receive  you  to  himself.  Blessed  be  the  living  God,  I  hope  and 
believe  I  shall  meet  many  of  you  by  and  by. 

And  now,  my  brethren,  it  is  time  for  me  to  preach  my  own 
funeral  sermon ;  and  I  would  humbly  hope  that,  as  a  poor 
sinner,  I  may  put  ia  my  claim  for  what  God  promised  Jacob  ; 
and  I  do  put  in,  with  full  assurance  of  faith,  that  God  will  be 
with  me.  I  am  now  going,  for  the  thirteenth  time,  to  cross  the 
Atlantic.  When  I  came  from  America  last,  I  took  my  leave 
of  all  the  continent,  from  the  one  end  of  the  provinces  to  the 
other,  except  some  places  which  we  had  not  then  taken  ;  I  took 
my  leave  for  life,  without  the  least  design  of  returning  there 
again,  my  health  was  so  bad ;  and  the  prospect  of  getting  the 
Orphan-house  into  other  hands,  made  mc  say  when  I  first  came 
over,  I  have  no  other  river  to  go  over  than  the  river  Jordan. 
I  thought  then  of  retiring,  for  I  did  not  choose  to  appear  when 
my  nerves  were  so  relaxed  that  I  could  not  serve  God  as  I  wish 
to  do  ;  but  as  it  hath  pleased  God  to  restore  my  health  much, 
and  he  has  so  ordered  it  by  his  providence,  that  I  intend  to 
give  up  the  Orphan-house,  and  all  the  land  adjoining,  for  a 
public  college.  I  wished  to  have  had  a  public  sanction,  but 
his  grace  the  late  archbishop  of  Canterbury  put  a  stop  to  it ; 
they  would  give  me  a  charter,  which  was  all  I  desired,  but 
they  insisted  upon,  at  least  his  grace  and  another  did,  that  I 
should  confine  it  wholly  to  the  Church  of  England,  and  that 
no  extempore  prayer  should  be  used  in  a  public  way  in  that 
house,  though  dissenters,  and  all  sorts  of  people,  had  contri- 
buted to  it.  I  would  sooner  cut  my  head  ofi"  than  betray  my 
trust,  by  confining  it  to  a  narrow  bottom  ;  I  always  meant  it 
should  be  kept  upon  a  broad  bottom,  for  people  of  all  denomi- 
nations, that  their  children  might  be  brought  up  in  the  fear  of 
God  ;  by  this  means  the  Orphan-house  reverted  into  my  hands; 
I  have  once  more,  as  my  health  was  restored,  determined  to 
pursue  the  plan  I  had  fixed  on  ;  and  through  the  tender  mer- 
cies of  God,  Georgia,  (which  about  thirty-two  years  as^o  was  a 
total  desolate  place  ;  and  when  the  land,  as  it  was  given  me  by 
the  House  of  Commons,  would  have  been  entirely  deserted, 
and  the  colony  have  quite  ceased,  had  it  not  been  for  the  mo- 
ney I  have  laid  out  for  the  Orphan-house,  to  keep  the  poor 
people  together,)  is  arising  to  an  amazinof  height,  by  the  schemes 
now  going  on,  and  public  buildings  are  erecting. 

I  had  news  last  week  of  the  great  prosperity  of  the  negroes; 
and  I  hope  by  the  twenty-fifth  of  March,  which  is  the  day,  the 
anniversary  day,  I  laid  the  firs-t  brick,  in  the  year  1739  ;  1  say 
I  hope  by  that  time  all  things  will  be  finished,  and  a  blessed 
provision  will  be  made  for  orphans  and  poor  students  that  will 


640  Jacob's  ladder.  (Serm.  20. 

be  brought  up  there  ;  it  will  be  a  blessed  source  of  provision 
for  the  children  of  God  in  another  part  of  the  world.  This 
is  the  grand  design  I  am  going  upon ;  this  is  my  visible  cause ; 
but  I  never  yet  went  to  them,  but  God  has  been  pleased  to  bless 
my  ministration  among  them  ;  and  therefore  after  I  have  fin- 
ished the  Orphan-house  affair,  I  intend  to  go  along  the  conti- 
nent by  land,  (which  will  keep  me  all  the  winter  and  spring,) 
and  when  I  come  to  the  end  of  it,  which  will  be  New  England 
and  Canada,  then  I  hope  to  return  again  to  this  place  ;  for  let 
people  say  what  they  will,  I  have  not  so  much  as  a  single 
thought  of  settling  abroad  on  this  side  eternity ;  I  shall  set  out 
like  a  poor  pilgrim,  at  my  own  expense,  trusting  upon  God  to 
take  care  of  me,  and  to  bear  my  charges  ;  and  I  call  God  to 
witness,  and  I  must  be  a  cursed  devil  and  hypocrite,  to  stand 
here  in  the  pulpit  and  provoke  God  to  strike  me  dead  for 
lying,  I  never  had  the  love  of  the  world,  nor  never  felt  it  one 
quarter  of  an  hour  in  my  heart,  since  I  was  twenty  years  old. 
I  might  have  been  rich  ;  but  though  the  Chapel  is  built,  and  I 
have  a  comfortable  room  to  lie  in,  I  assure  ^''ou  I  built  it  at  my 
own  expense  ;  it  cost  nobody  but  myself  any  thing.  I  have  a 
watchcoat  made  me,  and  in  that  I  shall  lie  every  night  on  the 
ground,  and  may  Jacob's  God  bless  me.  I  will  not  say  much 
of  myself,  but  when  I  have  been  preaching,  I  have  read  and 
thought  much  of  those  words  with  pleasure,  "  Surely  this  is 
the  house  of  God."  "  And  I  will  bring  thee  again  to  this 
land."  Whether  that  will  be  my  experience  or  not,  blessed  be 
God,  I  have  a  better  land  in  view  :  and,  my  dear  brethren,  I 
do  not  look  upon  myself  at  home  till  I  land  in  my  Father's 
kingdom  ;  and  if  I  am  to  die  in  the  way,  if  I  am  to  die  in  the 
ship,  it  comforts  me  that  I  know  I  am  as  clear  as  the  sun,  that 
I  go  by  the  will  of  God  ;  and  though  people  may  say,  will  you 
leave  the  world  ?  Will  you  leave  the  Chapel  ?  O,  I  am  as- 
tonished that  we  cannot  leave  every  thing  for  Christ ;  my 
greatest  trial  is  to  part  with  those  who  are  as  dear  to  me  as  my 
own  soul ;  and  however  others  may  forget  me,  yet  I  cannot  for- 
get them ;  and  now  may  Jacob's  God  be  with  you  ;  O  keep 
close  to  God,  my  dear  London  friends ;  I  do  not  bid  you  keep 
close  to  Chapel,  you  have  done  so  always :  I  shall  endeavor  to 
keep  up  the  word  of  God  among  you  in  my  absence ;  I  shall 
have  the  same  persons  that  managed  for  me  when  I  was  out 
last,  and  they  sent  me  word  again  and  again  by  letter,  that  it 
was  remarkable,  that  the  Tottenham-court  people  were  always 
present  when  ordinances  were  there. 

You  see  that  I  went  upon  a  fair  bottom  ;  I  might  have  had 
a  thousand  a  year  out  of  this  place  if  I  had  chose  it ;  when  I 


Serm.  21.]  god,  a  believer's  glory.  541 

am  gone  to  heaven  you  will  see  what  I  have  on  earth  ;*  I  do 
not  like  to  speak  now,  because  it  may  be  thought  boasting ;  but 
I  am  sure  there  are  numbers  of  people  here,  if  they  knew 
what  I  have,  would  love  me  as  much  as  they  now  hate  me. 
When  we  come  before  the  great  Judge  of  quick  and  dead, 
while  I  stand  before  him,  God  grant  you  may  not  part  with 
me  then,  it  will  be  worse  than  to  go  into  the  fire,  to  be  among" 
the  devil  and  his  angels  ;  God  forbid  it !  God  forbid  it !  God 
forbid  it !  O  remember  that  my  last  words  were,  come,  come 
to  Christ ;  the  Lord  help  you  to  come  to  Christ ;  come  to 
Christ,  come  to  Jacob's  God ;  God  give  you  faith  like  Jacob's 
faith. 

You  that  have  been  kind  to  me,  that  have  helped  me  wheu 
I  was  sick,  some  of  whom  are  here  that  have  been  very  kind  to 
me  ;  may  God  reward  you,  my  friends,  and  God  forgive  my 
enemies ;  God  of  his  infinite  mercy  bless  you  all ;  you  will 
be  amply  provided  for,  I  believe,  here ;  may  God  spread  the 
gospel  every  where :  and  may  God  never  leave  you,  nor  for- 
sake you.     Even  so,  Lord  Jesus.     Amen  and  Amen. 


SERMON    XXL 


GOD,  A  believer's  GLORY. 

Isaiah  Ix.  19. 

And  thy  God  thy  Glory, 

I  lately  had  occasion  to  speak  on  the  verse  immediately 
following  that  of  our  text ;  but  when  I  am  reading  God% 
word,  I  often  find  it  is  like  being  in  a  tempted  garden,  when  we 
pluck  a  little  fruit,  and  find  it  good,  we  are  apt  to  look  after  and 
pluck  a  little  more,  only  with  this  difference,  the  fruit  we  gather 
below  often  hurts  the  body  at  the  same  time  that  it  pleases  the 
appetite,  but  when  we  walk  in  God's  garden — when  we  gather 
fruit  of  the  Redeemer's  plants,  the  more  we  eat  the  more  we 
are  delighted,  and  the  freer  we  are,  the  more  welcome ;  if  any 
chapter  in  the  Bible  deserves  this  character  and  description  of 
an  evangelical  Eden,  this  does. 

♦  The  greatest  part  of  the  substance  this  man  of  God  left  behind  him,  which 
WUs  not  much,  was  bequeathed  to  him  by  deceased  friend^ 

46 


542  GOD,  A  believer's  glopwY.  [Serm.  21. 

It  is  very  remarkable,  and  I  have  often  told  yon  of  it,  that 
all  the  apostles  preach  first  the  law,  and  then  the  gospel,  which 
finds  man  in  a  state  of  death,  points  out  to  him  how  he  is  to 
get  life,  and  then  sweetly  conducts  him  to  it.  Great  and  glo- 
rious things  are  spoken  of  the  church  of  God  in  this  chap- 
ter ;  and  it  struck  me  very  much  this  evening,  ever  since  I 
came  into  the  pulpit,  that  the  great  God  speaks  of  the  church 
in  a  singular  number.  How  can  that  be,  when  the  church  is 
composed  of  so  many  millions,  gathered  out  of  all  nations,  lan- 
guages, and  tongues?  How  is  it,  that  God  says  thy  Maker, 
and  not  your  Maker,  that  he  speaks  of  the  church  as  though 
it  consisted  of  only  one  individual  person?  The  reason  of  it 
is  this,  and  is  very  obvious,  that  though  the  church  is  composed 
of  many  members,  they  have  but  one  head,  and  they  are  united 
by  the  bond  of  one  spirit,  by  whom  they  have  the  same  vital 
union  of  the  soul  with  God  ;  and  therefore  it  teaches  christians 
not  to  say  of  one  another,  I  am  of  Paul,  I  wni  of  Apollos,  or 
Cephas,  but  to  behave  and  live  so,  that  the  world  may  know 
that  we  all  belong  to  one  common  Christ.  God  revive,  con- 
tinue, and  increase  this  true  christian  love  among  us  !  Of  this 
church,  thus  collectively  considered,  united  under  one  head,  the 
blessed  evangelical  prophet  thus  speaks:  "Violence  shall  no 
more  be  heard  in  thy  land,  Avasting  nor  destruction  within  thy 
borders,  but  thou  shalt  call  thy  walls  salvation,  and  thy  gates, 
(where  the  magistrates  assemble,  and  the  people  go  in  and  out,) 
praise."  From  this  text  a  great  many  good  and  great  men 
have  gathered  what  they  call  the  millenium,  that  Jesus  Christ 
is  to  come  and  reign  a  thousand  years  on  earth ;  but  I  must 
acknowledge  that  ]  have  always  rejected  a  great  many  good 
men's  positive  opinion  about  the  season  when  this  state  com- 
mences, and  I  would  warn  you  all  against  fixing  any  time  ; 
for  what  signifies  whether  Christ  comes  to  reign  a  thousand 
years,  or  when  he  comes,  since  you  and  I  are  to  die  very 
soon ;  and  therefore  instead  of  puzzling  our  heads  about  it, 
God  grant  we  may  so  live  that  we  may  reign  with  him  for 
ever  ;  and  it  seems  to  me,  that  whatsoever  is  said  of  this  state 
on  earth,  that  the  millenium  is  to  be  understood  in  a  spiritual 
sense,  as  an  emblem  of  a  glorious,  eternal,  beatific  state  in  the 
kingdom  of  heaven.  "  The  sun  shall  no  more  be  ihy  light  by 
day,  nor  for  brightness  shall  the  moon  give  light  unto  thee,  but 
the  Lord  shall  be  unto  thee  an  everlasting  light  ;"  and  in  order 
to  prepare  us  for  that  light,  and  show  us  the  nature  of  it,  while 
we  speak  of  it  may  it  come  with  light  and  power  to  our  souls. 
He  adds  in  our  text,  and  ihy  God  shall  he  thy  glory.  This  is 
spoken  to  all  behevers  in  general,  but  it  is  spoken  to  all  fearful 
believers  in  particular ;  and  1  do  not  know  that  I  can  possibly 


Serm.  21.]  god,  a  believer's  glory.  543 

close  my  poor  feeble  ministrations  among  3^ou  here,  better  than 
with  these  words ;  though,  God  wilhng,  I  intend,  if  he  shall 
strengthen  me  this  week,  to  give  you  a  parting  word  next 
Wednesday  morning ;  and  O  that  what  has  been  my  comlbrt 
this  day  in  the  meditation  on  this  passage,  may  be  yours  and 
mine  to  all  eternity.  He  that  hath  an  ear  to  hear,  let  him  hear 
what  the  evano^elic  prophet  saith,  Thy  God  thy  glory. 

The  Holy  Ghost  seems,  as  it  were,  particularly  fond  of  this 
expression  :  when  God  published  tiie  ten  commandments  upon 
mount  Sinai,  he  prefaced  it  thus,  I  am  the  Lord^  and  not  con- 
tent with  that,  he  adds,  thy  God :  and  the  frequency  of  it,  I 
suppose  made  Luther  say,  that  the  gospel  deals  much  in  pro- 
nouns^ in  which  consists  a  heliever^s  comfort ;  but  if  there 
were  no  other  argument  than  this,  it  would  cut  up  that  destruc- 
tive principle  by  the  very  root  which  pretends  to  tell  us  that 
there  is  no  such  thing  as  appropriation  in  the  Bible  ;  that 
our  faith  is  only  to  be  a  rational  assent  to  the  word  of  God, 
without  a  particular  application  of  that  word  made  to  our 
souls  :  this  is  as  contrary  to  the  gospel,  and  to  the  experience 
of  every  real  saint,  as  light  is  contrary  to  darkness,  and  heaven 
to  hell.  My  brethren,  I  appeal  to  any  of  you,  what  good  would 
it  do  you,  if  you  had  ten  thousand  notes  wrote  in  large  cha- 
racters by  the  finest  hand  that  can  write  in  London  ;  suppose 
you  have  them,  as  many  men  have,  and  as  it  is  a  very  conve- 
nient way,  that  they  were  put  into  your  pockets,  made  on  the 
inside  of  your  coat ;  suppose  you  should  say,  my  coat  is  but- 
toned, I  have  all  these  here  next  my  heart :  when  I  come  to 
look  at  them,  I  find  there  is  not  one  note  payable  to  me,  they 
are  all  forged,  or  payable  to  somebody  else,  and  therefore  are 
good  for  nothing  to  me.  All  the  promises  of  the  gospel,  all 
that  is  said  of  God  and  Christ,  is  ours.  The  great  question 
therefore  is,  whether  the  God  we  profess  to  believe  in  is  our 
God :  not  only,  whether  he  is  so  in  general — that  the  devils 
may  say  ;  but  whether  he  is  our  God  in  paiticular.  The  de- 
vils can  say,  O  God :  but  the  devils  cannot  say,  my  God  :  tha«t 
is  a  privilege  peculiar  to  God's  chosen  people,  who  really  be- 
lieve on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ :  and  therefore,  my  brethren,  a 
deist  cannot  say  my  God,  my  Christ,  because  he  does  not  be- 
lieve on  that  medium  by  which  God  becomes  our  God.  That 
was  a  noble  saying  of  Luther,  I  will  have  nothing  to  do  with 
an  absolute  God  ;  that  is,  I  will  have  notljing  to  do  with  a 
God  oat  of  Christ.  Now  this  is  a  deist's  glory.  Lord  Boling- 
brok«  values  himself  upon  it ;  I  am  astonished  at  that  man's 
infidolity  and  cowardice.  I  do  not  like  those  men  that  leave 
their  writings  to  be  published  after  their  death  :  I  love  to  see 
men  bold  in  their  writings  :  I  Uke  an  honest  man  that  will  put 


544  GOD,  A  believer's  glory.  [Serm.  21. 

out  his  writings  while  alive,  that  he  may  see  what  men  can  say 
against  him,  and  then  answer  them ;  but  it  is  mere  cowardice 
to  leave  it  to  the  world  to  answer  for  it,  to  set  us  a  caviling  after 
they  are  in  the  grave  :  says  he,  I  will  have  nothing  to  do  with 
the  God  of  Moses;  and  I  suppose  the  principles  of  that  deist, 
made  one  pretty  near  to  him  ask,  as  soon  as  the  breath  was 
out  of  his  body,  where  do  you  think  he  is  gone?  Another 
replies,  where  do  you  think,  but  to  hell.  God  grant  that  may 
not  be  the  portion  of  any  here  ! 

The  question  then  is,  how  God  is  our  God ;  thy  God.  My 
brethren,  our  all  depends  upon  it ;  what  signifies  saying,  this 
is  mine,  and  that  is  mine,  if  you  cannot  say,  God  is  mine. 
The  best  thing  that  God  has  left  in  the  New  Testament,  is 
himself;  "I  will  be  their  God,"  that  is  one  of  the  legacies; 
and  "  a  new  heart  also  will  I  give  them,''  that  is  another ;  "  I 
will  put  my  laws  in  their  mind,  and  write  them  in  their 
hearts,"  that  is  another  :  but  all  that  is  good  for  nothing,  com- 
paratively speaking,  unless  God  has  said  at  the  same  time,  for 
they  are  all  inseparable,  "  I  will  be  their  God  and  they  shall 
be  my  people."  Now  how  shall  I  know  that  God  is  my  God  l 
I  am  afraid,  some  people  think  there  is  no  knowing ;  well 
then,  if  you  think  so,  you  set  up  a  worship,  and  go  and  erect 
an  altar,  and  instead  of  receiving  God  in  the  sacrament  as 
yours,  go  and  worship  an  unknown  God.  I  am  so  far  from 
believing  that  we  cannot  know  that  God  is  ours,  that  I  am 
fully  persuaded  of  it,  and  would  speak  it  with  humility,  and  I 
would  not  choose  to  leave  you  with  a  lie  in  my  mouth,  that  I 
have  known  it  for  about  thirty-five  years,  as  clear  as  the  sun 
is  in  the  meridian,  that  God  is  my  God.  And  how  shall  I 
know  it,  my  brethren  ?  I  would  ask  you  this  question,  didst 
thou  ever  feel  the  want  of  God  to  be  thy  God  ?  Nobody  knows 
God  to  be  their  God  that  did  not  feel  him  to  be  his  Gcd  in 
Christ :  out  of  Christ,  God  is  a  consuming  fire.  I  know  there 
are  a  great  variety  of  ways  in  people's  conversions,  but  still, 
my  brethren,  we  must  all  feel  our  misery,  Ave  must  all  feel  our 
distance  from  God,  all  feel  that  we  are  estranged  from  God, 
that  we  bring  into  the  world  with  us  a  nature  that  is  not 
agreeable  to  the  law  of  God,  nor  possibly  can  be ;  we  cannot 
be  said  to  believe  that  God  is  our  God,  till  we  are  brought  to 
be  reconciled  to  him  through  his  Son.  Can  I  say  a  person  is 
my  friend,  till  I  am  reconciled  to  him  ?  And  therefore  the 
gospel  only  is  the  ministration  of  reconciliation.  Paul  says, 
"  We  beseech  you  as  ambassadors  of  Christ,  that  you  would 
be  reconciled  unto  God  ;"  this  is  to  be  the  grand  topic  of  our 
preaching ;  we  are  to  beseech  them,  and  God  himself  turns 
beggar  to  his  own  creatures  to  be  reconciled  to  him :  now  this 


Serm.  21.]  god,  a  believer's  glory.  545 

reconciliation  is  brought  about  by  a  poor  sinner's  being 
brought  to  Jesus  Christ ;  and  when  once  he  sees  his  enmity 
and  hatred  to  God,  feehng  the  misery  of  departing  from  him, 
and  being  conscious  that  he  is  obnoxious  to  eternal  wrath,  flies 
to  Jesus  as  to  a  place  of  refuge,  and  expects  only  a  reconcilia- 
tion through  the  blood  of  the  Lamb  ;  without  this,  neither  you 
nor  I  can  say,  God  is  my  God :  "  there  is  no  peace  saith  my 
God,  to  the  wicked."  The  ministers  of  Christ  must  take  care 
they  do  not  preach  an  unknown  God,  and  we  must  take  care 
we  do  not  pretend  to  live  upon  an  unknown  God,  a  God  that 
is  not  appropriated  and  brought  home  to  our  souls  by  the  effi- 
cacy of  the  Spirit.  But,  my  brethren,  we  cannot  say,  God  is 
our  God,  unless  we  are  in  Jesus  Christ.  Can  you  say,  such 
a  one  is  your  father,  unless  you  can  give  'proof  of  it  ?  You 
may  be  bastards,  there  are  many  bastards  laid  at  Christ's  door. 
Now,  God  cannot  be  my  God,  at  least  I  cannot  know  him  to 
be  so,  unless  he  is  pleased  to  send  into  my  heart  the  spirit  of 
adoption,  and  to  admit  me  to  enjoy  familiarity  with  Christ. 

My  brethren,  I  told  you  the  other  night  that  the  grand  con- 
troversy God  has  with  England,  is  for  the  slight  put  on  the 
Holy  Ghost.  As  soon  as  a  person  begins  to  talk  of  the  work 
of  the  Holy  Ghost,  they  cry,  you  are  a  Methodist ;  as  soon  as 
you  speak  about  the  divine  influences  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  O ! 
say  they,  you  are  an  enthusiast.  May  the  Lord  keep  these 
methodistical  enthusiasts  amongst  us  to  the  latest  posterity. 
Ignatius,  supposed  to  have  been  one  of  the  children  that  Jesus 
took  up  in  his  arms,  in  his  first  epistle,  (pray  read  it)  wrote 
soon  after  St.  John's  death,  and  we  value  nothing  so  authentic 
as  what  was  wrote  in  the  three  first  centuries,  bears  a  noble 
testimony  of  this  truth.  When  I  was  performing  my  first  ex- 
ercises at  Oxford,  1  used  to  take  delight  to  walk  and  read  it, 
and  could  not  help  noting  and  putting  down  from  time  to 
time  several  remarkable  passages.  In  the  superscription  of 
all  his  epistles,  I  remember,  he  styles  himself  Theophoros,  i.  e. 
Bearer  of  God,'  and  believed  that  those  he  wrote  to,  were  so 
too.  Somebody  went  and  told  Trajan,  that  one  Ignatius  was 
an  enthusiast,  that  he  carried  God  about  him :  being  brought 
before  the  emperor,  who,  though  in  other  respects  a  good 
prince,  was  a  cruel  enemy  to  the  christians  ;  but  many  a  good 
prince  does  bad  things  by  the  influence  of  wicked  counsellors, 
like  our  king  Henry  V.,  who  was  brought  in  to  persecute  the 
poor  Lollards,  for  assembling  in  St.  Giles'  fields  to  hear  the 
pure  gospel,  by  false  accusation  of  being  rebels  against  him. 
Before  such  a  prince  was  Ignatius  brought ;  /says  Trajan,  who 

♦  Deum  ferens;  in«r.ired,  divine,  holy. 
46» 


546  GOD,  A  believer's  glory.  [Serm.  21. 

is  this  that  calls  himself  a  hearer  of  God  7  Says  Ignatius,  I 
am  he,  for  which  he  quotes  this  passage,  I loill  duell  in  them, 
and  ivill  walk  in  them^  and  they  shall  be  my  sons  and 
daughters^  says  the  Lord  Alm^ighty.  The  emperor  was  so 
enraged,  that,  in  order  to  cure  him  of  his  enthusiasm,  he 
ordered  him  to  be  devoured  by  lions ;  at  which  Ignatius 
laughed  for  joy.  O  !  says  he,  am  I  going  to  be  devoured  ? 
And  when  his  friends  came  about  him,  he  almost  danced  for 
gladness  ;  when  they  carried  him  to  execution,  he  smiled,  and 
turning  about,  said,  now  I  begin  to  be  a  martyr  of  Jesus 
Christ!  1  have  heard  that  the  lions  have  leaped  from  the 
martyrs,  but  when  they  come  to  me,  1  will  encourage  them  to 
fall  on  me  with  all  their  violence.  God  give  you  such  enthu- 
siasm in  a  trying  hour  !  This  is  to  have  God  for  our  God  ; 
"  he  that  believeth  Kath  the  witness  in  himself,"  as  it  is  written 
in  this  blessed  word  of  God,  and  I  hope  it  will  be  the  last  book 
that  I  shall  read.  Farewell  father,  farewell  mother,  farewell 
sun,  moon,  and  stars  !  was  the  language  of  one  of  the  Scotch 
martyrs  in  king  Charles'  time,  and  it  is  amazing  to  me  that 
even  Mr.  Hume  (I  believe)  a  professed  deist,  in  his  history  of 
England,  mentions  this  as  a  grand  exit,  and  also  that  seraphic 
soul  Mr.  Hervey,  now  with  God,  that  the  last  words  of  the 
martyr  were.  Farewell  thou  precious  Bible,  thou  blessed  book 
of  God.  This  is  my  rock,  this  is  my  foundation  ;  it  is  now 
about  thirty-five  years  since  I  began  to  read  the  Bible  upon  my 
pillow.  I  love  to  read  this  book,  but  the  book  is  nothing  but 
an  account  of  the  promises  which  it  contains,  and  almost  every 
word  froQi  the  beginning  to  the  end  of  it,  speaks  of  a  spiritual 
dispensation,  and  the  Holy  Ghost,  that  unites  our  souls  to  God, 
and  helps  a  believer  to  say  my  Lord  and  my  God  !  If  you  con- 
tent yourselves  with  that,  the  devil  will  let  you  talk  of  doc- 
trines enough.  O  you  shall  turn  from  Arminianism  to  Cal- 
vinism. O  you  shall  be  orthodox  enough,  if  you  will  be  con-, 
tent  to  live  without  Christ's  living  in  you.  Now  when  you 
have  the  Spirit,  then  you  may  say,  God  is  mine.  O  this  is 
very  fine,  say  some,  every  body  pretends  to  the  Spirit ;  and 
then  you  may  go  on  as  a  bishop  once  told  a  nobleman — My 
lord,  these  Methodists  say  they  do  all  by  the  Spirit,  so  if  the 
devil  bids  them  murder  any  body,  they  will  say  the  Spirit  bid 
them  do  it ;  and  that  very  bishop  died,  how  ?  Why  horrid  ! 
the  last  words  he  spoke  were  these,  The  battle  is  fonght,  the 
battle  is  fonght,  the  battle  is  fonght,  but  the  victory  is  lost 
for  ever.  God  grant  you  and  I  may  not  die  with  such  woids 
as  these.  I  hope  you  and  I  shall  die,  and  say.  The  battle  is 
fought,  the  battle  is  fonght,  the  battle  is  fonght,  I  hove 
fought  the  good  fight^  and  the  victory  is  gained  for  ever. 


Serm.  21.]  god,  a  believer's  glory.  547 

Thus  died  Mr.  Ralph  Erskine — his  last  Avords  were,  Victory, 
victory,  victory  !  and  they  that  can  call  God  their  God,  shall 
by  and  by  cry,  victory,  victory  !  and  that  for  ever.  God  grant 
that  we  may  all  be  of  that  happy  number. 

If  we  can  call  God  our  God,  we  shall  endeavor  by  the  Holy 
Ghost  to  be  like  God,  we  shall  have  his  divine  image  stamped 
upon  our  souls,  and  endeavor  to  be  followers  of  that  God  who 
is  our  Father  :  and  this  brings  in  the  other  part  of  the  text,  thy 
God  thy  glory.  What  is  that  /  The  greatest  honor  that  a 
poor  believer  thinks  he  can  have  on  earth,  is  to  boast  that 
God  is  his  God.  When  it  was  proposed  to  David,  that  if  he 
killed  an  hundred  Philistines,  he  should  have  the  king's 
daughter  for  his  wife,  and  a  very  sorry  wife  she  was,  no  great 
gain  turned  out  to  him :  says  he,  "do  you  think  it  is  a  small 
thins^  to  be  the  son-in-law  to  a  king?"  A  poor  stripling  as  I 
am  here,  come  with  my  shepherd's  crook ;  what !  to  be  mar- 
ried to  a  kings  daughter;  do  you  think  that  a  small  thing? 
And  if  David  thought  it  no  small  thing  to  be  allied  to  a  king 
by  his  daughter,  what  a  great  thing  must  it  be  to  be  allied  to 
the  Lord  by  one  Spirit  ?  I  am  afraid  there  are  some  people  that 
were  once  poor  that  are  now  rich,  that  think  it  a  great  thing, 
that  wish,  O  that  my  family  had  a  coat  of  arms  ;  some  people 
would  give  a  thousand  pounds,  I  believe,  for  one.  Coats  of 
arms  are  very  proper  to  make  distinction  in  life  ;  a  great 
many  people  wear  coats  of  arms  that  their  ancestors  obtained 
honorably,  but  they  are  a  disgrace  to  them  as  they  wear  them 
on  their  coaches.  But  this  is  our  glory,  whether  we  walk  or 
ride,  whatever  our  pedigree  may  be  in  life,  this  is  our  honor, 
that  our  God  may  be  our  glory.  '•  O  what  manner  of  love  is 
this,"  saith  one,  "  that  the  Lord  doth  bestow  on  us,  that  we 
should  be  called  the  sons  of  God  !''  born  not  of  the  will  of  man, 
born  not  of  flesh,  but  born  from  above.  O  God  grant  that 
this  may  be  your  glory  and  mine  ! 

My  brethren,  if  God  is  our  God  and  our  glory,  I  will  tell 
you  what  we  shall  prove  it  by  :  whether  we  cat  or  drink,  or 
whatever  we  do,  we  should  do  all  to  the  glory  of  God.  Re- 
ligion, as  I  have  often  told  you,  turns  our  whole  life  into  one 
continued  sacrifice  of  love  to  God.  As  a  needle,  when  once 
touched  by  a  loadstone,  turns  to  a  particular  pole,  so  the 
heart  that  is  touched  by  the  love  of  God,  turns  to  his  God 
again.  I  shall  hav^e  occasion  to  take  notice  of  it  by  and  by, 
when  I  am  aboard  a  ship :  for  as  soon  as  I  get  on  board  I  gen- 
erally place  myself  in  one  particular  place  under  the  compass 
that  hangs  over  my  head,  I  often  look  at  it  by  night  and  by 
day  ;  when  I  rise,  the  needle  turns  to  one  point,  when  I  go  to 
bed  I  find  it  turns  to  the  same  point :  and  often,  while  1  have 


64.8  GODj  A  believer's  glory.  [Serm.  21. 

been  looking  at  it,  my  heart  has  been  turned  to  God,  saying, 
Lord  Jesus,  as  that  needle  touched  by  the  loadstone,  turns  to 
one  point,  O  may  my  heart,  touched  by  the  magnet  of  God's 
love,  turn  to  him  !  A  great  many  people  thin/:,  they  never 
worship  God  but  when  at  church  ;  and  a  great  many  are 
very  demure  on  Lord's  days,  though  many  begin  to  leave  that 
off.  I  Imow  of  no  place  upon  the  face  of  the  earth  where 
the  Sabbath  is  kept  as  it  is  in  Boston  ;  if  a  single  person  was 
to  walk  in  Boston  streets  in  time  of  worship,  he  would  be  taken 
up  ;  it  is  not  trusted  to  poor  insignificant  men,  but  the  justices 
go  out  in  time  of  worship,  they  walk  with  a  white  wand,  and 
if  they  catch  any  person  walking  in  the  streets,  they  put  them 
under  a  black  rod.  O  !  the  great  mischiefs  the  poor  pious 
people  have  suffered  lately  through  the  town's  being  disturbed 
by  the  soldiers  !  When  the  drums  were  beating  before  the 
house  of  Dr.  Sawell,  one  of  the  holiest  men  that  ever  was, 
when  he  was  sick  and  dying,  on  th^  Sabbath  day,  by  his 
meeting,  where  the  noise  of  a  single  person  was  never  heard 
before,  and  he  begged  that  for  Christ's  sake  they  would  not 
beat  the  drum  ;  they  damned  and  said,  that  they  would  beat 
to  make  him  worse  ;  this  is  not  acting  for  the  glory  of  God  ; 
but  when  a  soul  is  turned  to  God,  every  day  is  a  Sabbath,  every 
meal  is  a  spiritual  refreshment,  and  every  sentence  he  speaks, 
should  be  a  sermon  ;  and  whether  he  stays  abroad  or  at  home, 
whether  he  is  on  the  exchange,  or  locked  up  in  a  closet,  he  can 
say,  O  God,  thou  art  my  God  ! 

Now,  my  dear  friends,  can  you,  dare  you  say,  that  your  God 
is  your  glory,  and  do  you  aim  at  glorifying  the  Lord  your  God : 
if  your  God  is  your  glory,  then  say,  "  O  God  forbid  that  I 
should  glory,  save  in  the  cross  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  by 
whom  the  world  is  crucified  to  me,  and  I  am  crucified  to  the 
world."  What  say  you  to  that  now  ?  Do  not  talk  ^f  God's 
beino^  your  glory,  if  you  do  not  love  his  cross.  If  God  is  our 
glory,  we  shall  olory  not  only  in  doing,  but  in  suffering  for  him; 
we  shall  glory  in  tribulation,  and  count  ourselves  most  highly 
honored  when  we  are  called  to  suffer  most  for  his  great  name's 
sake.  I  mio;ht  enlarge,  but  you  may  easily  judge  by  niy  poor 
feeble  voice  this  last  week,  that  neither  my  strength  of  voice, 
or  body,  will  permit  me  to  be  long  to-night,  and  yet  1  will  ven- 
ture to  give  you  your  last  parting  salutation ;  and  though  I 
have  been  dissuaded  from  getting  up  to  preach  this  night,  yet 
I  thought  as  my  God  was  my  glory,  I  should  glory  in  prtach- 
ing  till  I  died.  O  that  God  may  be  all  our  glory  !  All  our 
own  glory  fades  away,  and  there  is  nothing  will  be  valuable  at 
the  great  day,  but  this.  Thou  art  my  God,  and  thou  art  my 
glory.     It  was  a  glorious  turn  that  good  Mr.  Shepherd  of  Brad- 


Serm.  21.]  god,  a  believer's  glory.  649 

ford  mentions  in  one  of  his  sermons,  where  he  represents  Jesus 
Christ  as  coming  to  judgment,  seated  upon  his  throne,  in  a 
sermon  preached  before  some  ministers.  Christ  calls  one^ 
minister  to  him,  pray  what  brought  you  into  the  church  ?  O, 
says  he,  Lord,  there  was  a  living  in  the  family,  and  I  was  pre- 
sented to  it  because  it  was  a  family  living :  stand  thou  by,  says 
Christ.  A  second  comes  :  what  didst  thou  enter  the  church 
for  ?  O  Lord,  says  he,  I  had  a  fine  elocution,  I  had  good  parts, 
and  I  went  into  the  church  to  show  my  oratory  and  my  parts : 
stand  thou  by,  thou  hast  thy  reward.  A  third  was  called  :  and 
what  brought  you  into  the  church  ?  Lord,  says  he,  thou  know- 
est  all  things,  thou  knowest  that  I  am  a  poor  creature,  vile  and 
miserable,  and  unworthy,  and  helpless,  but  I  appeal  to  thee  my 
glory,  thou  sittest  upon  the  throne,  that  thy  glory  and  the  good 
of  souls  brought  me  there.  Christ  immediately  says,  make  room, 
men  ;  make  room,  angels,  and  bring  up  that  soul  to  sit  near  me 
on  my  throne.  Thus  shall  it  be  done  to  all  that  make  God 
their  glory  here  below.  Glorify  God  on  earth,  and  he  will 
glorify  you  in  heaven.  "Come,  ye  blessed  of  my  Father,  re- 
ceive the  kingdom  prepared  for  you  from  the  foundation  of  the 
world,"  shall  be  your  port  on  :  and  if  so.  Lord  God  Almighty 
make  us  content  to  be  vilified  whilst  here,  make  us  content  to 
be  despised  while  below,  make  us  content  to  have  evil  things 
spoken  of  us  all  for  Christ's  sake,  yet  a  little  while  ;  and 
Christ  will  roll  away  the  stone  :  and  the  more  we  are  honored 
by  his  grace  to  suffer,  the  more  we  shall  be  honored  in  the 
kingdom  of  heaven.  O  that  thought  !  O  that  blessed  thought ! 
O  that  soul  transporting  thought !  it  is  enough  to  make  us  leap 
into  a  fiery  furnace  ;  in  this  spirit,  in  this  temper,  may  God  put 
every  one  of  us. 

If  there  be  any  of  you  that  have  not  yet  called  God  your 
God,  may  God  help  you  to  do  so  to-night.  When  I  was  rea- 
soning within  myself,  whether  I  should  come  up,  or  whether  it 
was  my  duty  or  not ;  I  could  not  help  thinking,  who  knows 
but  God  will  bless  a  poor  feeble  worm  to-night.  I  remember, 
a  dear  friend  sent  me  word  after  I  was  gone  to  Georgia,  "  Your 
last  sermon  at  the  Tabernacle  was  blessed  to  a  particular  per- 
son ;"  I  heard  from  that  person  to-day,  and  who  knows  but 
some  may  come  to-night,  and  say,  I  will  ^o  and  hear  what  the 
babbler  has  to  say ;  who  knows  but  curiosity  may  be  overruled 
for  good  ?  Who  knows  but  those  that  have  served  the  lust  of 
the  flesh  and  the  pride  of  life,  for  their  god,  may  now  take  the 
Lord  to  be  their  God  ?  O  !  if  I  could  but  see  this,  I  think  I 
could  drop  down  dead  for  you. 

My  dear  christians,  will  you  not  help  me  to-night,  you  that 
go  and  call  God  your  God  ?     Go  and  beg  of  God  for  me,  pray 


550  GOD,  A  believer's  glory.  [Serm.  21. 

to  heaven  for  me,  do  pray  for  those  that  are  in  the  gall  of  bitter- 
ness, that  have  no  God,  no  Christ  to  go  to,  and  if  they  were  to 
die  to-night,  would  be  damned  forever.  O  poor  sinner,  where 
is  your  glory  then ;  where  is  your  purple  and  fine  linen  then  ; 
your  purple  robes  will  be  turned  into  purple  fire,  and  instead 
of  caUing  God  your  God,  will  be  damned  with  the  devil.  O 
think  of  your  danger!  O  earthy  earth,  earth,  hear  the  tcord 
of  the  Lord  !  If  you  never  have  been  awakened  before,  may 
the  arrows  of  God,  steeped  in  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ,  reach 
your  hearts  now  !  Think  how  you  live  at  enmity  with  God, 
think  of  your  danger  every  day  and  every  hour,  your  dano^er 
of  dropping  into  hell;  think  how  your  frit-nds  in  2:lory  will  leave 
you,  and  may  this  consideration,  under  the  influence  of  the 
Holy  Ghost,  excite  you  to  choose  God  for  your  God  !  Though 
the  sun  is  going  down,  though  the  shadow  of  the  evening  is 
coming  on,  God  is  willing,  O  man,  God  is  willing,  O  woman, 
to  be  a  sinner's  God,  he  has  found  out  a  way  whereby  he  can 
De  reconciled  to  you.  1  remember  when  I  saw  a  nobleman 
condemned  to  be  hanged,  the  lord  high  steward  told  him,  that 
however  he  was  obliged  to  pass  sentence  on  him,  and  did  not 
know  that  justice  would  be  satisfied  but  by  the  execution  of 
the  law  in  this  world,  yet,  there  might  be  a  way  whereby  jus- 
tice might  be  satisfied  and  mercy  take  place  in  another  :  when 
I  heard  his  lordship  speak,  I  wished  that  he  had  not  only  said, 
there  might  be  a  w^ay,  but  that  he  had  found  out  the  way 
wherein  God  could  be  just,  and  yet  a  poor  murderer  coming  to 
Jesus  Christ  should  be  pardoned. 

You  that  can  call  God  yours,  God  help  you  from  this  mo- 
ment to  glorify  him  more  and  more :  and  if  God  be  your  God 
and  your  glory,  I  am  persuaded,  if  the  love  of  God  abounds 
in  your  hearts,  you  will  be  willing  on  every  occasion  to  do 
every  thins^  to  promote  his  honor  and  glory,  and  therefore  you 
will  be  willing  at  all  times  to  assist  and  help  as  far  as  lies  in 
your  power  to  keep  up  places  of  worship,  to  promote  his  glory 
in  the  salvation  and  conversion  of  sinners  ;  and  I  mention  this 
because  there  is  to  be  a  collection  this  night ;  I  would  have 
chosen,  if  possible,  to  have  evaded  this  point,  but  as  this  Ta- 
bernacle has  been  repaired,  and  as  the  expense  is  pretty  large, 
and  as  I  would  choose  to  leave  every  thing  unincumbered,  I 
told  my  friends,  I  would  undertake  to  make  a  collection,  that 
every  thing  might  be  left  quite  clear  :  remember,  it  is  not  for 
me,  but  for  yourselves.  I  told  you  on  Wednesday  how  mat- 
ters were  ;  I  am  now  going  a  thirteenth  time  over  the  water, 
on  my  own  expense,  and  you  shall  know  at  the  great  day, 
what  little,  very  little  assistance  1  have  had  from  those  who 
owed,  under  God,  their  souls  to  my  being  here  :  but  this  is  for 


Serm.  21.]  god,  a  believer's  glory.  551 

the  place  where  you  are  to  meet,  and  where  1  hope  God  will 
meet  you,  when  I  am  tossing  on  the  water,  when  I  am  in  a 
foreign  clime.  I  think  1  can  say,  thy  glory,  O  God,  calls  me 
away,  and  as  I  am  going  towards  sixty  years  of  age,  I  shall 
make  what  despatch  I  can,  and  I  hope,  if  I  am  spared  to  come 
back,  that  1  shall  hear  that  some  of  you  are  gone  to  heaven, 
or  are  nearer  heaven  than  you  were.  I  find  there  is  701.  ar- 
rears ;  I  hope  you  will  not  run  away,  if  you  can  say  God  is 
my  glory,  you  will  not  push  one  upon  another,  as  though  you 
would  lose  yourselves  in  the  crowd,  and  say  no  body  sees  me ; 
but  does  not  God  Almighty  see  you  ?  I  hope  you  will  be  ready 
to  communicate,  and  when  I  am  gone,  that  God  will  be  with 
you :  as  many  of  you  will  not  hear  me  on  Wednesday  morn- 
ing. O  may  this  be  your  prayer,  O  for  Jesus  Christ's  sake,  in 
whose  name  I  preach,  in  whose  strength  I  desire  to  come  up, 
and  for  whose  honor  I  desire  to  be  spent,  O  do  put  up  a  word 
for  me  ;  it  will  not  cost  you  much  time,  it  will  not  keep  you  a 
moment  from  your  business  ;  O  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  thou  art 
his  God  !  and.  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  let  him  be  thy  glory  !  If  I 
die  in  the  waters,  I  shall  go  by  water  to  heaven  ;  if  I  land  at 
the  Orphan-house,  I  hope  it  will  be  a  means  to  settle  a  founda- 
tion for  ten  thousand  persons  to  be  instructed  ;  and  if  I  go  by 
the  continent,  as  1  intend  to  do,  I  hope  God  will  enable  me  to 
preach  Christ ;  and  if  I  return  again,  my  life  will  be  devoted 
to  your  service.  You  will  excuse  me,  I  cannot  say  much  more, 
affection  works,  and  I  could  heartily  wish,  and  I  beg  it  as  a 
favor,  when  I  come  to  leave  you,  that  you  will  excuse  me  from 
a  particular  parting  with  you  ;  take  my  public  farewell ;  I  will 
pray  for  you  when  in  a  cabin,  1  will  pray  for  you  when  storms 
and  tempests  are  about  me ;  and  this  shall  be  my  prayer  for 
the  dear  people  of  the  Tabernacle,  for  the  dear  people  of  the 
Chapel,  for  the  dear  people  of  London  ;  O  God,  be  thou  their 
Gcd  !  and  grant,  that  their  God  may  be  their  glory.  Even  so, 
Lord  Jesus !     Amen. 


552  THE  BURNING  BUSH.  [Serm.  22. 

SERMON  XXII. 


THE  BURNING  BUSH. 


Exodus,  iii.  2,  3. 

And  he  looked,  and  behold  the  bush  burned  with  fire,  and  the  bush  was 
not  consumed  ;  and  Moses  said,  I  will  now  turn  aside,  and  see  this 
great  sight,  why  the  bush  is  not  burnt. 

It  is  a  common  saying,  and  common  sayings  are  generally 
founded  on  matter  of  fact,  that  it  is  always  darkest  just  before 
break  of  day ;  and  1  am  persuaded,  that  if  we  do  justice  to  our 
own  experience,  as  well  as  consider  God's  dealings  with  his 
people  in  preceding  ages,  we  shall  find  that  man's  extremity  has 
been  usually  made  God's  opportunity,  and  that?//7ie?i  the  enemy 
has  broke  in  like  a  flood,  the  spirit  and  providence  of  God  has 
lifted  up  a  standard  against  him  :  and  I  believe  at  the  same 
time,  that  however  we  may  dream  of  a  continued  scene  o/ 
prosperity  in  church  or  state,  either  in  respect  to  our  bodies, 
souls,  or  temporal  affairs,  we  shall  find  this  life  to  be  chequered, 
that  the  clouds  return  after  the  rain,  and  the  most  prosperous 
state  attended  with  such  cloudy  days,  as  may  make  even  the 
people  of  God  sometimes  cry,  all  men  are  liars^  and  God  has 
forgotten  to  be  gracious. 

The  chapter  in  which  is  our  text,  is  an  instance  of  this. 
What  a  glorious  day  of  the  Son  of  man  was  that  when  Joseph 
sent  for  his  father  to  Egypt ;  and  the  good  old  patriarch,  after 
he  had  thought  his  son  had  been  dead  many  years,  agreeably 
surprised  by  a  message  from  him  to  come  to  him,  with  all  his 
family,  and  are  by  him  comfortably  settled  in  Goshen  ;  where 
the  good  old  patriarch,  after  many  a  stormy  day,  died  in  peace, 
and  was  highly  honored  at  his  funeral  by  Pharaoh  and  his 
servants,  and  attended  to  the  sepulcher  of  his  fathers  in  Canaan 
by  all  his  sons.  After  which,  Joseph  continued  to  live  in  splen- 
dor, lord  of  all  the  land  of  Egypt ;  and  his  brethren,  doubtless, 
in  the  height  of  prosperity  :  but  how  sadly  did  the  scene 
change  at  Pharaoh's  death,  soon  after  whic.h,  another  king 
arose  that  knew  not  Joseph,  verifying  the  observation,  "  new 
lords,  new  laws,"  by  whom  the  descendants  of  Jacob,  instead 
of  reigning  in  Goshen,  were  made  bond  slaves  ;  many,  many 
long  years,  employed  in  making  bricks,  and  in  all  probabihty, 
had  what  we  call  their  Bibles  taken  from  them,  by  being  forced 
to  conform  to  the  idolatry  of  Egypt,  and  so  were  in  a  worse 


Serm,  22.]  the  burning  bush.  553 

state  than  the  unhappy  negroes  in  America  are  at  this  day.  No 
doubt,  numbers  of  them  either  wondered  that  ever  they  had 
been  prospered  at  all,  or  that  God  had  forgotten  them  now  ; 
but  what  a  mercy  it  is  that  a  thousand  years  hi  God's  sight 
are  hut  as  one  day^  and  therefore  when  God's  time  is  come, 
the  set  time  he  has  appointed,  he  will  defeat  all  the  opposition 
of  men  and  devils — he  will  come  down  and  deliver  his  people, 
and  in  such  a  manner,  that  the  enemy  shall  know,  as  well  as 
friends,  it  is  the  Lord's  doings.  A  deliverer  is  born  and  bred 
in  Pharaoh's  court,  a  Moses  is  brought  up  in  all  the  learning 
of  tlie  Egyptians,  for  Pharaoh  intended  him  for  a  high  and  ex- 
alted post :  but  when  offers  of  the  highest  preferment  are  made 
to  him,  he  did  not  catch  at  them  as  some  folks  now  do,  who  are 
very  good  and  humble  till  something  occurs  to  take  them  from 
God.  Young  as  he  was,  he  refused  the  highest  dignity,  and 
spurned  at  it  with  a  holy  contempt ;  and  chooses  rather  to  suf- 
fer affliction  with  the  people  of  God,  than  enjoy  all  the  gran- 
deur and  pleasures  of,  perhaps,  one  of  the  greatest  courts  on 
earth. 

Forty  years  continued  he  in  a  state  of  obscurity,  in  which 
time  he  acquired  such  a  competent  degree,  and  variety  of  know- 
ledge, as  qualified  him  for  every  thing  God  intended  him  for  : 
the  occasion  of  this  was  his  kind  attempt  to  compose  a  differ- 
ence between  two  of  his  brethren,  one  of  v/hom  accused  him 
of  murder,  on  which  he  that  was  to  be  king  in  Jeshurun,  is 
forced  to  fly  into  a  strange  land  ;  there  he  submits  to  the  hum- 
ble office  of  servant,  marries,  and  lives  in  a  state  of  subjection  for 
forty  years,  as  was  said  before.  At  length  when  he  was  eighty 
years  old.  dreaming  of  no  such  thins:,  behold  God  calls,  and 
commands  him  to  go  and  deliver  his  people :  as  he  himself 
informs  us,  who  is  the  author  of  this  book,  ver.  1.  "  Now 
Moses  kept  the  flock  of  Jethro  his  father-in-law,  priest  of  Mi- 
dian."  He  might  have  said,  what,  such  a  scholar  as  I  keep  a 
parcel  of  sheep  !  such  a  learned  man  as  I  am,  employed  in 
such  menial  service  '  some  proud  hearts  would  break  first,  but 
you  never  knew  a  truly  great  man  but  would  stoop ;  some  that 
are  called  great  men,  swell  till  they  burst ;  like  sturdy  oaky, 
they  think  they  can  stand  every  wind,  till  some  dreadful  storm 
comes  and  blows  them  up  by  the  roots,  while  the  humble  reed 
bends  and  rises  again.  Moses  was  one  of  the  latter,  he  keeps 
the  flock  of  Jethro  his  father-in-law,  and  leads  them  to  the 
mountain  of  God,  even  to  Horeb.  This  shows  how  persons 
ought  to  methodize  their  time  :  but  however  the  name  of  a 
Methodist  is  despised,  they  will  never  be  bad  servants  and  mas- 
ters ;  you  would  be  only  weathercocks,  unless  you  took  care  to 
order  things  in  proper  seasons :  the  devotion  and  business  of  a 

47 


554  THE  BURNING  BUSH.  [Semi.  22. 

Methodist  go  hand  in  hand ;  1  will  assure  you  Moses  was  a 
Methodist,  a  v^ery  fine  one,  a  very  strong  one  too ;  he  kept  his 
flock,  but  that  did  not  hinder  his  going  to  Horeb.  he  took  them 
to  the  desert,  and  being  thus  employed  in  his  lawful  business, 
God  met  him.  Some  say,  we  encourage  people  in  idleness  ;  I 
deny  it ;  we  say,  people  ought  to  be  industrious ;  and  I  defy 
any  one  to  say,  a  person  is  called  by  God  that  is  negligent  in 
his  calling.  "  The  angel  of  the  Lord  appeared  to  him  in  a 
flame  of  fire  out  of  the  bush  :"  some  think  this  angel  was  Ga- 
briel, but  most  agree,  and  1  believe  with  the  greatest  probability, 
that  it  was  Jesus  Christ,  tJie  angel  of  the  everlasting  covenant ; 
and  an  expositor  tells  you,  that  the  eternal  Logos,  longing  to 
become  man,  often  visited  this  earth  in  that  form,  as  an  evi- 
dence of  his  coming  by  and  by,  and  dying  a  cursed  death  for 
man.  The  manner  of  this  angel's  appearing  is  taken  particu- 
lar notice  of;  it  was  to  Moses  when  nobody  vv^as  with  him.  I 
do  not  hear  he  had  so  much  as  a  boy,  or  one  companion  ;  and 
I  mention  this,  because  I  believe  we  have  often  found  that  we 
are  never  less  alone  than  when  with  God  ;  we  often  want  this 
and  that  companion,  but  happy  they  that  can  say.  Lord,  thy 
company  is  enough.  Moses  was  startled  at  the  sight  and  I  do 
not  know  that  he  is  to  be  discommended  for  it,  it  was  not  to 
gratify  a  bare  curiosity,  but  seeing  a  bush  burning,  it  engaged 
his  attention,  and  made  him  think  that  there  was  something 
uncommon  ;  the  bush  burned  iciih  fire  and  yet  was  not  con- 
sumed ;  this  startled  him,  as  it  was  intended  to  do  :  for  where 
God  designs  to  speak,  he  will  first  gain  attention  from  the  per- 
son spoken  to  ;  Moses  therefore  says,  /  will  now  turn  aside 
and  see  this  great  sight,  why.  the  bush  is  not  burned  ;  he  did 
not  know  but  the  bush  might  take  fire  by  some  accident ;  he 
saw  no  fire  come  from  above,  he  saw  no  fire  around  the  bush, 
yet  that  did  not  so  much  startle  him,  as  to  see,  though  it  did 
burn,  it  was  not  consumed,  or  in  the  least  diminished ;  it  was 
a  strange  sight,  but  it  was,  my  brethren,  a  glorious  one  ;  a 
sight  which,  I  pray  God,  you  and  I  may  behold  with  faith  and 
comfort  this  evening ;  for,  my  dear  hearers,  this  bush,  and  the 
account  of  it,  was  given  for  our  instruction  ;  and  I  will  ven- 
ture to  say,  could  Moses  arise  from  the  dead,  he  would  not  be 
angry  with  me  for  telling  you  this  is  of  no  private  interpreta- 
tion, but  is  intended  as  a  standing  lesson,  as  a  significant  em- 
blem of  the  church,  and  every  individual  child  of  God,  till 
time  itself  shall  be  no  more.  I  would  therefore  observe  to  you, 
that  this  bush, 

In  the  first  place,  is  typical  of  the  church  of  God  in  all  ages ; 
the  bush  was  burning  ;  why  might  it  not  be  a  tall  cedar  ;  why 
might  it  not  be  some  large  or  some  glorious  tree  ;  why  should 


Serm.  22.]  the  burning  bush.  555 

the  great  God  choose  a  bush,  a  Uttle  bush  of  briers  and  thorns, 
above  any  other  thing  ?  But  because  the  church  of  Christ 
generally  consists  of  poor,  mean,  despicable  creatures  ;  though 
it  is  all  glorious  within,  yet  it  is  all  despicable  without.  It  is 
observable,  that  when  the  church  came  to  prosper  when  Con- 
stantine  smiled  on  it,  it,  was  soon  hugged  to  death  ;  and  that 
great  poet  Milton  observes,  that  when  that  emperor  gave  mi- 
nisters rich  vestments,  high  honors,  great  livings,  and  golden 
pulpits,  there  was  a  voice  heard  from  heaven,  saying  this  day 
there  is  a  poison  come  iuto  the  church ;  and  I  have  sometimes 
said  in  discourse,  I  do  not  doubt  but  if  any  one  made  an  expe- 
riment, and  left  100,000  or  200,000/.  only  among  the  Metho- 
dists, there  would  be  hundreds  and  thousands  that  would  not 
be  reckoned  Methodists  now,  that  would  turn  Methodists  pre- 
sently, that  would  buy  a  hymn  book  because  a  part  of  the 
legacy  would  pay  for  the  hymn  book,  and  would  wish  to  have 
a  living  into  the  bargain  ;  but  though  "not  many  mighty  men, 
not  many  noble  are  called,"  yet  some  are :  if  any  of  you  are 
rich  here  and  are  christians,  thank  God  for  it,  you  ought  to  be 
doubly  thankful  for  it ;  God's  people  are  but  like  a  little  bram- 
ble bush.  I  remember  an  eminent  minister  said  once,  when  I 
heard  him  preach  upon  Christmas  day,  Christ  personalis  very 
richj  hut  Christ  mystical  is  very  poor ;  and  Jesus  Christ  does 
this  on  purpose  to  confound  the  world.  When  he  comes  to 
judgment,  millions  that  have  their  thousands  now,  will  be 
damned  and  burnt  to  all  eternity,  and  Christ's  church  will  be 
rich  to  all  eternity,  that  is  now  like  a  bramble  all  on  fire. 

The  hush  hurned^  what  is  that  for  ?  It  showed  that  Christ's 
church  while  in  this  world,  will  be  a  bush  burning  with  fiery 
trials  and  afflictions  of  various  kinds  ;  this  was  a  lively  emblem 
of  the  state  of  religion,  and  liberty  of  Israel  at  that  time :  they 
were  busy  in  making  brick,  and  there  were  consequently  burn- 
ings continually  ;  as  though  the  Lord  had  said,  this  bush  is 
burning  with  fire,  so  my  people  are  burning  with  slavery.  Ah, 
but  say  you,  that  was  only  the  case  of  the  Israelites  when  they 
were  under  Pharaoh  ;  pray  is  not  that  the  case  of  the  church  in 
all  ages  ?  Yes,  it  has  been  ;  read  your  Bibles,  and  you  may 
instantly  see  that  it  is  little  else  than  an  historical  account  of  a 
burning  bush  ;  and  though  there  might  be  some  periods 
wherein  the  church  had  rest,  yet  these  periods  have  been  of  a 
short  date ;  and  if  God's  people  have  walked  in  the  comforts 
of  the  Holy  Ghost,  it  is  only  like  a  calm  that  precedes  an  earth- 
quake. If  you  remember,  before  the  last  earthquake,  it  wad 
fine  morning,  and  who  when  they  arose  in  the  morningaight ; 
have  thoi?ght  the  earth  should  shake  under  them  be^ 


556  THE  BURNING  BUSH.  [Semi.  22. 

and  so  with  the  church  when  they  are  in  a  calm,  and  all  seems 
safe  there,  then  comes  a  storm.     God  prepare  us  for  it. 

But  this  is  not  only  the  case  w^ith  the  church  of  Christ  col- 
lected, but  also  it  is  so  with  individual  believers,  especially  those 
that  God  intends  to  make  fjreat  use  of  as  prophets  in  his  church. 
I  know  very  well  that  it  is  said,  that  now  the  case  is  altered  ; 
modern  commentators,  therefore,  and  our  great  Dr.  Young, 
calls  them  downy  doctors  :  they  tell  us,  now  we  have  a  christian 
king  and  governor,  and  are  under  the  toleration  act,  we  shall 
have  no  persecution  ;  and  blessed  be  God,  we  have  had  none 
since  this  family  has  been  on  the  throne  :  may  God  continue 
it  till  time  shall  be  no  more.  Yet  my  dear  hearers,  we  shall 
find,  if  God's  word  is  true,  whether  we  are  born  under  a  des- 
potic power,  or  free  government,  that  they  that  will  live  godly 
in  Christ  Jesus  must  sufter  persecution. 

You  have  heard  of  that  saying,  Wonder  not  at  the  fiery 
trial  ichereioith  you  arc  to  he  tried  ;  And  God  said,  /  have 
chosen  thee,  whicli  is  applicable  to  every  believer,  i?i  the  fur- 
nace  of  afiiiction.  Now  the  furnace  is  a  hot  place,  and  they 
that  are  tried  in  the  furnace  must  be  burned  surely.  Now 
what  must  the  christian  burn  with  ?  With  tribulation  and 
persecution.  I  heard  a  person  not  long  ago  say,  I  have  no 
enemies.  Bishop  Latimer  came  to  a  house  one  day,  and  the 
man  of  the  house  said,  he  had  not  met  with  a  cross  in  all  his 
life  ;  give  me  my  horse,  says  the  good  bishop,  I  am  sure  God  is 
not  here  where  no  cross  is.  But  suppose  we  are  not  persecuted 
by  the  world,  is  there  one  christian  but  is  persecuted  by  his 
friends  ?  if  there  is  an  Isaac  in  the  family,  I  warrant  there  is 
an  Ishmael  to  mock  at  him.  Wo  is  me,  says  David,  that  I 
must  dwell  with  Mesheck,  and  in  Kedar  :  and  in  one's  ow^u 
family,  one's  own  brothers  and  sisters,  one's  own  dependents, 
though  they  wait  for  our  death,  and  perhaps,  long  to  have  us 
gone,  that  they  may  run  away  with  our  substance,  to  have 
these  persons  mock  at  us,  and  if  they  dare  not  speak  out,  yet 
let  us  see  they  hate  the  God  we  worship  ;  if  this  be  thy  case, 
why,  God  knows,  poor  soul  thou  art  a  burning  bush :  but  if 
we  have  no  such  things  as  mocking,  yet  if  we  are  surrounded 
with  afflictions,  domestic  trials,  the  loss  of  dear  and  near 
friends,  the  bad  conduct  of  our  children,  the  dreadful  miscon- 
duct of  those  that  are  dependent  upon  us  ;  O  there  is  niany  a 
narent  here  that  is  a  burning  bush ;  burning  with  what '} 
tlYxh  family  afflictions  :  some  do  not  care  what  becomes  of 
and  ij.ildren  ;  O,  I  thank  God,  I  have  left  my  boy  so  much, 
dauo-hte?<'ii^ghter  a  coach,  perhaps  ;  ah !  well  your  son  and 
godly  man  slv^i^G  in  that  coach  post  to  the  devil :  but  the 
'    I  want  an  eternal  inheritance  for  my  son ;  I 


Serm.  2*2.]  the  burning  bush.  557 

want  God's  blessing  for  him ;  this  is  the  poor  man's  prayer, 
while  the  poor  deluded  youth  mocks  him  :  or,  supposing  this 
is  not  the  case,  a  person  may  burn  with  inward  temptation ; 
you  have  heard  of  the  fiery  darts  of  the  devil,  and  were  you  to 
feel  them,  I  believe  you  would  find  them  fiery  darts  indeed  ! 
and  you  have  great  reason  to  suspect  your  experience,  your 
having  any  interest  in  the  love  of  the  Son  of  God  at  all,  if  you 
never  found  the  fiery  darts  of  the  devil.  O,  says  one,  I  never 
felt  the  devil ;  I  am  sure  thou  mayest  feel  him  now ;  thou  art 
father's  own  child;  thou  art  speaking  the  very  language  of 
the  devil,  and  he  is  teaching  thee  to  deny  thy  own  father ; 
therefore  graceless  child  of  the  devil,  if  you  never  felt  the  devil's 
fiery  darts,  it  is  because  the  devil  is  sure  of  thee  ;  he  has  lulled 
thee  into  a  damnable  slumber  ;  may  the  God  of  love  wake 
thee  before  real  damnation  comes  !  The  fiery  darts  of  Satan 
are  poisoned,  and  wherever  they  stick  they  fill  the  persons 
with  tormenting  pain  like  fire  ;  this  I  mention,  because 
there  are  some  poor  souls  perhaps  here  to-night,  whom  the 
devil  tells,  thou  hast  committed  the  unpardonable  sin  ;  you 
are  afraid  to  come  to  sacrament,  you  are  afraid  to  go  to  pra^^er, 
because  at  these  seasons  the  devil  disturbs  thee  most,  and 
tempts  you  to  leave  these  seasons  ;  and  some  go  on  thus 
burning  a  great  while.  My  brethren,  the  time  would  fail,  and 
I  should  draw  this  discourse  to  too  great  a  length,  and  hinder 
you  from  your  families,  if  I  were  to  mention  but  a  few  more 
of  those  thousands  that  the  believer  burns  with,  the  trials  with- 
out, and  what  is  still  worse,  his  trials  within.  Why,  says  one, 
it  is  very  strange  you  talk  thus  to-night.  I  am  sorry  it  is 
strange  to  any  of  you  ;  sure  you  are  not  much  acquainted 
with  your  Bibles,  and  less  witli  your  hearts,  if  you  know  not 
this.  Why,  sure,  say  some,  you  make  God  a  tyrant ;  no,  but 
having  made  ourselves  devils  incarnate,  we  are  now  in  a  state 
of  preparation,  and  these  various  trials  are  intended,  by  the 
great  God,  to  train  us  up  for  heaven  ;  and  therefore,  that  you 
may  not  think  I  am  drawing  a  picture  without  any  life,  give 
me  leave  to  observe,  that  it  is  particularly  remarkable,  that 
though  the  bush  burned,  it  was  7iot  consumed :  it  was  this 
that  struck  Moses,  he  looked  to  see  why  the  bush  was  not 
consumed.  But  the  burning  I  have  been  here  painting  forth 
to  you  is  not  a  consuming,  but  a  purifying  fire.  Is  not  that 
enough  to  answer  the  shade  that  has  been  already  drawn?  It 
is  true  the  bush  burns,  the  christian  is  persecuted,  the  christian 
is  oppressed,  the  christian  is  burned  with  inward  trials,  he  is 
perplexed  at  times,  he  is  cast  down,  but,  blessed  be  God,  he  is 
not  destroyed,  he  is  not  in  despair.  Who  is  he,  that  says  he  is 
in  such  an  estate  that  nothing  disturbs  him?     Vain  man !  he 

47* 


558  THE  BURNING  BUSH.  [Serm.  22. 

discovers  an  ignorance  of  Christ ;  are  you  greater  than  the 
apostle  Paul  ?  Some  people  think  that  the  apostles  had  no 
trials  ;  so  they  think  perhaps  of  some  ministers,  that  they  are 
always  on  the  mount,  while,  perhaps,  they  have  been  in  the 
burning  to  get  that  sermon  for  them.  We  that  are  to  speak 
for  others,  must  expect  to  be  tempted  in  all  things  like  to  our 
brethren,  or  Ave  should  be  only  poor  preachers,  and  never  reach 
men's  hearts.  But  whether  ministers  or  people  burn,  the  great 
God,  the  angel  of  the  everlasting  covenant,  spoke  to  Moses  our 
of  the  basil ;  he  did  not  stand  at  a  distance  fromthe  bush,  he  did 
not  speak  to  him  so  much  as  one  yard  or  foot  from  the  bush, 
but  he  spoke  to  him  out  of  the  bush  ;  he  said,  Moses,  Moses, 
my  people  shall  burn  in  this  bush  to  the  end  of  time,  but  be  not 
afraid,  I  will  succor  them;  when  they  burn,  I  will  burn  too. 
There  is  a  scripture  vastly  strong  to  this  purpose,  in  which  it 
is  not  said,  the  good  ivill  of  him  that  was  in  the  bvsh,  but  the 
good  loill  of  him  that  dwelt  in  the  hush.  Amazing  !  I  thought 
God  dwelt  in  heaven  ;  but  as  a  poor  woman  who  was  once  in 
darkness  fourteen  years,  before  she  was  brought  out  of  it,  said, 
God  has  two  homes,  one  in  heaven,  the  other  in  the  lowest 
heart.  He  dwells  in  the  bush,  and  I  am  sure  if  he  did  not,  the 
devil  and  their  own  cursed  hearts  would  burn  the  bush  to 
ashes.  How  is  it  that  it  is  not  consumed  ?  Why,  it  is  because 
God  has  declared  it  shall  not  be  consumed  ;  he  has  made  an 
everlasting  convenant,  and  I  pity  those  that  are  not  acquainted 
with  an  interest  in  God's  covenant ;  and  it  would  be  better  that 
people  would  pity  them,  than  dispute  with  them.  I  really 
believe  a  disputing  devil  is  one  of  the  worst  devils  that  can  be 
brought  into  God's  church,  for  he  comes  with  his  gown  and 
book  in  his  hand,  and  I  should  always  suspect  the  devil  when 
he  comes  in  his  gown  and  band  and  this  is  the  cause  they 
agree  and  disagree.  Some,  who  it  is  to  be  hoped  are  God  s 
children,  if  you  tell  them  that  God  has  loved  them  with  an 
everlasting  love,  they  are  afraid  to  receive  it,  and  especially 
if  you  mention  the  word  election,  or  that  hard  word  p.-edestina- 
tion,  they  will  be  quite  frightened;  but  talk  to  them  in  another 
way,  their  dear  hearts  will  rejoice.  God  has  said,  "As  the 
waters  of  Noah  shall  cease  for  ever,  so  he  will  not  forget  the  co- 
venant of  his  peace  :  nothing  shall  pluck  them  out  of  his  hand." 
Ah  !  say  some,  the  apostle  has  said,  "  that  neither  things  pres- 
ent, nor  things  to  come,  shall  separate  us  from  the  love  of 
Christ ;"  but  he  has  not  said  an  evil  heart  shall  not :  I  fancy 
that  is  one  of  the  present  things.  The  bush  is  not  consumed, 
because  if  the  devil  is  in  the  bush,  God  is  in  the  bush  too  ;  if 
the  devil  acts  one  way,  the  Lord,  the  Spirit,  acts  another  to 
balance  it,  and  the  Spirit  of  God  is  engaged  to  train  up  the  souls 


Serm.  22.]  the  burning  bush.  659 

of  his  people  ;  and  God  has  determined  the  bush  shall  not  be 
consumed  ;  his  Spirit  stands  near  believers  to  support  and  guide 
and  make  them  more  than  conquerors  :  all  that  are  given  to 
Jesus  Christ  shall  come,  he  will  not  lose  one  of  them ;  this  is  food 
for  the  children  of  God ;  a  bad  mind  will  turn  every  thing  to 
poison  ;  and  if  it  were  not  for  this,  that  God  had  promised  to 
keep  them,  my  soul  within  these  thirty  years  would  have  sunk 
a  thousand  times  over.  Come  then,  O  suffering  saints,  to  you 
the  word  of  this  salvation  is  sent.  I  do  not  know  Avho  of 
you  are  the  followers  of  the  Lamb  ;  may  the  Spirit  of  the  liv- 
ing God  point  them  out ;  may  every  one  be  enabled  to  say,  I 
am  the  man.  O,  says  one,  I  hc),ve  been  watching  and  very 
attentive  to-night,  but  you  have  not  mentioned  my  burnings; 
what  do  you  think  of  my  burning  lusts?  What  do  you  think 
of  my  burning  corruptions  ?  What  do  you  think  of  my  burn- 
ing pride  ?  O,  perhaps  some  of  you  Avill  say,  thank  God,  T 
have  no  pride  at  all;  like  the  bishop  of  Cambray,  as  mentioned 
by  Dr.  Watts,  who  said,  he  had  received  many  sins  from  his 
father  Adam,  but,  thank  God,  he  had  no  pride.  Alas  !  alas! 
we  are  all  as  proud  as  the  devil.  Pray  what  do  you  think  of 
passion,  that  burns  not  only  themselves,  but  all  around  them  ? 
What  do  you  think  of  enmity?  What  do  you  think  of 
jealousy ;  is  not  this  something  that  burns  the  bush  ?  And 
there  are  some  people  that  pride  themselves,  they  have  not  so 
much  of  the  beast  about  them,  they  never  get  drunk,  scorn  to 
commit  murder,  and  at  the  same  time  are  full  of  enmity,  of 
envy,  malice,  and  pride,  as  the  devil.  '  The  Lord  (xod  help 
such  to  see  their  condition. 

Happy  is  it,  Christ  can  dwell  in  the  bush  when  we  cannot 
dwell  ourselves  there ;  there  aj*e  few  christians  can  live  toge- 
ther, very  few  relations  can  live  together  under  one  roof;  we 
can  take  that  from  other  people  that  we  cannot  bear  from  our 
own  flesh  and  blood  :  and  if  God  did  not  bear  with  us  more 
than  we  bear  with  one  another,  we  should  all  have  been 
destroyed  every  day.  Does  the  devil  make  you  say,  that  you 
will  give  up  all ;  I  will  go  to  the  Tabernacle  no  more  ;  I  will 
lay  on  my  couch  and  take  my  ease.  Oh  !  if  this  is  the  case 
of  any  to-night,  thus  tempted  by  Satan,  may  God  rescue  their 
souls.  O  poor,  dear  soul,  you  never  will  have  such  sweet 
words  from  God  as  when  you  are  in  the  bush  ;  our  suffering 
times  will  be  our  best  times.  I  know  I  had  more  comfort  in 
Moorfields,  on  Kennington  common,  and  especially  when  the 
rotten  eggs,  the  cats  and  dogs  were  thrown  upon  me,  and  my 
gown  was  filled  with  clods  of  dirt  that  I  could  scarce  move 
it ;  I  have  had  more  comfort  in  this  burning  bush  than  when 
I  have  been  at  ease.     I  remember  when  I  was  preaching  at 


560  THE  BURNING  BUSH.  [Serm.  22. 

Exeter,  a  stone  came  and  made  my  forehead  bleed  ;  I  found 
at  that  very  time  the  word  came  with  double  power  to  a 
laborer  that  was  gazing  at  me,  who  was  wounded  at  the  same 
time  by  another  stone  ;  I  felt  for  the  lad  more  than  for  myself, 
went  to  a  friend,  and  the  lad  came  to  me,  "  Sir,"  says  he,  "  the 
man  gave  me  a  wound,  but  Jesus  healed  me  ;  I  never  had  my 
bonds  broke  till  I  had  my  head  broke."  I  appeal  to  you 
whether  you  were  not  better  when  it  was  colder  than  now, 
because  your  nerves  were  braced  up  ;  you  have  a  day  like  a 
dog  day,  now  you  are  weak,  and  are  obliged  to  fan  yourselves : 
thus  it  is  prosperity  lulls  the  soul,  and  I  fear  christians  are 
spoiled  by  it. 

Whatever  your  trials  are,  let  this  be  your  prayer,  Loi'd, 
though  the  bush  is  burning,  let  it  not  be  consumed.  I  thmk 
that  is  too  low,  let  it  be  thus :  Lord,  when  the  bush  is  burn- 
ing, let  it  not  burn  lower  as  the  fire  does,  but  let  me  burn 
higher  and  higher  :  I  thank  thee,  my  God,  for  trouble  ;  I 
thank  thee,  my  God,  for  putting  me  into  these  afflictions  one 
after  another  ;  I  thought  1  could  sing  a  requiem  to  myself, 
that  I  should  have  a  little  rest,  but  trouble  came  from  that 
very  quarter  where  I  might  reasonably  expect  the  greatest 
comfort :  I  thank  thee  for  knocking  my  hands  otf  from  the 
creature  ;  Lord,  I  believe,  help  my  unbelief  Thus  you  will 
go  on  blessing  God  to  all  eternity :  by  and  by  the  bush  shall 
be  translated  to  the  paradise  of  God  ;  no  burning  bush  in 
heaven,  except  the  fire  of  love,  wonder,  and  gratitude  ;  no 
trials  there :  troubles  are  limited  to  this  earth ;  above,  our 
enemies  cannot  reach  us. 

Perhaps  some  of  you  here  are  saying,  hiir7iwg  bush,  a  hush 
burnt  and  not  consumed  !  I  do  not  know  what  to  make  of  this 
nonsense.  Come,  com.e,  go  on,  I  am  used  to  it,  and  T  guess 
what  are  the  thoughts  of  your  heart.  I  pray  God,  tliat  every 
one  of  you  here  may  be  afraid  of  comfort,  lest  they  should  be 
tossed  about  by  the  devil.  What  is  it  T  have  said?  How  have 
I  talked  in  such  an  unintelligible  manner?  Why,  say  you, 
what  do  you  mean  by  a  burning  bush  ?  Why,  thou  art  the 
very  man.  How  so  ?  Why,  you  are  burning  with  the  devil 
in  your  hearts  ;  you  are  burning  with  foppery,  with  nonsense, 
with  the  lust  of  the  flesh,  with  the  lust  of  the  eye,  arid  the 
'pride  of  life  ;  and  if  you  do  not  get  out  of  this  state,  as  Lot 
said  to  his  sons-in-law,  ere  long  you  shall  be  burning  in  hell, 
and  not  consumed  :  the  same  angel  of  the  covenant  who  spake 
to  Moses  out  of  the  bush,  he  shall  ere  long  descend,  surrounded 
with  millions  of  the  heavenly  host,  and  sentence  you  to  ever- 
lasting burnings.  O  you  frighten  me  !  Did  you  think  I  did 
not  intend  to  frighten  you  ?    Would  to  God  I  might  frighten 


Serm.  23.]  the  lord  our  light.  561 

you  enough  !  I  believe  it  will  be  no  harm  for  you  to  be 
frightened  out  of  hell,  to  be  frightened  out  of  an  unconverted 
state.  O  go  and  tell  your  companions  that  the  madman  said; 
that  wicked  men  are  as  fire-brands  of  hell.  God  pluck  you 
as  brands  out  of  that  burning.  Blessed  be  God,  that  there  is 
yet  a  day  of  grace.  Oh  !  that  this  might  prov^e  the  accepted 
time.  Oh  !  that  this  might  prove  the  day  of  salvation.  Oh  ! 
angel  of  the  everlasting  covenant,  come  down ;  thou  blessed, 
dear  comforter,  have  mercy,  mercy,  mercy  upon  the  uncon- 
verted, upon  our  unconverted  friends,  upon  the  unconverted 
part  of  this  auditory  ;  speak^  and  it  shall  be  done  ;  command, 
O  Lord^  and  it  shall  come  to  pass :  turn  the  burning  bushes 
of  the  devil  into  burning  bushes  of  the  Son  of  God.  Who 
knows  but  God  may  hear  our  prayer — who  knows  but  God 
may  hear  this  cry,  I  have  seen.  I  have  seen  the  afflictions  of 
my  people:  the  cry  of  the  children  of  Israel  is  come  vp  to 
me,  and  T  am  come  down  to  deliver  them.  God  grant  this 
may  be  his  word  to  you  under  all  your  trouble  ;  God  grant  he 
may  be  your  comforter.  The  Lord  awaken  you  that  are  dead 
in  sin,  and  though  on  the  precipice  of  hell,  God  keep  you  from 
tumbling  in  :  and  you  that  are  God's  burning  bushes,  God 
help  you  to  stand  to  keep  this  coat  of  arnis,  to  say  when  you 
go  home,  blessed  be  God,  the  hush  is  huriiing  hut  not  con- 
sumed.    Amen  !  Even  so,  Lord  Jesus.     Amen. 


SERMON  XXIII. 


THE  LORD  OUR  LIGHT. 


Isaiah  Ix.  19,  20 


The  sun  shall  be  no  more  thy  light  by  day  ;  neither  for  brightness 
shall  the  moon  give  light  nnto  thee  ;  hut  the  Lord  shall  be  unto  thee 
an  everlasting  light,  and  thy  God  thy  glory.  Thy  sun  shall  no 
more  go  down  ;  neither  shall  thy  moon  withdraw  itself:  for  the 
Lord  shall  be  thine  everlasting  light,  a?id  the  days  of  thy  moiirn- 
ing  shall  be  ended. 

Upon  reading  these  words,  I  cannot  help  thinking  of  what 
the  royal  Psalmist  said,  "  Glorious  things  are  spoken  of  thee, 
O  city  of  God.  Selah."  I  am  afraid,  my  dear  hearers,  that 
even  believers  themselves,  who  have  tasted  of  the  grace  of 
God,  reflect  not  and  meditate  as  they  ought,  on  the  glorious 


ly&i  THE  LOUD  OIR  LIGHT.  [Scrm.  23. 

and  amazinij  felicity  they  are  called  by  the  Spirit  of  God  to 
ex^xTionce  in  this  hte.  We  content  onrselves  too  mnch  with 
onr  liojx^s,  and  if  we  attain  to  a  i^-ood  /lope  t/irot/^/i  o-race,  we 
are  ready  to  think  we  have  arrived  at  the  last  step  of  the  gos- 
pel ladder,  and  have  notliing  more  to  do  but  to  rest  in  that 
hoj">e,  without  ever  attaining  to  an  abidinof.  full  assurance  of 
liiith.  If  we  would  examine  the  scriptures,  and  not  choose  to 
briiiiT  them  down  to  us,  but  beg  of  God  to  raise  our  hearts  up 
\o  them,  we  shall  lind  the  Ix^liever  is  made  partaker  of  the 
grace  oi  lite,  as  well  as  an  heir  of  it ;  the  one  is  on  earth,  tlio 
other  in  heaven,  and  one  is  only  a  prelibation  oi  the  otlier. 
This  blesstxi  prophet  Isaiah,  speaking  of  the  privileg-es  of  the 
children  of  God.  saith,  -  Eye  hath  not  seen,  nor  ear  heard, 
neither  hath  it  entered  into  the  heart  of  man  to  conceive  the 
thhigs  that  God  hath  prepared  ^^and  that  even  here  below)  for 
those  that  love  hiuL"  God  grant  we  may  be  of  that  happy 
numlx'r !  Hence,  like  an  evangelist,  the  prophet  draws  aside 
die  veil,  and  as  one  inspired  by  the  Spirit  o(  God,  and  filled 
with  the  rays  of  divine  light,  gives  us  a  transporting  view  of 
the  gospel  state,  and  the  glory  which  the  church  militant 
enjoys  below.  IxMore  its  trimnphant  state  above. 

The  text,  probably,  refers  to  the  great  change  that  should 
be  made  in  the  aliairs  of  the  Jews  after  their  captivity,  how 
wondtrfully  Gv^xi  would  appear  for  them,  after  their  harps  Iiad 
Ix'cn  lono;  hanging  on  the  vrillows,  and  they  could  make  no 
other  answer  to  their  insulting  foes  than  this  monrntul  one, 
"How  can  we  siuir  ili<-^  Lord's  song  in  a  strange  land  F  The 
gos[x4  is.  doubtless,  glad  tidings  of  great  joy  :  and  however 
the  people  of  God  might  be  encouraged  to  hope  that  the  time 
would  come,  when  they  should  tread  on  the  necks  of  their  ene- 
mies, the  prophet  teaches  them  to  look  further,  and  lets  them 
know  that  their  happiness  was  not  to  consist  in  an}*  external, 
created  irood,  but  m  a  largtT  posses<ion  of  the  graces  and  com- 
forts of  the  Holy  Ghost.  So  that  this  chapter  speaks  not  only 
of  a  temporal  deliverance  and  rest,  which  they  should  enjoy 
at^er  their  trouble,  but  a  spiritual  rest,  which  by  laith,  they 
should  enter  into  here,  as  the  earnest  and  pledge  of  the  rest 
and  enjoyment  of  the  better  world  hereatter.  As  we  know  no 
more  of  heaven  than  is  discovered  by  the  eye  of  faith,  for  even 
St.  Paul  acknowkxiges,  that  the  things  he  saw  were  unuttera- 
ble, it  is  observable  that  heaven  in  scripture  is  described  to  us 
more  by  what  it  is  not.  than  by  what  it  is.  So  in  the  words 
of  the  text.  Thi/  sini  s/iall  //o  more  si'o  doir)},  neither  shall  thy 
vioon  tcithdraw  itself^  for  the  Ix)rd  shall  he  thine  everlasting 
light y  and  the  days  of  thy  mourning  shall  be  ended.  Here 
are  three  negatives,  and  but  one  positive,  namely,  the  £jord 


\ 


Serm.  23.]  the  lord  our  light.  563 

shall  he  thy  everlasting  light,  which  is  a  beautiful  alhision  to 
the  sun,  that  should  teach  us  to  spirituahze  natural  things  ;  and 
if  we  feared  God,  and  hved  as  near  to  him  as  we  ought,  there 
is  no  object  of  our  bodily  eyes  but  might  improve  our  spiritual 
sight.  You  cannot  suppose  the  prophet  meant  a  time  should 
come,  when  the  sun  should  not  literally  go  down,  that  there 
should  not  be  night  and  day  as  now.  God  indeed  permitted  a 
man  once  to  say,  sini,  stand  thou  still,  and  it  was  done :  but, 
perhaps,  there  never  will  be  any  such  thing  again,  till  the  sun 
is  removed  from  its  station,  and  the  moon  forsake  her  orbit,  and 
be  turned  into  blood.  The  word  must  therefore  be  understood 
in  a  figurative  sense ;  and  then  comparing  spiritual  things  with 
spiritual,  it  must  certainly  import,  that  Jesus  Christ,  the  Sun 
of  Righteousness,  shall  be  what  the  sun  is  to  the  visible  world, 
that  is,  the  light  and  life  of  all  his  people  ;  I  say,  all  the  people 
of  God.  You  see  now,  the  sun  shines  on  us  all :  I  never 
heard  that  the  sun  said.  Lord,  1  will  not  shine  on  the  Presbyteri- 
ans, I  will  not  shine  on  the  Independents,  I  will  not  shine  on 
the  people  called  Methodists,  those  great  enthusiasts  ;  the  sun 
never  said  yet,  I  will  not  shine  on  the  Papists,  the  sun  shines 
on  all,  which  shows  that  Jesus  Christ's  love  is  open  to  all  that 
are  made  willing  by  the  Holy  Ghost  to  accept  of  him  ;  and 
therefore  it  is  said,  "  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  shall  arise  with 
healing  in  his  wings."  If  you  were  all  up  this  morning  be- 
fore the  sun  arose  at  fiv^e  o'clock,  how  beautiful  was  his  first 
appearance  !  how  pleasant  to  behold  the  flowers  opening  to  the 
rising  sun  !  I  appeal  to  you  yourselves,  when  you  were  look- 
ing out  at  the  window,  or  walking  about,  or  opening  your  shop, 
if  in  a  spiritual  frame,  whether  you  did  not  say,  arise  thou  Sun 
of  Righteousness  with  healing  under  thy  wings,  on  me.  All 
that  the  natural  sun  is  to  the  world,  Jesus  Christ  is,  and  more, 
to  his  people ;  without  the  sun  we  should  have  no  corn,  or 
fruit  of  any  kind  :  what  a  daik  place  would  the  world  be  with- 
out the  sun,  and  how  dark  would  the  world  be  without  Jesus 
Christ ;  and  as  the  sun  does  really  communicate  its  rays  to  the 
earth,  the  plants  and  all  this  lower  creation,  so  the  Son  of  God 
does  really  communicate  his  life  and  power  to  every  new  cre- 
ated soul,  otherwise  Christ  is  but  a  painted  sun  ;  and  is  Christ 
nothing  but  a  painted  Christ  to  us,  while  we  receive  heat  and 
benefit  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  on  account  of  the  virtue  of  his 
blood  ?  Sometimes  the  sun  shines  brighter  than  at  other 
times,  and  does  not  always  appear  alike ;  clouds  intervene  and 
interrupt  its  rays  :  so  it  is  between  a  renewed  soul  and  the  Lord 
Jesus,  the  Sun  of  Righteousness.  O  my  brethren,  I  believe 
you  know  it  by  fatal  experience :  hold  but  your  hand  now, 
when  the  sun  shines  in  its  meridian,  between  it  and  you,  and 


564  THE  LORD  OUR  LIGHT.  [Serm.  23. 

if  by  the  breadth  of  that  you  can  keep  the  sun  from  you,  ah  1 
how  very  little  earth  will  keep  off  thy  heart  from  Jesus  Christ. 
It  was  a  very  excellent  saying  of  one  of  the  ancients,  that  God 
never  leaves  a  person  till  he  first  leaves  him.  Some  people 
think  God  does  so  of  his  sovereignty,  but  I  am  apt  to  think 
when  the  sun  shines,  we  shall  find  some  people  have  taken  up 
with  something  short  of  the  Sun  of  Righteousness.  I  believe 
there  are  times,  when  the  poor  believer  thinks  his  sun  will 
quite  go  down,  and  rise  no  more ;  he  loses  his  relish,  his  taste 
and  evidence  of  divine  thinj^s ;  not  only  are  the  rays  inter- 
cepted for  a  while,  but  doubts  and  fears,  a  dreadful  cloud  of 
them,  come  on.  Though  I  hold  with  a  full  assurance  of  faith, 
yet  I  am  of  opinion  that  it  is  not  always  in  a  like  exercise  ; 
and  therefore  pray  that  doubting  people  will  not  take  hold  of 
that,  and  say,  blessed  be  God,  I  am  in  a  doubting  state,  and  I 
am  J^ontent.  The  Lord  deliver  you  from  a  mind  to  stay  in 
prison,  and  prevent  the  devil  from' locking  the  door  upon  you, 
and  keeping  you  there  as  long  as  he  can.  The  Lord  help  you 
to  come :  come,  come,  and  break  out  of  prison,  that  you  may 
laiow  how  pleasant  it  is  to  behold  the  sun,  and  praise  his 
uame. 

Sometimes,  instead  of  the  sun,  there  is  only  moon  light,  which 
shows  the  difference  a  believer  feels  in  his  soul,  both  in  relation 
to  grace  and  comfort.  Both  sun  and  moon  give  light,  but  O 
how  far  superior  is  the  one  to  the  other ;  the  moon  gives  a 
very  faint,  uncertain  light,  waxes  and  wanes,  and  at  best  is 
almost  nothing  when  compared  with  the  light,  and  the  blessed 
reviving  heat  of  the  sun.  Hence,  my  brethren,  this  world 
sometimes  is  a  world  of  mourners.  It  is  said,  that  the  days  of 
our  mourning  shall  be  ended  ;  for  if  the  text  refers  to  the  future 
state,  as  no  doubt  it  does,  it  means  that  the  days  of  believers  here 
below  are  very  often  mournful,  tryins:  and  afflicting,  though  they 
end  in  joy,  as  our  Lord  intimates  in  his  opening  his  gospel  sermon 
almost  with  these  very  words.  Blessed  are  they  that  mourn, 
for  ihey  shall  he  comforted.  Some,  perhaps,  may  think  it  is 
an  odd  kind  of  blessing  ;  and  though  worldly  people  are  fond 
of  the  fifth  of  Matthew,  and  wonder  that  Methodists  and  gos- 
pel ministers  do  not  preach  oftener  on  that  chapter,  I  believe, 
when  you  come  to  preach  and  open  that  word,  they  will  not 
like  that  chapter  any  more  than  any  other,  because  they  are  for 
a  joyful  Christ,  and  not  for  any  mourning  at  all.  Do  you 
know  God  in  Christ?  Let  me  tell  you  the  more  you  are  ac- 
quainted with  him,  the  more  your  souls  will  be  kept  in  a 
mourning  state.  A  mournful  state  ! — O,  say  you,  people  will 
mourn  before  they  are  converted.  Ah,  that  they  w^ll, — I  do 
not  love  to  hear  of  conversions  without  any  secret  mourning ; 


Serm.  23.]  the  lord  our  light.  565 

I  seldom  see  such  souls  established.  I  have  heard  of  a  person 
who  was  in  coQipany  otice  with  fourteen  ministers  of  the  gos- 
pel, some  of  whom  were  eminent  servants  of  Christ,  and  yet 
not  one  of  them  could  tell  the  time  God  first  i^nanifested  himself 
to  their  soul.  Zaccheus's  was  a  very  quick  conversion,  perhaps 
not  a  quarter  of  an  hour's  conviction ;  this  I  mention,  that  we 
may  not  condemn  one  another.  We  do  not  love  the  pope,  be- 
cause we  love  to  be  popes  ourselves,  and  set  up  our  own  expe- 
rience as  a  standard  to  others.  Those  that  had  such  a  con- 
version as  the  jailor,  or  the  Jews,  (O,  say  you,  we  do  not  like 
to  hear  you  talk  of  shaking  over  hell ;  we  love  to  hear  of  con- 
version by  the  love  of  God  ;  while  others  that  were  so  shaken, 
as  Mr.  Bolton  and  other  eminent  men  were,)  may  say,  you  are 
not  christians,  because  you  had  not  the  like  terrible  experience. 
You  may  as  well  say  to  your  neighbor,  you  have  not  had  a 
child,  for  you  were  not  in  labor  all  night.  The  question  is, 
whether  a  real  cliild  is  born,  not  how  long  was  the  preceding 
pain,  but  whether  it  was  productive  of  a  new  birth,  and 
whether  Christ  has  been  formed  in  your  hearts  ;  it  is  the  birth 
proves  the  reality  of  the  thing. 

Some  allow  that  there  is  mourning  before,  but  no  mourning 
after  conversion  ;  pray  who  says  so  ?  None  but  an  Antinomi- 
an,  a  rank  Antinomian  :  and  when  you  hear  a  person  say,  that 
after  conversion  you  will  have  no  mourning,  you  may  be  as- 
sured that  person  is  at  best  walking  by  moon  light;  he  does 
not  walk  by  tlie  sun  ;  he  has  some  doctrine  in  his  head,  but 
very  little  grace,  I  am  afraid,  in  his  heart.  How  !  how  !  my 
brethren,  not  mourn  after  we  are  converted  ;  why,  till  then, 
there  is  no  true  mourning  at  all.  The  damned  in  hell  are 
mourning  now,  they  put  on  their  mourning  as  soon  as  they  get 
there.  How  am  I  tormented  in  this  flame,  says  Dives ;  and 
Cain,  my  punishment  is  greater  than  I  can  bear.  How  many 
worldly  people  break  their  hearts  for  the  loss  of  the  world ; 
they  cannot  keep  their  usual  equipage,  nor  do  as  they  would; 
and  come  not  to  worship  on  Sunday,  becc^use  they  cannot  ap- 
pear so  fine  as  formerly  they  did.  This  is  a  sorrow  of  the 
world  that  worketh  death  ;  but  there  is  a  blessed,  a  moi-e  evan- 
gelical mourning,  which  is  the  habitual,  blessed  state  and  frame 
of  a  converted  soul.  How  strong  the  expression.  They  shall 
loofc  on  him  yjhoin  they  have  pierced,  and  shall  inourn.  How 
shall  they  mourn  ?  As  one  rnournetlifor  a  first  horn,  an  only 
child.  Have  you  ever  been  called  to  bury  a  child?  Is  there 
any  tender  mother  here  ?  Were  you  merry  directly  after  the 
child  was  dead  1  No,  perhaps  till  this  very  day,  you  continu- 
ally call  to  remembrance  your  little  one  and  shed  a  tear  ;  every 
thing  relating  to  it  causes  the  repetition  of  your  sorrow.   When 

48 


56-5  THE  LORD  OUR  LIGHT.  [Scrm.  23. 

a  poor  believer  is  acquainted  with  Jesus  Christ,  he  moiirns  for 
having  crucified  the  Son  of  God,  and  you  will  mourn  for  the 
same  sin  after  conversion  as  before.  Surely,  say  some,  I  mourn 
for  the  sins  I  committed  before  my  conversion.  I  do  not  know 
whether  you  do  or  no,  but  I  know  you  should.  O,  says  Da- 
vid, Remember  not  against  me  the  sins  of  my  youth,,  in  a 
Psalm  which  was  written  when  he  was  an  old  man  ;  and  Paul 
says,  "I  was  a  blasphemer  and  injurious,  and  therefore  not 
worthy  to  be  called  an  apostle,  because  I  persecuted  the  church 
of  God ;"  and  this  after  he  had  been  wrapped  up  to  the  third 
heaven.  See  Mary  rushing  into  the  house,  washing-  her  Lord's 
feet  with  her  tears,  and  wiping  them  with  her  hair.  I  do  not 
suppose  she  was  dressed  as  our  ladies  are  now ;  they  did  not 
make  such  apes  of  themselves :  but  her  hair  was  very  fine  in 
an  honest  way :  though  she  breaks  the  alabaster  box  of  oint- 
ment given  her,  perhaps  by  some  poor  silly  creature  that  would 
die  by  her  frowns,  and  live  upon  her  smiles,  see  her  at  the  feet 
of  her  Savior,  and  Jesus  Christ  answers  for  her,  some  having 
thought  she  was  profuse,  that  having  had  much  forgiven,  she 
loved  much.  The  more  the  love  of  God  is  manifested,  the 
more  it  will  melt  the  soul  down.  I  appeal  to  you,  christians, 
whether  the  sweetest  times  you  ever  enjoyed  were  not  those 
when  you  were  much  melted  at  the  sight  of  a  crucified  Savior ; 
when  you  could  say,  Lord,  thou  forgavest  me,  I  feel  it,  I  know 
it,  but  I  cannot  forgive  myself;  this  will  always  be  the  eflect 
of  an  ingenuous  mind;  and  a  person  that  is  really  converted 
will  thus  mourn  ;  and  if  you  do  not  know  this,  you  may  be  as- 
sured you  know  nothing  savingly  of  Jesus  Christ.  You  may 
go  and  hear  this  and  that  warning,  and  you  are  right  to  gather 
honey  from  every  flower,  but  you  have  not  got  within  the  in- 
ner court,  but  are  yet  without.  God  give  you  to  see  your  fol- 
ly herein. 

A  true  believer  will  mourn  over  his  corruptions.  I  wonder 
what  they  can  think,  who  suppose  they  have  no  corruptions. 
I  remember  a  poor  creature  of  Rhode  Island,  Avho  looked  the 
most  hke  the  old  Puritans  I  ever  saw,  when  I  was  talking  with 
him,  and  said,  some  people  say  there  are  some  men  that  have 
no  sin ;  he  said,  if  you  send  such  a  man  to  me,  I  will  pay  his 
charges,  even  from  England  and  back  again.  I  have  often 
learned  something  from  the  difference  of  glasses  :  you  look  into 
the  common  glasses,  and  see  yourselves  there  so  fine,  and  ad- 
mire your  person,  dress,  &c.,  but  when  you  view  yourselves 
through  a  microscope,  how  many  worms  are  discovered  in  that 
fine  skin  of  yours,  enough  to  make  you  ashamed  of  the  ver- 
min and  filth  that  is  seated  there :  so  it  is  in  faith,  that  glass 
would  show  you  so  much  corruption  cleaving  to  every  action 


Serm.  23.]  the  lord  our  light.  567 

of  your  lives,  that  would  make  you  sin  sick,  and  mourn  that 
you  have  known  God  so  Ions:,  and  are  like  him  so  little.  What 
says  Paul  ?  Who  shall  deliver  me  from  the  body  of  this  death  7 
NotwitlistandAig  he  knew  that  "  there  is  no  condemnation  to 
them  that  are  in  Christ  Jesus,"  yet  cries  out,  "  O  wretched  man 
that  I  am  !"  I  should  have  thought,  O  happy  man  that  thou 
art !  formerly  a  persecutor,  and  now  a  preacher ;  a  man  that 
has  been  honored  so  much  above  every  man  in  planting 
churches,  which  is  the  highest  honor  a  man  can  have  under 
heaven  ;  here  is  a  man  that  hath  been  wrapped  up  to  the  th;rd 
heaven, — what  of  him?  "O  wretched  man  that  I  am,  who 
shall  deliver  me  from  this  body  of  sin  and  death  ?"  Do  you 
think  that  it  was  only  a  little  qualm  of  conscience?  No,  it 
was  the  habitual  temper  of  his  heart.  Some  people  are  much 
humbled  by  fits  and  starts,  but  Paul  felt  this  daily.  Many 
things  that  we  are  not  concerned  about,  Paul  looked  upon  as 
such  as  made  his  heart  ache,  because  he  thought  he  could  not 
live  near  enough  to  God.  He  not  only  watclied  to  do  good, 
but  he  watched  how  he  did  that  good  ;  and  nature  was  so 
mixed  with  it,  that  he  said,  I  cannot  do  as  I  would  do,  I  would 
have  served  God  like  an  angel,  but  I  find  myself  to  be  a  poor 
sinner  after  all ;  and  if  we  are  like-minded  with  Paul,  we  shall 
mourn  over  our  corruptions,  we  shall  mourn  over  our  hidden 
sins  that  none  know  but  God  and  ourselves.  It  is  a  very  dan- 
gerous thing  to  trust  gospel  gossips,  who,  being  strangers  to 
themselves,  hear  with  wonder  and  contempt,  and  often  betray; 
however,  a  judicious  friend,  into  whose  bosom  we  can  pour  out 
our  souls,  and  tell  our  corruptions  as  well  as  our  comforts,  is  a 
very  great  privilege.  When  our  corruptions  do  not  drive  us 
from  Clu'ist,  but  drive  us  to  him,  it  is  the  greatest  blessing  to 
commune  with  Christ  on  this  side  heaven  :  and,  my  brethren, 
if  your  hearts  are  right  with  God,  you  will  see  such  things  as 
nobody  else  could  think  of  A  good  woman,  who  was  charm- 
ed with  Dr.  Manton,  said,  "  O,  sir,  you  have  made  an  excellent 
sermon  to-day  ;  I  wish  I  had  your  heart."  "  Do  you  say  so," 
said  he,  "  good  woman,  you  had  better  not  wish  for  it,  for  if 
you  had  it,  you  would  wish  for  your  own  again."  The  best 
of  men  see  themselves  in  the  worst  lii^ht. 

How  many  thousand  thino^  are  there  that  make  you  mourn 
here  below !  who  can  tell  the  tears  that  godly  parents  shed  for 
ungodly  children  !  O  you  young  folks,  you  do  not  know  what 
plague  your  children  may  be  to  you  !  O  they  are  pretty  thingfs 
while  young,  like  rattlesnakes  and  alligators,  which  I  have  seen 
when  little,  but  put  them  in  your  bosom  and  you  will  find  that 
they  are  dangerous.  How  many  are  there  in  the  world  that 
would  wish,  if  it  were   lawful,  that  God  had  written  them 


568  THE  LORD  OL'R  LIGHT.  [Seim.  23. 

childless ;  there  is  many  a  poor  creature  that  makes  his 
father's  heart  ache.  I  once  asked  a  godly  widow,  "  madam, 
how  is  your  son  ?"  she  turned  aside  with  tears,  and  said,  "sir, 
he  is  no  son  to  me  now."  What  in  the  world  can  come  up  to 
that!  Here,  says  one,  I  have  bred  up  my  children,  I  cannot 
charge  myself  with  educating  them  wrong,  though  few  pa- 
Tents  can  say  that,  for  many  parents  lead  them  into  the  paths 
of  death,  and  so  are  murderers  of  their  own  children,  and  by 
their  manner  of  education  help  to  damn  them  for  ever ;  but  if 
you  can  say,  I  have  done  all  I  could,  and  yet,  O  my  God,  my 
children  are  worse  than  any  other  people's ;  this  is  a  dreadful 
state  indeed  ;  and  the  more  you  mourn,  the  more  they  laugh 
at  you  ;  O  these  are  my  godly  parents.  They  increase  their 
trouble,  like  Dr.  Horneck's  son,  who  said,  there  is  not  a  jjost 
in  my  father'' s  Jionse  hut  stm]:s  of  jyiety.  I  once  saw  a  man 
that  Vv^as  awakened  at  the  Orphan-house,  fall  down  and  throw 
himself  on  one  of  their  beds,  cryins:  out,  "  O,  sir,  what  will 
become  of  my  poor  grey-headed  father,  who  knows  nothing 
of  this  birth  !"  It  is  a  difficulty  with  some  to  know  how  to 
behave  towards  unconverted  relations  ;  if  you  do  not  go  to 
them,  they  will  say  you  are  precise ;  if  you  do,  and  are  faith- 
ful, they  will  soon  show  you  they  have  enough  of  your  com- 
pany; this  sends  a  godly  person  hom.e  mourning;  and  then 
there  comes  a  thought,  shall  I  speak  to  them  any  more,  or  let 
them  go  to  the  devil.  This  is  not  like  parting  from  your  friends 
by  death,  but  burying  them  alive :  when  dead,  we  know  we 
must  submit,  but  to  part  from  friends,  those  we  loved,  and 
thought  to  have  lived  with  till  we  came  to  heaven,  is  mourn- 
ful indeed. 

Moreover,  the  poor  state  of  the  church  makes  many  a  min- 
ister and  close  walker  with  God  to  weep  over  the  desolations 
of  the  sanctuary,  and  to  mourn  for  those  that  will  not  mourn 
for  themselves :  thus  our  Lord  wept  over  Jerusalem.  O  Jeru- 
salerfi,  Jerifsale?7i,  hoiv  often  woidd  I  have  gathered  thy  child 
ren^  as  a  hen  gathereth  her  chickens^  but  it  is  over  with  thee 
now :  the  decree  is  gone  forth,  and  Jerusalem  shall  suffer. 

Brethren,  the  time  will  fail,  and  therefore  I  leave  it  to  you  to 
supply  more  cases ;  for  if  I  was  to  preach  till  to-m.orrow  morn- 
ing, I  doubt  not  but  a  thousand  here  would  say,  there  are  many 
things  you  have  not  mentioned  yet.  You  know^  the  state  of 
your  own  hearts,  and  the  many  particular  trials  in  your  cwn 
cAse  ;  and  you  may  also  know,  though  your  trial  seems  over, 
it  is  only  changed.  But  let  it  be  observed,  the  days  of  your 
mourning:  shall  be  ended  ;  mind  it  is  but  days,  though  some- 
times made  very  sad  ones  indeed,  by  the  neglect  and  ingrati- 
tude of  those  v/ho  have  made  the  people  of  God  serve  them 


Serm.  23.]  the  lord  our  light.  569 

witli  rigor,  as  though  all  the  world  was  made  for  them,  as  well 
as  their  incapacity  to  help  themselves,  by  poverty,  pain,  sore 
sicknesses,  and  of  long  continuance.  This  has  been,  and  is 
the  lot  of  many  a  child  of  God  :  blessed  be  sovereign  mercy, 
it  is  but  a  few  days.  An  end  shall  arrive,  and  that  end  shall 
be  happy,  when  death,  the  believer's  friend,  shall  come  with 
an  angel's  face,  to  dismiss  them  from  all  their  sin  and  sorrow. 
When  I  was  at  Bristol,  I  could  not  help  remembering  good 
Mr.  Middleton,  who  used,  you  know,  to  have  the  gout  very 
much,  and  in  that  closet  were  kept  his  crutches:  now,  thought 
I,  he  needs  them  no  more ;  the  days  of  his  mourning  are  ended, 
and  so  shall  ours  be  by  and  by  too,  when  we  shall  no  longer 
want  our  spiritual  crutches  or  armor,  but  shall  say  to  the  hel- 
met of  hope,  the  shield  of  faith,  I  have  no  more  need  of  thee  ; 
and  the  all-prevaihng  weapon  of  prayer  be  changed  into  songs 
of  endless  praise  ;  when  God  himself  shall  be  our  everlasting 
light,  a  sun  that  never  shall  go  down  more,  but  shall  beam 
forth  his  infinite  and  eternal  love  in  a  beatific  state  for  ever. 
The  prospect  of  this  made  one  of  the  fathers  cry  out,  O  glory ! 
iiow  great!  how  great !  what  art  thou?  A  friend  fisked  him 
what  he  saw.  He  answered,  I  see  the  glory  of  the  only  be- 
gotten Son  of  God.  And  if  a  sight  of  Christ  on  earth  is  so 
great,  as  could  make  good  Mr.  Wardrobe,  an  excellent  Scotch 
minister,  say,  after  he  was  given  over,  starting  up  in  the  arms 
of  an  excellent  friend  who  told  it  me,  in  a  rapture  of  joy, 
crowns !  crowns !  crowns  of  glory  shall  adorn  this  head  of 
mine  ere  long !  and  stretching  up,  added,  palms  !  palms  !  palms 
shall  ere  long  fill  these  hands  of  mine !  and  so  sweetly  fell 
asleep  in  Jesus,  What  a  pleasing,  awful  trial  is  that  for  an 
affectionate  friend  !  So  our  dear  sister,  who  is  to  be  buried  to- 
morrow night  at  Tottenham-court,  talked  with  her  friends  for 
an  hour  or  two,  and  took  leave  of  her  husband  and  children, 
and  said,  now  come,  ye  heavenly  chariots !  We  will  thank 
God  then  for  all  our  losses,  crosses,  and  disappointments  ;  and 
I  believe  those  things  which  we  mourn  for  most,  and  puts  us 
most  to  the  trial,  will  give  us  most  comfort  when  we  come  to 
die.  God  shall  be  our  everlasting  light,  as  well  as  the  days  of 
our  mourning  shall  be  ended. 

Take  care,  do  not  be  secure,  do  not  think  the  day  of  your 
mourning  to  be  ended  yet :  you  may  put  off  mourning  for 
your  friends,  but  may  have  fresh  cause  of  mourning  for  your 
souls ;  while  you  remember  that  holy  mourning  is  consistent 
with  holy  walking,  following  tlie  Lord  in  all  his  ways.  You 
have  often  heard  me  speak  of  one  of  our  ministers,  who  was 
not  one  of  your  fine  velvet  mouths,  that  said  once  in  the  pulpit, 
as  sure  as  you  see  the  sun  shine  on  my  breast,  which  at  that 

48* 


570  THE  LORD  OUR  LIGHT.  [Serm.  23, 

time  it  did,  so  sure  does  the  Spirit  of  God  dwell  in  the  souls 
of  true  believers.  How  often  has  he  told  you,  /  am  for  hav- 
ing you  have  godly  sorroio  ;  I  wish  your  hearts  ic  ere  full  of 
it,  because  it  will  end  in  everlasting  joy.  Comfort  one  an- 
other, my  brethren,  with  these  things,  the  day  of  your  mourning 
shall  soon  be  ended  for  ever. 

Bat  what  am  I  to  say  ?  I  apprehend  I  shall  grow  forgetful 
to-night.  I  have  spoken  so  much  to  saints,  I  am  afraid  I  shall 
have  little  time  to  speak  to  sinners  ;  I  mean,  I  have  taken  so 
much  time  up  in  speaking  to  you  that  know  God,  that  I  have 
little  to  speak  to  you  that  know  him  not.  How  different  your 
state,  poor  hearts  !  poor  hearts  !  My  soul  mourns  for  you  ;  my 
blood,  whilst  I  am  speaking,  is  ready  to  curdle  in  my  veins. 
The  seraphic  Mr.  Herv^ey,  when  he  did  me  the  honor  to  so- 
journ under  my  roof,  said,  "  My  dear  friend,  it  is  an  awful 
thing  when  we  see  an  unconverted  man  die,  and  his  eyes 
closed,  to  think,  that  that  poor  soul  will  never  see  one  gleam 
of  comfort  or  life  more  ;  to  have  a  sight  of  God,  of  Christ,  and 
the  heavenly  angels  and  saints  :  but  to  see  what  the  rich  man 
saw,  a  God  they  Avant ;  to  see  Lazarus,  whom  he  would  not 
permit  to  be  seen  at  his  door,  now  taken  particular  notice  of  in 
heaven ;  and  to  see  himself  now  a  beggar  in  hell."  The 
Lord  help  you  to  think  1  O  think  how  soon  your  sun  will  go 
down,  and  even  your  bodies  will  feel  damnation,  not  only  in 
respect  to  pain,  but  loss. 

Bishop  Usher's  opinion  was,  and  I  heartily  concur  in  it, 
that  those  who  value  themselves  most  on  their  beauty  and 
dress,  and  do  not  love  God  on  earth,  will  be  most  deformed  in 
hell,  and  their  bodies  suffer  proportionally  there.  There  is  no 
dressmg  in  hell,  nothing  but  fire  and  brimstone  there,  and  the 
wrath  of  God  always  awaiting  on  thee,  O  sinner,  whoever 
thou  art,  man  or  woman.  It  was  a  fine  saying  of  Maclane, 
who  was  executed  some  years  ago,  when  the  cap  was  pulling 
over  his  eyes,  must  I  never  see  the  light  of  yon  sun  anymore  ; 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  thou  Sun  of  Righteousness  arise  with 
healing  under  thy  wings  on  my  departing  soul !  May  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  do  that  for  us  all !  When  you  are  damned, 
the  days  of  your  mourning  will  be  but  at  their  beginning ; 
there  is  no  end  of  your  mourning  in  hell.  There  is  but  one 
song,  if  it  may  be  called  so,  in  hell,  to  wit,  that  of  Dives, 
which  will  be  always  repeating,  "How  am  I  tormented  in  this 
flame !"  Consider  this  ye  that  forget  God :  and  O  that  God 
may  bless  you  to-night  with  godly  sorrow.  Believers,  pray  for 
them.  Lord  help  you,  sinners,  to  pray  for  your  vile  selves. 
Some  may  think  what  do  you  cry  for?  Why,  I  cry  for  you. 
Perhaps  you  will  say  as  a  wicked  one  did  to  a  poor  woman 


Serm.  24.]  self  iNauiRY,  &c.  571 

in  Scotland,  when  thousands  were  awakened  there ;  seeing 
her  weep,  he  said  what  do  you  weep  for  7  For  this  people, 
says  she  ;  weep  for  yourself,  says  he  ;  she  replied,  I  do  ;  but 
what  is  my  soul  to  all  these  poor  souls  !  O  that  ministers  may 
never  rise  up  in  judgment  against  you  ?  O  may  Moses,  in 
the  hand  of  the  Spirit,  make  you  mourn  !  may  the  love  of 
God  make  you  cry  !  may  you  not  go  home  to-night  without 
an  arrow  steeped  in  the  blood  of  Christ.  It  was  wonderful 
what  a  good  woman,  awaking,  thought  she  saw  Avritten  over 
her  head,  O  earthy  earth,  earthy  hear  the  loord  of  the  Lord  .■ 
May  every  faithful  soul  be  made  to  hear  it ;  to  awake,  arise 
from  their  sleep  in  sin.  The  sun  is  going  down,  and  death 
may  put  an  end  to  all  to-night :  the  Lord  help  you  to  come 
though  it  is  the  eleventh  hour.  O  that  you  would  fly,  fly  this 
night  to  Christ,  lest  God  destroy  you  for  ever.  Jesus  stands 
ready  with  open  arms  to  receive  you  whom  he  has  first  pricked 
to  the  heart,  and  made  you  cry  out,  "  What  shall  I  do  to  be 
saved  !''  He  will  then  make  you  believe  in  his  name,  that  you 
may  be  saved.  God  grant  this  may  be  the  case  of  all  here  to- 
night.    Amen. 


SERMON  XXIV. 


SELF  INQUIRY  CONCERNING  THE  WORK  OF  GOD. 


Numbers  xxiii.  23. 

According  to  this  time  it  shall  he  said  of  Jacob  and  of  Israel,  What 
hath  God  wrought  7 

When  T  read  you,  my  dear  hearers,  these  words  ;  when  I 
consider  what  occasion,  and  by  whom  they  were  originally 
spoken,  T  cannot  help  thinking  of  that  triumphant  expression 
of  the  royal  Psalmist,  "  Why  do  the  heathen  rage?"  When 
Pontius  Pilate  and  the  Jews  conspire  to  destroy  the  cause  of 
God,  '•  he  that  sitteth  in  heaven  laughs  them  to  scorn  ;"  the 
Lord  not  only  has  them  in  derision,  but  overrules  even  their 
malice  and  violence  (no  thanks  to  them)  to  promote  that  very 
cause  they  attempted  to  destroy  ;  so  that  it  is  a  very  wrong 
maxim,  and  argues  great  ignorance  in  us,  to  imagine  that  God 


572  SELF  INQUIRY  CONCERNING  [Serm.'  24. 

never  brings  about  his  designs  by  the  means  and  instrumen- 
taUty  of  wicked  men.  This  is  the  Papist's  objection  against 
the  reformation  :  great  pains  have  been  taken  to  blacken  the 
reformers,  and  to  make  it  be  beheved  that  a  reformation  could 
not  be  good  that  was  begun  by  people  of  bad  character,  and  a 
king  of  an  immoral  life.  But  so  far  is  this  from  eclipsing,  that 
it  illustrates  the  wisdom  and  goodness  of  divine  providence,  in 
obliging  the  wicked  to  do  what  they  never  designed,  and 
overruling  their  counsels  for  the  fulfilling  of  God's  holy,  wise, 
and  sovereign  decree.  This  observation  naturally  arises  from 
the  words  of  our  text,  which  were  spoken  by,  as  far  as  I  can 
judge,  one  of  the  vilest  men  upon  the  earth :  you  doubtless 
know  his  name,  Balaam,  who,  though  florid  in  his  expres- 
sions, and  high  in  profession  of  intercourse  with  God,  and  puts 
on  a  fine  face  of  religion,  was  but  a  rotten  hearted  hypocrite, 
for  he  divined  for  money,  made  a  trade  of  religion ;  and  so 
loved  the  wages  of  unrighteousness,  as  to  have  wished  to  curse 
even  those  whom  God  had  blessed.  I  need  not  inform  you, 
that  this  was  the  end  for  which  Balak  sent  for  him ;  and  no 
wonder  he  was  so  willing  to  go,  when  he  knew  he  was  to  be 
well  paid  for  his  journey.  Achilles,  the  Grecian  hero,  is  said 
to  be  capable  of  being  wounded  only  in  the  heel,  but  bad 
priests,  ministers,  and  people,  have  a  great  deal  more  danger- 
ous part  to  be  wounded  in,  that  is  the  palm  of  the  hand  ;  if 
you  can  keep  that  secure  from  being  wounded  with  gold, 
never  fear  :  the  devil  cannot  have  his  end.  Balak  promised 
him  great  preferment,  if  he  would  but  come  and  curse  the 
people  of  God.  A  prophet,  or  soothsayer,  is  one  that  pretends 
to  have  intercourse  with  God  or  the  devil,  and  Balak  did  not 
care  by  which  of  them  it  was,  so  that  he  could  but  get  the 
Israelites  cursed.  Balaam  catches  at  the  golden  bait,  pretends 
to  ask  counsel  of  God  ;  and  what  seems  strange,  God  bids 
him  go  and  yet  sends  an  angel  to  meet  him  in  the  way,  who 
stands  ready  to  slay  him  for  going.  Does  it  not  seem  very 
strange,  that  God  should  bid  a  man  go,  and  then  slay  him  for 
going;  but  people  that  read  this  passage,  should  carefully 
mind  the  particulars  of  it.  God  said,  if  the  men  come  and 
call  thee,  go  ;  but  he  did  not  wait  for  that,  but  saddles  his  ass 
and  goes  ;  this  is  called  by  St.  Peter  the  madness  of  the  pro- 
phet :  witness  his  rising  early  in  the  morning,  not  waiting  for 
the  call  of  the  princes,  which  showed  how  eager  he  was  to  be 
gone :  and  though  this  solution  should  not  be  allowed,  God 
was  justly  angry  for  his  going  with  an  ill  design,  that  is,  mah- 
ciously  to  curse  a  people  whom  he  knew  God  resolved  should 
be  blessed,  and  that  for  the  sake  of  the  wages  of  unrighteous- 


Serm.  24.]  the  work  of  god.  573 

ness.*  The  king  and  his  nobles  wait  upon  him,  in  hopes  this 
soothsayer  will  answer  their  purpose  ;  but  after  all  he  can  do 
nothing  without  God's  leave :  however,  no  cost  is  spared  to 
obtain  the  end  ;  so  true  is  it,  that  the  devil's  children  are  ten 
thousand  times  more  expensive  in  persecuting  the  people  of 
God,  than  God's  people  are  in  promoting  his  glory.  This 
soothsaying  priest  pretends  to  go  to  God,  which  is  permitted, 
but  forced  to  speak  what  God  would  have  him ;  once  and 
again  his  mouth  is  stopped,  or  rather  his  curses  are  stopped 
and  turned  into  a  blessing.  Balak,  enraged  at  his  repeated 
disappointment,  bids  him  neither  to  curse  or  bless  them  at  all ; 
and  thinking,  perhaps,  that  the  sight  of  the  people  affected 
him,  carries  him  to  a  place  where  he  would  see  but  a  small 
part  of  them  ;  he  goes,  and  there  God  made  him  confirm  the 
blessing  instead  of  the  curse,  more  abundantly  than  before. 
Oratory  is  beautiful,  though  out  of  the  mouth  of  the  worst  of 
men :  "  Surely,  (said  he,)  there  is  no  enchantment  against 
Jacob,  neither  is  there  any  divination  against  Israel.  Behold, 
the  people  shall  rise  up  as  a  great  lion,  and  lift  up  himself  as 
a  young  lion ;  he  shall  not  lie  down  until  he  eat  of  the  prey, 
and  drink  the  blood  of  the  slain ;"  having  said  just  before, 
According  to  this  iim.e  it  shall  be  said  of  Jacob  and  Israel^ 
what  hath  God  loroug'ht  ! 

What  words  are  here  out  of  the  mouth  of  a  wicked  man ! 
and  yet  I  hope  it  Avill  do  no  hurt  to  choose  them  as  a  proper 
subject  for  an  evening  meditation.  Let  us  leave  this  profane 
diviner,  and  the  king  his  employer,  vexed  that  they  could  not 
get  their  end  of  the  people  of  God  ;  let  us  snatch  the  words 
out  of  the  vile  prophet's  mouth,  and  see  if  we  can  serve  him 
as  David  did  Goliath,  take  his  sword  and  cut  off  his  head. 
Some  people  run  to  extremes,  and  because  some  have  abused 
religion,  therefore  they  think  there  is  no  religion  at  all.  Per- 
haps it  is  for  this  reason,  that  so  many  offenses  are  permitted 
to  happen  in  the  churches,  that  one  of  the  twelve  should  be  a 
traitor,  and  that  the  devil  should  come  with  his  Bible  under 
his  arm  to  tempt  us  to  disbelieve  or  abuse  it,  by  which  God 
stirs  up  the  people  of  God  to  watch,  fight,  and  pray. 

How  should  we  take  the  words  of  our  text  ?  By  way  of 
interrogation,  or  admiration  ?  As  speaking  in  a  prophetic 
strain  how  God  had  wrought,  and  did  then  work  and  would 
afterwards  work  for  the  prosperity  of  his  faithful  Jacob  and 
his  posterity,  the  Israel  of  God. 

*  It  is  no  unusual  thing  in  holy  writ,  for  heaven  to  resent  and  punish  even 
those  actions  that  it  has  permitted.  Witness  Deut.  i.  20 — 35,  compared  with 
Numb.  xiii.  2 — Hos.  xiii.  11,  compared  with  1  Sam.  viii.  7,  chap.  xv.  23,  chap, 
xvi.  1— Psalms  Ixxii.  11,  12,  &c.  &c. 


574  SELF  INQUIRY  CONCERNING  [Serm.  24. 

Suppose  we  take  them  in  the  way  of  question,  which,  per- 
haps, is  most  agreeable  to  the  context,  and  it  may  be  most 
serviceable  to  you  and  to  me  ;  and  in  order  that  1  may  not 
run  into  too  great  a  field  to-night,  I  will  confine  myself  to 
what  Balaam  confines  himself,  from  this  time  it  shall  be  said 
of  Jacob  and  Israel^  (in  a  way  of  inquiry,)  lohat  hath  God 
wrought  ? 

li  we  look  around  the  world  and  survey  the  works  of  crea- 
tion, "  the  heavens  declare  God's  glory ;  and  the  firmament 
showeth  thy  handy  work."  If  we  look  further  my  brethren, 
down  upon  these  bodies  of  ours,  if  we  consider  the  curious 
form  of  them,  we  may  cry,  what  hath  God  wrought !  Surely 
I  am  fearfully  and  wonderfully  made  ;  and  when  Ave  consi- 
der that  we  are  made  up  of  four  elements  ;  when  we  consider 
to  what  casualties  we  are  exposed,  how  wonderfully  these 
bodies  have  been  kept  up,  when  thousands  have  dropped  into 
the  ^rave  before  us,  we  may  well  say,  lohat  hath  God  wrought ! 
But  I  rather  choose  to  confine  myself  to  that  better  part :  and 
I  am  persuaded,  we  shall  never  go  to  heaven  unless  God  works 
powerfully  on  our  souls.  Supposing  you  and  I  now  were  to 
forget  all  created  beings  ;  supposing  we  were  to  forget  our 
neighbors  to-night,  and  to  hear  only  for  ourselves,  as  the 
shades  of  evening  are  coming  on,  and  as  we  are  going  shortly 
to  rest,  may  be  to  rise  no  more  in  this  lower  world,  what  if 
we  should  steal  a  little  time  from  our  shop,  a  little  time  from 
our  worldly  business,  as  we  know  not  but  we  may  be  called 
to  judgment  to-morrow,  and  ask  and  say,  O  my  soul,  what 
hath  God  wrought  in  thy  heart  ?  I  am  glad  to  hear  you  are 
so  inquisitive. 

Observe,  lohat  hath  God  wrought  !  Now  whatever  is  done 
in  us,  is  all  done  by  God :  it  is  all  done  by  an  almighty  power, 
and  it  is  all  the  effect  of  infinite  wisdom.  Supposing  then  you 
and  I  aj'e  new  creatures,  hath  God,  O  my  soul,  wrought  in 
thee  a  deep,  a  penitent,  an  humbling  sense  of  thy  transg^ressions 
against  his  holy  law  ?  This  is  a  most  important  question; 
this  is  the  very  beginning  of  religion ;  this  is  the  very  first 
letter  of  the  christian's  alphabet,  the  first  line  in  his  book ;  with 
this  Christ  himself  began  to  teach  fallen  man.  Adam^  where 
art  thou7  was  the  first  question  that  the  Son  of  God  put  to  his 
fallen  creatures ;  what  condition  art  thou  in  ?  How  art  thou 
fallen,  thou  son  of  the  morning !  and  when  he  came  to  the 
woman,  he  took  the  same  way,  he  preached,  and  ministers 
should  preach  conviction  first ;  what  is  this,  saith  God,  thou 
hast  done  7  To  break  thy  husband,  and  bring  all  thy  posterity 
unto  ruin  ?  And  it  seems  to  me  that  there  was  a  conscious- 
ness in  this ;  and  1  wonder  sometimes,  the  deists  have  not  ran 


I 


Serm.  24.]  the  work  of  god.  575 

so  far  as  to  do  it  in  jest.  I  do  not  know  that  I  ever  heard  of  a 
female  child's  name  called  Eve ;  probably,  we  are  ashamed  to 
call  a  child  by  that  name,  because  of  the  guilt  of  our  mother 
Eve,  that  brought  us  all  into  sin.  Now  hath  God  wrought  in 
you  1  Hath  he  given  this  conviction  to  you  ;  not  a  little  flight 
now  and  then,  or  a  qualm  of  thy  conscience ;  the  devil  and 
natural  conscience  may  do  this ;  but  when  it  is  wrought  in  thy 
heart  by  the  Spirit  of  God,  it  goes  to  the  bottom,  the  arrow 
sticks  fast,  and  a  poor  soul  sometimes  endeavors  to  pray,  en- 
deavors to  pull  it  out,  but  in  vain.  Hath  God  wrought  this  in 
thy  soul  ?  When  God  works  this  change  in  the  soul,  the  devil 
is  always  busy  in  tempting  the  poor  convicted  sinner  to  de- 
spond if  not  despair.  Ignorant  formalists,  who  are  some  of 
the  worst  people  under  heaven,  when  a  person  is  under  con- 
viction, think  the  devil  is  in  them,  whereas  the  de\41  is  in 
themselves  ;  for  the  devil  hoodwinks  people,  and  he  endeavors 
to  persuade  them,  that  there  is  no  harm  done  to  God  by  sin- 
ning against  him.  It  is  God  wounds  the  soul,  and  it  is  he  that 
heals  it.  Has  he  wrought  in  thee  not  only  a  deep  and  hum- 
bling sense  of  the  outward  acts  of  sin,  but  an  humbling  sense 
of  the  inward  corruptions  of  thy  heart  ?  Has  he  led  tliee  be- 
yond the  streams,  through  the  powerful  operations  of  his  Spi- 
rit, to  the  fountain  head  J  When  he  has  done  so,  then  are  we 
christians  indeed ;  and  this  cannot  be  the  work  of  the  devil, 
who  never  did,  nor  do  I  know  whether  he  can,  show  a  person 
the  inward  corruptions  of  his  heart ;  it  must  be  the  Spirit  of 
God.  The  devil  may  frig^hten  a  person,  as  to  outward  things, 
but  I  very  much  question  whether  it  is  in  the  power  or  will  of 
the  devil  to  show  a  person  that  he  is  totally  depraved,  that  the 
whole  fountain  is  corrupt ;  this  cannot  be,  because  this  would 
make  the  devil  omnipotent,  of  equal  power  with  the  Holy 
Ghost,  who  alone  shows  thee  the  guilt  and  corruption  of  thy 
heart.  This  I  hav^e  found  to  be  the  fact,  from  thirty  years' 
observation  and  experience  of  thousands  and  thousands  with 
whom  I  have  spoken  about  their  hearts.  So  it  was,  I  remem- 
ber, when  I,  went  first  to  Georgia,  when  I  was  about  twenty- 
five  years  old.  I  had  them  day  after  day,  week  after  week, 
and  night  after  night,  saying.  What  shall  I  do  to  be  saved  ? 
O  my  wicked  heart,  my  deceitful  heart,  from  morning  to  night. 
Hath  God  wrought  this  in  any  of  you  ?  Arc  you  complain- 
ing of  your  wicked  heart  and  corrupt  nature  ?  Have  you 
found  out  that  your  hearts  are  cages  of  unclean  birds,  only  a 
lodging  for  vain  thoughts  to  dwell  in  ?  O  my  friends,  my  dear 
hearers,  O  may  you  turn  the  question  into  a  note  of  admira- 
tion, and  say,  what  hath  God  wrought  I  He  has  not  only 
convinced  me  of  my  outward  sins,  but  powerfully  convinced 


576  SELF  ixauiRY  coxcERxixG  [Serm.  24. 

nie  of  the  corruptions  of  my  heart.  Do  ask  yourselves  this 
question,  lias  God  wroui^ht  in  me  a  view  of  the  spirituality  of  his 
holy  law  ?  Till  tliis  is  done,  you  are  as  fast  in  the  devil's  arms 
as  he  can  clasp  you.  Of  all  the  children  the  devil  has  in  the 
world,  I  believe  he  mostly  loves  his  pharisaical  children.  I 
was  walking  with  one  of  them  some  time  ago,  and  somebody 
very  innocently  asked  me  where  the  pharisees  lived,  O,  said  I, 
they  live  every  where.  Some  people  think  that  they  only  lived 
in  the  times  of  the  apostles.  Do  you  know,  vipers  and  toads 
have  the  most  eggs  and  most  numerous  progeny  ?  If  you  was 
to  see  the  eggs  of  a  toad  through  a  microscope,  you  would 
wonder  at  the  innumerable  multiuide ;  and  the  pharisees  are 
an  increasing  generation  of  vipers,  which  hatch  and  spread  all 
over  the  world.  If  you  want  to  know  what  a  pharisee  is,  he 
is  one  who  pretends  to  endeavor,  and  talks  about  keeping  the 
law  of  God,  and  does  not  know  its  spirituality;  they  are  some 
of  them  very  great  men  in  their  own  opinion,  and  always  made 
the  ofreatest  fio^ure  in  the  church  :  one  of  them,  a  gentleman's 
son,  because  he  had  not  broke  the  letter  of  the  law,  thought  he 
was  right  and  without  sin.  O,  says  he,  if  I  have  nothing  else 
to  do  but  to  keep  the  commandments,  I  am  safe  ;  I  have  ho- 
nored my  father  and  mother  ;  I  never  stole.  What  need  he 
steal  that  had  so  good  an  estate  ?  I  never  committed  adultery. 
No,  no,  he  loved  his  character  too  well :  but  our  Lord  opens 
to  him  the  law,  this  one  thing  thou  lackest^  go  sell  all  thou 
hast :  he  loved  his  money  more  than  his  God.  Christ  brought 
him  back  to  the  first  commandment,  though  he  catechized  hiim 
first  in  the  fifth.  So  Paul  was  a  pharisee  ;  he  says,  "  I  was 
alive  without  the  law  once  ;  I  was,  touching  the  law,  blame 
less."  How  can  that  be,  can  a  man  be  without  the  law,  and 
yet,  touching  the  law,  blameless  ?  Says  he,  I  was  without  the 
law  ;  that  is,  I  was  not  brought  to  see  the  spirituality  of  it ;  I 
thought  myself  a  ver/"good  man,  no  man  could  say  of  Paul, 
black  is  his  eye  ;  but,  saith  he,  when  God  brought  the  com- 
mandment with  power  upon  my  soul,  then  I  saw  my  specks, 
and  do  now.  Pray  mind  and  say  the  commandments,  if  you 
go  to  church  you  see  them,  and  if  you  go  to  meeting  I  hope 
you  have  not  forgot  them ;  "  thou  shalt  not  bear  false  witness 
against  thy  neighbor;  thou  shalt  not  covet ;"  from  repeating 
the  last  commandment,  we  are  taught  that  God's  law  is  spi- 
ritual. "  I  should  not  have  known  sin,"  as  the  apostle  said, 
''  if  the  law  had  not  said,  thou  shalt  not  covet."  Now  has  God 
wrought  in  you  these  things?  Hast  thou  really  seen  his  law, 
that  it  is  spiritual  ?  Have  you  been  made  to  see  that  the  law 
of  God  requires  perfect,  sinless  obedience?  Have  you  been 
made  to  see  that  you  are  under  the  curse,  because  you  have 


Serm.  24.]  the  work  of  god.  577 

sinned,  by  the  inward  teaching  of  the  blessed  Spirit  of  God? 
For  then  be  assured,  as  sure  as  thou  art  in  this  place,  God  has 
wrought  this  in  thy  soul,  and  thou  mayest  turn  the  question 
to  admiration,  and  say,  what  has  God  wrought!  Has  he 
wrought  in  thee  a  sense  of  unbelief,  that  thou  canst  no  more 
believe  than  thou  canst  create  a  world  ?  I  mention  this,  be- 
cause I  have  told  you  often,  and  I  am  in  the  same  mind  ;  yet 
there  are  very  iew  books  that  talk  about  unbelief;  there  is  a 
lonof  catalogue  of  sins,  but  not  one  word  about  unbelief  Why? 
O  because  these  good  folks,  that  have  written  communion 
books,  take  it  for  granted,  all  folks  that  go  to  church  are  be- 
lievers ;  I  take  it  there  are  more  unbelievers  in  the  church  than 
out  of  it.  Why,  say  you,  do  not  they  assent  to  the  gospel  ?  So 
does  the  devil.  Do  not  they  assent  to  all  the  articles  of  the 
christian  faith  ?  So  does  the  devil ;  the  devil  is  a  stronger  be- 
liever than  an  Arian ;  the  devil  is  a  stronger  believer  than  a 
Socinian  ;  he  believes  Christ  is  God,  for  he  has  felt  his  power 
by  his  damning  him  to  hell :  "  we  know  thee  who  thou  art,  the 
Holy  one  of  God." 

But  remember  Christ  says,  when  he  is  gone,  the  Spirit  of  God 
shall  come  to  reprove  the  world ;  in  the  margin  it  is  convince,  and 
not  a  transient  conviction,  but  a  conviction  that  fastens,  that 
brings  salvation  with  it ;  if  conviction  brings  its  own  evidence, 
surely  faith  must  bring  its  own  evidence  along  with  it  too  ;  now 
he  shall  convince  the  worlds  saith  our  Lord,  of  sin.  What  sin? 
The  sin  of  unbelief,  beca?ise  they  believe  not  in  me.  It  is  men- 
tioned by  Mr.  Hervey,  by  Mr.  Marshall  himself,  and  also  by 
somebody  else,  that  when  complaining  to  a  minister  that  he 
could  get  no  ease  to  his  soul,  and  having  told  the  minister  he 
confessed  his  sins  every  day,  he  put  them  all  down,  (a  man 
must  have  a  good  memory  that  can  do  that)  the  minister  said 
to  him,  I  think  your  catalogue  is  worth  nothing  at  all,  the 
grand  sin  is  not  mentioned.^  What  is  that  sir  ?  said  he.  The 
sin  of  unbelief:  a  sin  the  poor  creature  thought  he  had  never 
been  guilty  of  Has  God  wrought  in  thee  a  sense  of  thy  un- 
belief? What  blessed  times  have  I  seen  in  New,  as  well  as 
Old  England  and  Scotland,  when  thousands  were  awakened 
at  Edinburgh,  at  Glasgow,  and  many  other  places,  when  I  have 
seen  them  taken  out  of  the  congregation  by  scores,  and  asked 
what  is  the  matter  ?  what  do  you  want  ?  I  can't  believe  !  I 
can't  believe  !  I  can't  believe  !  We  think  we  can  believe  when 
we  will,  but  the  Spirit  alone  can  convince  us  we  have  no  faith ; 
the  Spirit  alone  can  convince  us  of  our  want  of  faith,  and  can 
alone  impart  it  to  the  poor  awakened  sinner  ;  consequently, 
you  may  ask  yourselves  whether  God  has  wrought  in  you,  not 
only  a  sense  of  your  misery,  but  also  a  sense  of  your  remedy ; 

49 


578  SELF  INQUIRY  CONCERNING  [Serm.  24. 

set  you  upon  liungeriiior  and  thirstino-,  sncli  a  Ijungerinor  and 
thirstino:  as  has  never  been  satisMed  but  by  an  application  of 
the  blood  of  Christ  imputed  to  you.  I  do  not  want  to  dispute 
upon  the  scriptures  with  any  body.  There  are  a  great  many 
good  men  who  have  been  prejudiced  by  Antinomian  principles 
and  practices,  and  because  some  people  have  run  to  a  dans^er- 
ous  extreme,  and  have  not  thought  proper  to  make  use  of  the 
word  imputed  at  all.  The  best  truth  may  be  spoiled  by  bad 
books ;  but  for  my  part,  I  am  more  than  ever  convinced,  that 
the  doctrine  of  an  imputed  righteousness,  is  a  doctrine  of  the 
gospel  :  and  that  as  Adam's  sin  is  imputed  to  me,  so  the  righ- 
teousness of  Christ  must  be  imputed  also.  J  stand  not  only  as 
a  pardoned  sinner,  but  as  a  justified  sinner.  I  stand  before 
God  justified,  and  so  do  all  whom  Jesus  Christ  has  purchased. 
Now  has  God  wrought  this  in  thee,  O  man  ;  in  thee,  O  woman  7 
I  am  not  going  to  ask,  whether  it  was  wrought  in  thee  by 
hearing  a  sermon,  or  reading  a  book  ;  God  may  make  use  of  a 
minister  or  of  a  book  :  and  1  do  not  hke  to  have  people  ^^^i  above 
ministers  and  books,  saying,  we  do  not  want  these.  God  draws 
with  the  cords  of  a  man,  and  gtnerally  draws  us  with  cords  by 
men  sucli  as  ourselves.  Canst  thou  say,  there  is  a  book,  there 
is  a  minister,  in  reading  or  hearing  which,  Christ's  blood  was 
applied,  and  the  Spirit  of  God  witnessed  with  my  spirit  that  I 
was  one  of  his  children  ]  Now  this  is  all  God"s  working,  in- 
deed it  is  ;  the  devil  cannot  do  this  ;  it  is  out  of  his  power  ;  he 
may  attempt  to  persuade  them  that  he  has  done  it,  when  he 
has  not,  and  cannot.  The  magicians  turned  their  rods  into 
serpents,  but  the  rod  of  Jehovah  swallowed  them  all  up.  Has 
the  Lord  God  wrought  a  change  of  heart  in  thee,  and  a  change 
of  life  as  a  consequence  of  that  ]  I  mention  this,  but  I  would 
have  every  body  that  stands  up  for  Christ's  imputed  righteous- 
ness, especially  as  some  good  people  are  apt  to  speak  of  it  and 
carry  it  very  high,  to  be  careful  in  the  san:ie  discourse  to  speak 
as  hiijhly  of  obedience  too,  to  Christ's  commandments.  I  do 
not  like  only  to  mention  (lie  word  promises,  and  when  people 
tell  me  they  hang  upon  the  promises,  I  always  ask  them  how 
do  you  hang  upon  them  ?  Have  you  the  thing  promised  ?  The 
promise  is,  that  the  promiser  should  come  to  my  soul ;  the  pro- 
mise is,  what,  my  brethren  ]  The  promise  is,  for  this  and  that 
good  tiling  ;  have  I  obtained  it  7  How  would  you  do  if  you 
were  to  take  false  bank  notes — if  you  were  to  take  false  bills  7 
The  people  generally  ask,  is  the  man  that  has  given  n)e  this  note 
worth  any  thing  /  If  you  have  a  bad  note,  you  go  to  the  notary 
and  note  it ;  you  say  I  was  to  have  had  this  note  paid  ten,  twen- 
ty, thirty  days  after  sight,  or  upon  sight ;  where  is  the  notary? 
They  note  it  and  protest.     Let  us  be  careful  then  to  see  that 


Serm.  24.]  the  work  of  god.  579 

God  pays  his  notes,  as  we  are  that  man  does.  Hast  thou  the 
thing  promised  ?  The  thing  promised  is,  all  peace,  and  all  joy 
— the  thing  promised  is  a  new  heart — the  thing  promised  is  a 
new  nature ;  and  therefore  David  goes  to  God  for  the  thing 
promised,  and  says,  Create  in  me  a  clean  heart.  O  God^  and 
renew  a  right  spirit  within  nie.  Now  is  this  the  case  of  thy 
heart  ?  The  devil  can  never  make  a  new  creature.  I  am  sure 
nothing  but  an  almighty  power  can  take  away  the  heart  of 
stone,  and  give  a  heart  of  flesh.  Has  God  wrought  this  in 
thee?  If  he  has,  though  it  has  not  come  to  such  a  height  as 
thou  would  wish,  yet  be  thankful  for  what  he  has  done,  and 
say,  what  has  God  icronght  in  me  !  Attend  to  the  word  ;'  I 
do  not  mean  lazily  ;  there  is  not  a  thing  upon  the  face  of  the 
earth  that  I  abhor  so  much  as  idleness  or  idle  people  ;  I  am  so 
far  from  haWng  a  lo\'-e  to  people  that  are  lazy,  that  if  I  had  the 
dealing  Avith  a  number  that  are  called  christians,  they  should 
go  to  bed  sooner,  and  get  up  sooner.  There  is  one  thing  that 
will  make  people  rise  sooner  in  the  morning  in  London,  and 
that  is,  for  merchants  to  agree  to  have  the  'Change  opened  at 
six,  and  that  will  make  people  as  much  alive  in  the  morning 
as  the  markets  are  after  people  have  been  traveling  all  night  to 
prepare  for  them. 

Has  God  wrought  in  you  a  spirit  of  zeal  and  love  ?  Has  he 
wrought  in  you  a  love  to  his  name,  a  zeal  for  his  cause  I  Has 
he  wrought  in  thy  heart  a  deadness  to  the  world,  that  you  can 
live  above  it  from  morning  to  night,  having  your  conversation 
in  heaven  ?  Has  he  wrought  in  thee  a  love  to  his  people,  not 
people  that  are  Calvinists  only — not  people  that  hold  univer- 
sal redemption  only — O  be  careful  of  that — O  what  nonsense 
is  that,  for  people  to  hold  universal  redemption,  and  yet  not 
love  all  mankind — what  nonsense  is  it  to  hold  election,  and 
not  as  the  elect  of  God,  to  put  on  botoels  of  mercy,  kindness, 
hum^hleness  of  mind,  meekness,  and  long  suffering  ;  as  the 
woman  said,  1  have  a  house  that  will  hold  a  hundred,  a  heart 
ten  thousand.  Has  he  wrought  in  thee  a  love  to  thy  enemies, 
so  that  thou  dost  not  only  love  them  that  love  thee,  but  them 
that  hate  thee?  What  say  you  ?  Must  I  put  a  snake  in  my 
bosom  ?  No,  no.  I  may  hate  the  conduct,  and  at  the  same 
time  pray  to  God  for  them.  'Enmity  is  an  eye  for  an  eye,  a 
tooth  for  a  tooth.  Love  as  Archbishop  Cranmer  did,  that  it 
became  a  proverb  concerning  him,  that  if  any  man  would 
make  him  his  friend,  he  must  do  him  an  injury.  Has  he 
wrought  in  thee  a  desire  to  go  to  heaven  ?  Has  he  wrought 
in  thee  such  a  love  to  Jesus,  that  you  prefer  him  to  the  heaven 
he  dwells  in  ?  We  count  heaven  a  fine  place,  and  we  may 
say,  I  am  glad  to  see  the  departed  saints  and  angels,  but  that 


580  SELF  INQUIRY  CONCERNING  [Serm.  24. 

will  be  nothing  unless  I  see  the  Lamb  in  the  midst  of  the 
throne.  Has  God  Avrought  in  thee  a  desire  to  promote  his 
glory,  to  be  upon  the  stretch  for  God,  to  deny  thyself,  to  take 
up  the  cross  daily  and  follow  him  ;  if  God  has  wrought  this  in 
thee,  and  I  verily  beheve  from  my  soul  he  has  wrought  it  in 
some  degree  in  many  of  you,  O  you  may  well  say,  what  has 
God  ivroiight !  especially  if  you  consider  the  manner,  and  the 
time  in  which  he  wrought  it ;  if  you  consider  the  instruments 
he  made  use  of,  when,  and  by  which  he  wrought  it ;  and  if 
you  consider  the  inestimable  price  that  was  paid  for  it,  and  the 
Spirit  taking  possession  of  your  hearts.  One  part  of  our 
entertainment  in  heaven  will  be,  to  count  the  steps  of  the  lad- 
der, by  Avhich  God  brought  us  there  ;  one  will  say,  God 
wrought  it  in  me  when  I  was  young ;  another,  when  I  had 
gi'ay  hairs.  Mary  Magdalen  will  say,  God  wrought  it  in  me 
when  I  was  a  sinner :  the  expiring  criminal  will  say,  God 
wrought  it  in  me  just  as  I  was  turned  off, — I  was  a  brand  pluck- 
ed out  of  the  burning.  The  anthem,  as  good  Mr.  Erskine 
observes,  Avill  be  in  heaven,  ichat  has  God  xcrovght  !  Curi- 
osity led  me  to  hear  the  preacher,  and  God  touched  my  heart ; 
there  was  a  young  fellow  called  emphatically  wicked  Will  of 
Plymouth,  who  came,  as  he  said,  to  pick  a  hole  in  the  preach- 
er's coat,  and  the  Holy  Ghost  picked  a  hole  in  his  heart.  What 
has  God  wrought,  to  work  it  in  you,  and  not  in  your  father  ; 
you,  and  not  your  children  ;  work  it  in  you,  and  not  a  fellow- 
servant  ;  work  it  in  one  brother  and  not  in  another;  all  these 
things  will  make  us  cry,  ichat  has  God  wrought  !  AVell,  I  do 
not  want  you  to  rest  in  this,  by  no  means  ;  I  do  not  like  to  hear 
people  talk  and  speak  against  inward  frames  and  inward 
works,  nor  do  I  like  to  hear  people  legal ;  let  every  thing  have 
its  proper  place.  It  is  about  thirty-three  years  ago,  or  very 
near,  when  a  man  came  to  me,  after  I  had  preached  upon 
marks  and  evidences,  at  Whitechapel,  I  think  it  was,  and  said, 
lam  come  to  tell  you,  that  I  do  not  choose  any  marks  at  all; 
then,  said  I,  you  must  be  content  with  the  marks  of  the  devil, 
for  you  must  have  the  one  or  the  other. 

Now,  my  brethren,  if  God  has  wrought  this  in  us,  what 
shall  I  say  7  Why,  I  pray  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  that  your  life 
and  mine  may  be  a  life  of  praise.  I  would  have  you  not  only 
Swell  upon  particular  words  of  God  set  home  upon  your 
hearts,  but  his  various  providences,  the  numerous  trials  he  has 
brought  you  through.  O  think  how  often  you  have  been 
kept,  think  how  often  you  would  have  run  away  from  God  if 
he  had  not  stopped  you  ;  what  has  God  wrought,  by  delivering 
me  from  blasphemous  thoughts  ;  what  has  God  wrought,  in 
snatching  me  out  of  the  jaws  of  ruin  ;  even  after  conversion, 


Serm.  24.]  the  work  op  god.  681 

when  I  was  damning  my  own  soul,  his  grace  arrested  me. 
Have  we  brought  ourselves  into  trials,  how  has  he  made  these 
very  trials  work  for  good ;  made  our  scolding  husbands  and 
wives,  persecuting  fathers,  friends  and  relations,  that  you  have 
thought  would  devour  you,  made  the  bulls  of  Bashan  instru- 
ments of  bringing  you  nearer  to  God  ;  and  eternity  will  be  too 
short  to  cry  perpetually,  what  hath  God  wrought ! 

And  if  God  hath  not  wrought  this  in  any  of  you  that  are 
here,  which  perhaps  may  be  the  case,  though  I  cannot  think 
what  should  bring  any  body  here  if  they  had  not  a  desire  of 
the  salvation  of  their  souls  ;  if  God  hath  not  wrought  it  in  you 
yet,  O.that  this  may  be  the  time ;  O  that  God  may  give  us 
some  parting  blessing;  that  some  poor  creatures  that  have 
nothing  but  the  devil's  work  in  them,  yet,  may  now  seek  after 
the  blessed  work  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  If  we  may  ask  what 
God  has  wrought,  let  me  ask  you  what  the  devil  hath  wrought 
in  you.  O  thou  unconverted  soul,  sin  has  made  thee  a  beast, 
made  thy  body,  which  ought  to  be  the  temple  of  the  living 
God,  a  cage  of  every  unclean  bird  ;  what  hath  Satan  wrought 
in  thee  ?  but  made  thee  a  nest  of  vile  stinking  swine ;  and 
what  will  he  give  thee?  Hell,  hell,  hell.  The  wages  the 
devil  gives,  no  man  can  live  by  ;  the  loages  of  sin  is  death  : 
and  here  I  come  to  bring  you  good  news,  glad  tidings  of  great 
joy.  O  that  God  may  now  counter-work  the  devil,  and  take 
thee  into  his  own  workmanship,  create  thee  anew  in  Christ 
Jesus,  give  thee  to  feel  a  little  of  his  Spirit's  work  on  thy  heart, 
and  make  thee,  a  child  of  the  devil,  a  child  of  God  !  Say  not, 
it  cannot  be ;  say  not,  it  shall  not  be  ;  say  not,  it  is  too  late  ; 
say  not,  it  is  for  others  but  not  for  me  ;  my  brethren,  God  help 
you  to  cry,  and  to  try  to-night,  if  thou  canst  turn  the  text  into 
a  prayer.  Lord  God,  1  have  felt  the  devil  work  in  me,  now,  good 
God,  let  me  know  what  it  is  for  thee  to  work  in  me  ;  make  me 
a  new  creature,  create  a  new  spirit  within  me,  that  1  may 
join  with  thy  dear  people  in  singing,  what  hath  God  wrought ! 
O  remember,  if  this  is  not  the  case  with  you,  you  must  have  a 
dreadful  different  ditty  in  hell ;  the  note  there  will  be,  what 
hath  the  devil  wrought  I  what  hath  he  wrought !  how  am  I 
come  to  this  place  of  torment!  I  sold  my  birth-right  for  a 
mess  of  pottage  !  Heaven  or  hell  is  set  before  you  to-night  ; 
Jesus  grant,  that  the  terrors  of  the  Lord  may  awaken  you  to- 
night, and  that  you  may  not  rest  till  you  have  comfort  and 
support  from  God. 

You  that  have  this  work  begun  in  you,  look  still  for  better 
things  to  come,  even  after  death,  when  our  bodies  are  made 
like  Christ's  glorious  body,  and  our  souls  filled  with  the  full- 
ness of  Godj  we  shall  then  cry.  Churchmen  and  Dissenters, 

49* 


582  NEGLECT  OF  CHRIST  [Seim.  25. 

Methodists  and  Foundry-men,  and  the  Lock  too,  we  shall  all 
then  join  without  any  bickerings,  saying,  what  has  God 
wrought ! 

I  could  enlarge,  but  I  am  afraid  I  have  been  too  long  al- 
ready ;  yet,  as  I  think  the  providence  of  God  calls  me,  and  I 
shall  give  a  particular  account  of  my  call  to-morrow  evening 
at  the  other  end  of  the  town,  I  think  if  I  should  keep  you  a 
few  minutes  longer,  it  might  be  excused.  I  begin  to  feel  al- 
ready it  must  be  executed  in  a  few  days  ;  I  feel  already  that  I 
shall  soon  part  from  you,  and  O  that  God  may  awaken  many 
of  your  poor  unawakened  souls  :  my  heart  bleeds  for  you  :  O 
may  the  oil  of  the  blessed  Spirit  soften  every  hard  unconverted 
heart,  that  we  may  go  away  praising  and  blessing  God  that 
we  shall  ^at  last  meet,  whether  we  go  by  land  or  by  water, 
before  the  throne,  where  we  shall  ascribe  glory  and  honor,  and 
power,  to  him  for  ever  more.     Amen. 


SERMON   XXV. 


NEGLECT    OP   CHRIST    THE    KILLING    SIN. 


John  v.  40. 

And  ye  will  not  come  to  me  that  ye  may  have  life. 

The  great  apostle  of  the  Gentiles,  after  he  had  set  before 
the  Hebrews,  the  great  cloud  of  witnesses  of  Old  Testament 
believers,  exhorts  them  to  look  higher,  even  to  Jesus  the  com- 
mon Savior,  and  that  not  transiently,  but  earnestly  and  con- 
stantly, in  his  mediatorial  character  of  humiliation,  as  endur- 
ing unheard  of,  unparalleled  contradiction  of  sinners  against 
himself;  lest,  says  he,  ye  he  weary,  and  faint  in  your  minds. 
If  we  had  not  such  an  example  set  before  us,  and  brought  to 
us  by  the  Holy  Ghost  in  a  suffering  hour,  we  should  never 
hold  out  to  the  end.  I'his  was  not  the  contradiction  of  the 
openly  profane  and  scandalous,  those  that  were  without,  so 
much  as  from  those  that  were  within  the  pale  of  the  church, 
even  those  to  whom  were  committed  the  lively  oracles  of  God, 
who  had  not  only  the  very  Bible  in  their  own  hands,  but  were 
set  apart  to  explain  it  to  others.  That  the  words  of  our  text 
were  spoken  to  them,  appears  from  the  precedino^  verse,  in 
which  he  bids  them  search  the  scriptures  ;  as  a  person  digs 


Serra.  25.]  the  killing  sin.  583 

for  a  mine,  or  searches  for  some  hidden  treasure.  The  word 
Bible,  or  book,  which  I  have  in  my  hand,  is  well  applied  to  the 
holy  scriptures,  because  it  is  the  book  of  God,  written  by  him, 
that  is,  by  his  order,  and  by  those  who  were  inspired  by  him 
for  that  end  ;  and  yet,  of  all  writings  in  the  world,  these  are 
most  neo^lected !  God  has  condescended  to  become  an  author, 
and  yet  people  will  not  read  his  writings.  There  are  very  few 
that  ever  gave  this  book  of  God,  the  grand  charter  of  salva- 
tion, one  fair  reading  through  :  though  we  profess  to  have 
assented  to  the  truth  of  scripture,  as  our  Lord  said,  m  them  we 
think  we  have  eternal  life^  yet  most  read  them  as  they  would 
a  proclamation,  a  romance,  a  play,  or  novels,  that  help  only  to 
bring  them  to  the  devil,  but  choose  not  to  read  God's  book 
which  is  to  be  our  guide  to  glory ;  they  are  they^  says  Christ, 
which  testify  of  me.    Lord  God  convert  and  change  our  heart. 

However,  this  was  spoken  in  reference  to  the  Old  Testa- 
ment, and  certainly  shows  us  that  Christ  is  the  treasure  hid  in 
that  tield ;  yet  as  there  are  equal  proofs  of  the  divinity  of  the 
New  Testament,  the  word  Holy  Scriptures  include  both,  espe- 
cially as  Christ  is  the  antitype  of  all  the  types,  the  Alpha  and 
Omeo^a,  the  beginning  and  the  end  of  all  divine  revelation : 
would  to  God  he  was  your  Alpha  and  Omega  loo  !  Now,  saith 
Christ,  you  pretend  to  rev^erence  the  scriptures  ;  you  that  are 
set  apart  as  persons  learned  in  the  scriptures,  ye  scribes,  ye 
lawyers,  such  as  were  mentioned  in  the  gospel  to-day.  I 
fancy  some  people  think,  that  when  we  read  of  lawyers,  in  the 
scriptures,  that  we  mean  such  lawyers  as  ours  who  deal  only 
in  the  civil  and  common  law,  bat  they  were  those  that  opened 
and  explained  the  law  to  the  people  ;  these  were  the  persons 
who  thought  and  professed,  that  in  them  they  had  eternal  life, 
that  they  Testify  of  Christ  the  ofi'eat  Prophet  that  was  promised 
in  the  scriptures  to  come  into  the  world  :  yet  saith  our  divine 
master,  to  these  very  professors,  these  masters  in  Israel,  ye  ivill 
not  come  to  me  that  ye  may  have  life  :  though  I  am  now  pre- 
sent with  you,  though  I  am  now  come  to  explain  the  scrip- 
tures, and  fulfill  them,  and  now  come  to  proclaim  to  you  that 
iifie,  that  eternal  life,  which  the  scriptures  declare  were  to  be 
pubHshed  and  proclaimed  by  me,  yet  ye  will  not  come  unto  me 
that  ye  may  have  life. 

By  eternal  life  we  are  to  understand,  all  the  blessings  of  a 
converted  state,  particularly  the  pardon  of  sins,  not  only  before 
conversion  but  after.  It  is  impossible  but  there  should  be  sin 
every  day  and  every  hour  in  every  professing  person.  My 
dear  hearers,  as  I  shall  not  have  an  opportunity  for  some  time 
to  speak  to  you,  I  do  not  choose,  especially  when  I  am  about 
to  take  my  leave  of  you,  to  speak  any  thing  that  is  severe ;  but 


584  NEGLECT  OF  CHRIST  [Serm.  25. 

I  assure  you,  without  attempting  to  offend,  with  a  broken  heart 
I  assure  you,  that  this  was  the  treatment  Jesus  Christ  met  with 
of  old,  and  God  knows,  this  is  the  treatment  Jesus  Christ  meets 
with  now  ;  ye  will  not  come  to  me  that  ye-  m.ay  have  eternal 
life. 

If  I  am  not  mistaken,  and  I  think  I  am  not,  the  words  sup- 
pose, that  they  and  we  are  all  dead  in  sin,  for  if  we  are  not,  I 
do  not  know  why  we  need  come  to  have  life ;  and  I  mention 
this,  because  for  want  of  believing  and  knowing  this,  some 
that  pretend  to  know  Christ  and  to  preach  him,  forget  to  lay 
the  proper  foundation,  original  sin  ;  and  that  there  is  no  ability 
or  inclination  in  the  heart  of  natural  man,  so  much  as  to 
do  any  thing  spiritual ;  he  is  stupid  and  dead.  But  if  we  have 
eyes  to  see,  if  we  have  ears  to  hear,  and  if  our  hearts  are  not 
waxed  hard,  doubtless  it  would  appear  as  clear  to  us  as  the  sun 
shining  in  its  meridian  brightness,  that  man  was  dead  till  God 
breathed  into  him  the  breath  of  life,  and  then  he  became  a  liv- 
ing soul.  I  know  some  people  believe  that  the  words  mean 
this,  that  God  breathed  into  man,  and  he  became  a  natural  liv- 
ing soul,  like  other  animals,  but  then  they  do  not  consider 
what  a  life  God  did  breathe  into  the  soul ;  he  breathed  into  it 
the  life  of  God,  a  spiritual  life  was  breathed  into  the  soul ;  it  isr 
expressed  in  the  strongest,  but  at  the  same  time  in  the  most 
concise  terms  that  is  possible ;  none  but  God,  none  but  a  man 
inspired  by  God,  could  say  so  much  in  so  few  words ;  it  shows 
great  skill  in  men  to  say  so  much  in  a  little  ;  what  uninspired 
man  ever  wrote  as  Moses  did  ?  Now  Moses  when  he  penned 
the  scriptures  said,  God  made  man  after  his  oicn  image^  and 
you  know  ten  thousand  volumes  could  not  have  said  more 
than  that.  How  long  do  you  think  it  was  that  man  continued 
in  his  original  purity?  I  do  not  know  that  I  ever  yet  heard, 
that  any  one  thought  he  continued  in  his  blessed  state  so  long 
as  from  Saturday  to  Saturday.  Mr.  Boston,  who,  perhaps,  is 
one  of  the  best  writers  that  ever  Scotland  produced,  says,  that 
there  is  an  allusion  in  one  of  the  Psalm's  to  man's  sudden  fall, 
Man  being  born  in  honour  continued  not^  i.  e.  but  a  night  be- 
fore he  fell.  O  much  good  may  it  do  those  that  boast  of  their 
free-will,  that  think  they  can  stand  by  a  power  of  their  own, 
when  father  Adam,  who  had  no  corruption,  did  not  stand  a 
week,  perhaps  not  two  days ;  and  how  can  we  pretend  to 
stand,  let  us  have  what  grace  we  will,  when  that  grace  has  so 
much  corruption  to  oppose  it  ?  If  Jesus  Christ  did  not  take 
care  to  secure  our  standing,  we  should  fall  to  our  ruin.  Adam 
fell,  and  being  our  federal  head,  we  fell  in  him.  Why,  says  a 
deist,  and  too  many  professors  also,  pray  what  business  had 
God  Almighty  to  make  our  fall  or  our  standing  depend  on 


Serm.  25.]  the  killing  sin.  685 

another  ?  You  will  not  object  to  this,  you  Church  of  England 
men,  will  you  ?  Then  why  have  you  god-fathers  and  god- 
mothers to  promise  for  you  ?  Why  have  we  members  of  par- 
liament to  be  the  heads  of  the  people,  and  what  the  parliament 
does,  the  people  do ;  you  have  constituted  them  your  heads 
and  representatives,  you  must  stand  and  fall  by  them ;  so  if 
you  are  bound  for  a  person  you  must  stand  and  fall  with  him, 
must  not  you  ?  I  remember  one  of  the  ministers  that  preach- 
ed the  morning  exercises,  when  most,  if  not  all  the  churches 
in  this  city,  were  filled  with  gospel  preachers,  till  on  Bartholo- 
mew-day, near  two,  thousand  five  hundred  of  them  in  the 
whole  were  turned  out,  and  the  other  ministers  that  did  not 
preach  the  gospel  continued  till  the  plague  came,  and  then  ran 
away,  and  left  the  pulpits  to  those  that  were  turned  out,  who 
were  willing  to  go  into  them,  though  they  expected  the  plague 
would  seize  them  in  preaching  Christ  there  ;  one  of  those  mi- 
nisters says,  suppose  God  had  chose  all  that  were  to  be  created, 
and  to  proceed  from  the  loins  of  Adam,  had  been  present,  and 
that  he  should  have  said  to  them,  I  have  been  seven  days  em- 
ployed in  preparing  the  whole  creation  ;  I  have  made  a  garden, 
and  will  have  one  chose  by  you  to  dwell  in  it,  as  my  vicegerent, 
and  your  representative  here  below,  here  is  Adam,  the  father  of 
you  all,  whom  I  have  blessed  with  a  partner,  cQid  that  is  bone  of 
his  bone,  and  flesh  of  his  flesh,  a  creature  like  himself;  all  that 
I  desire  of  your  head  and  representative  is,  that  he  abstains 
from  yonder  tree,  of  every  other  tree  in  the  garden  he  may 
freely  eat  except  that ;  this  I  ordain  as  a  test  of  his  obedience, 
to  see  whether  it  is  fulfilled,  and  you  shall  all  stand  or  fall  by 
this  ;  who  shall  be  the  man  ?  Would  they  not  all  say,  our  first 
parent  to  be  sure.  O  there  is  not  a  single  man  but  would 
have  chosen  Adam  to  be  their  representative,  they  would 
rather  stand  and  fall  by  him  than  by  any  body  else  ;  now  pray 
why  should  we  quarrel  with  him  for  acting  in  the  manner  we 
ourselves  should  have  done,  had  we  been  in  his  situation? 
God^  saith  the  apostle,  included  all  under  sin.  What  is  sin 
but  a  breach,  that  is^  a  transgression  of  the  law  ;  the  wages  of 
sin  is  death  ;  every  transgression  of  the  law  incurs  damnation. 
Have  we  eaten  of  the  forbidden  fruit  ?  We  must  die,  we  are 
legally  dead;  and  there  is  not  a  little  child  in  the  world  that 
is  not.  It  is  enough  to  make  the  parents  pray  night  and  day 
for  their  children  ;  there  is  not  a  child  born  but,  to  use  the 
words  of  our  own  church,  brings  in  with  it  corruption,  which 
renders  it  liable  to  the  wrath  of  God  for  ever.  Then,  say  some, 
it  is  true  what  I  have  heard  say  of  you,  that  there  are  little 
children  in  hell  a  span  long.  I  never  had  such  a  thought  in 
my  life  \  I  never  believed  that  any  infants,  black  or  white, 


686  NEGLECT  OP  CHRIST  [Serm.  25 

were  damned  in  hell.  I  think  a  poor  child  though  it  is  born 
in  a  state  of  original  sin,  and  I  have  often  thought  /hat  is  the 
reason  why  little  children  are  seized  with  such  terrible  dis- 
orders as  often  carry  them  out  of  the  world,  with  ten  times 
more  agony  than  parents  feel ;  a  great  proof  of  man's  offence. 
We  see  a  poor  little  infant  soon  after  it  is  born,  in  two  or  three 
months  taken  with  fits,  lie  screaming  and  struggling,  while 
the  distressed  parents  are  breaking  their  hearts,  and  wishing, 
though  they  love  it  dearly,  that  God  would  take  it  out  of  its 
pain.  Is  not  this  a  strong  proof  that  man  is  fallen  from  God? 
else  who  can  tell  what  God  designs  hereby  :  however,  I  verily 
believe  that  by  his  grace  he  fits  them  for  heaven.  We  have 
broken  God's  law,  and  are  liable  to  eternal  condemnation  ;  Ave 
are  therefore  legally  dead,  every  one  of  us  without  distinction  ; 
we  are  all  upon  a  level,  from  the  greatest  king  in  the  world, 
who  has  it  in  his  power  to  write  death  or  life  upon  the  poor 
condemned  malefactors ;  bring  him  to  the  bar  of  God's  holy 
law,  and  it  will  tell  him  there,  thou  art  the  malefactor  in  the 
sight  of  God,  thou  thyself,  and  thus  God  is  glorified.  It  is  not 
greatness  of  station,  nor  external  differences,  that  make  a  dif- 
ference in  the  internal  state  of  the  soul.  A  nobleman  may 
come  with  his  star  and  garter  to  the  king's  bar,  and  be  tried 
by  his  peers  at  Westminster-hall,  and  may  be  attended  from 
the  Tower  by  some  of  the  king's  officers,  but  whether  a  noble- 
man be  tried  at  Westminster-hall,  or  a  criminal  in  rags  at  the 
Old  Bailey,  the  law  must  be  executed  upon  both.  This  is  our 
state  towards  God  ;  we  have  lived  in  trespasses  and  sins ;  are 
legally  dead  now  ;  is  that  all  ?  Dr.  Taylor,  of  Norwich,  says, 
that  all  the  loss  we  have  had  by  the  fall  is,  that  our  misery  is 
temporary.  Alas!  alas  !  when  Arminians  talk  of  the  fall,  you 
will  find  very  few  of  them  have  courage  enough  to  stab  them- 
selves. Conscience  makes  them  cowards ;  they  have  lost  all 
by  Adam's  fall.  What  death  have  we  suffered,  not  only  le- 
gally, but  spiritually  dead;  what  do  I  mean  by  that?  Why, 
that  we  are  deprived  of  that  life  of  God  in  which  we  origi- 
nally stood.  Have  you  ever  seen  any  body  die  ?  I  have. 
Have  you  ever  seen  one  of  your  friends  die  ?  Have  you  ever 
stole  into  the  room,  and  looked  but  once  at  the  dear  object  of 
your  love,  the  partner  of  your  life  ?  But  wait  till  the  next 
day,  and  especially  in  the  summer  season,  and  see  how 
changed  !  The  last  object  I  saw,  put  me  in  mind  of  the  fall  I 
saw  nature  in.     O  what  a  change  !  the  glory  is  departed  ! 

But  besides  this  legal  death,  there  is  a  spiritual  death,  and 
the  consequence  of  that  is  eternal  death  ;  if  I  die  in  that  state 
I  must  die  for  ever ;  that  is,  I  must  be  a  creature  living  eter- 
nally banished  from  God :   if  I  be  annihilated  when  I  die, 


Serm.  25.]  the  killing  sin.  587 

then,  indeed,  temporal  death  is  all ;  but  it  is  not  so,  I  am  to 
live  in  another  world  ;  the  wisest  man  upon  earth  tells  us 
that  there  is  a  future  state  ;  and  therefore  by  legal  and  spiritual 
death,  I  am  liable  to  death  eternal.  I  have  the  longer  insisted 
on  this  because  it  is  impossible  to  know,  or  to  value  that  life 
^that  Jesus  Christ  came  into  the  world  to  impart  to  us  and  pro- 
cure for  us,  without  considering  the  nature  of  the  death  he 
delivers  lis  from. 

Now  let  us  attend  to  what  our  Lord  says : —  Ye  will  not 
come  to  me  that  ye  may  have  life.  In  the  tenth  chapter  he 
says,  /  am  come  that  they  might  have  lifc^  and  that  they 
weight  have  it  tnore  abundantly.  Now  what  life  is  that  ?  To 
be  sure,  the  life  which  a  malefactor  wants,  who  is  tried  by  a 
jury ;  why,  he  wants  to  have  the  chain  taken  oft* ;  what  do 
you  and  I  want  ?  for  we  may  want  to  eternity  if  we  plead 
our  innocence  ;  there  is  not  one  of  us  but  must  plead  guilty 
before  God  ;  well,  what  must  I  do  ?  Why,  if  ever  I  have  life, 
I  must  be  acquitted ;  something  must  pronounce  me  not 
guilty ;  my  conscience  says,  guilty  ;  why,  then  Jesus  Christ 
came  that  we  might  have  a  legal  life,  that  we  might  be  ac- 
quitted from  all  that  condemnation  which  we  are  under  by 
our  breakinof  his  law  ;  so  far  the  remedy  answers  to  the  dis- 
ease ;  but  the  remedy  would  not  be  extensive  enough  if  that 
was  all  ;  therefore,  it  was  an  excellent  answer  a  poor  woman 
made  at  the  Old  Bailey,  which  I  heard  twenty  years  ago  :  she 
was  broui{ht  sick  to  the  bar  to  receive  a  pardon  ;  the  j^dge 
said,  AVoman,  his  majesty  has  given  you  a  pardon.  My  lord, 
says  she,  I  thank  his  majesty  for  a  pardon,  and  you  for  pro- 
nouncing it,  but  that  is  not  all  I  want ;  what  my  poor  soul 
wants  is,  a  pardon  from  Jesus  Christ ;  what  signifies  a  pardon 
from  a  judge,  if  I  have  a  disease  in  me  that  will  kill  me? 
wliether  I  am  pardoned  or  not,  I  must  have  my  disease  cured, 
that  the  pardon  may  do  me  good.  I  thought  it  a  strange  plea 
of  a  man,  a  captain  of  a  ship,  that  I  heard  tried  some  years 
ago  for  throwing  a  poor  negro  overboard  ;  he  asked  the 
surgeon,  do  you  think  that  the  child  will  die  ?  Sir,  said  he,  it 
will  not  live  above  an  hour  ;  then,  says  he,  you  may  let  it 
down  MOW.  O,  says  the  judge,  you  have  murdered  the  child. 
I  must  have  a  pardon  from  my  God,  or  I  am  damned ;  and  if 
I  have  lost  the  divine  image,  which  was  the  original  dignity 
of  man,  I  shall  never  get  to  glory  without  the  restoration  of 
that  image.  I  have  lost  by  my  sin.  Spiritual  life  in  the 
lieart,  is  that  which  comes  from  Jesus  Christ,  and  this  is  the 
life  of  God  in  the  soul  of  man ;  it  is  not  a  metaphorical  but  a 
real  thing,  a  resurrection  to  life  by  the  power  of  Christ,  u'Ao  is 
the  resurrection  and  the  life^  so  there  is  a  connection  between 


588  NEGLECT  OF  CHRIST^  [Serm.  25. 

a  legal  and  a  spiritual  life ;  the  type  and  antitype  answers  as 
face  answers  to  face  in  water  :  thus  as  all  in  Adam  have  died, 
so  all  in  Jesus  Christ,  the  second  Adam,  are  made  alive.  We 
are  apt  to  think  that  such  a  one,  and  such  a  one,  were  sound 
christians  and  are  gone  to  heaven,  but  there  is  a  great  deal  of 
false  charity  in  the  world ;  without  this  life  we  are  all  undone. 
Now,  my  brethren,  if  this  is  the  case,  how  must  I  have  my 
life  in  glory !  How  must  a  dead  creature  be  a  christian  7  How 
must  a  sinner  that  is  spiritually  dead  have  divine  life  ?  and 
how  must  a  creature,  every  moment  liable  to  death  eternal,  be 
made  eternally  alive  ?  Can  any  body  answer  that  question  ? 
Will  reason  tell  me  ?  No  ;  will  philosophy  help  me?  No  ;  for 
if  the  icorld  by  wisdom  fmevj  not  God,  surely,  the  world  by 
wisdom  knows  not  how  to  turn  to  God  ;  therefore,  you  will 
find  the  greatest  scholars  the  greatest  fools,  proudest  deists, 
and  most  scornful  atheists  ;  for  knowledge  puffeth  up  ;  and  if 
bare  knowledge  makes  a  christian,  the  devil  must  be  very  good, 
he  is  the  most  knov/ing,  and  yet  the  most  wicked.  The  only 
way  to  get  this  life  restored  is,  to  come  to  Jesus  Christ ;  ye 
tvill  not  come  unto  me,  saith  our  text,  that  ye  may  have  life  ; 
implying,  that  without  coming  to  him  they  cannot  have  life : 
there  is  no  other  7io?ne  given  under  heaven  whereby  we  can 
be  saved,  but  that  of  Jesus  Christ.  I  am.  the  way,  the  truth, 
and  the  life.  I  am  the  resurrection  and  the  life,  saith  the 
Lord.  In  order  to  have  this  life,  we  must  come  to  Christ  for 
it.  I  hope  you  do  not  think  coming  to  Christ,  means  coming 
to  see  his  person  ;  that  can  never  be  ;  for  our  Lord  talks  of 
coming  to  him  when  he  himself  was  the  preacher,  and  they 
were  all  about  him ;  though  so  many  round  him,  yet  there 
was  but  one  that  touched  him.  A  great  many  people  say,  if 
Christ  was  here,  how  would  I  caress  him !  I  would  let  him 
in  !  when,  perhaps,  at  the  same  time,  turn  out  one  of  his 
members.  Would  you  like  to  see  Jesus  Christ  with  a  parcel 
of  boys  and  girls  running  before  him,  a  parcel  of  poor  fisher- 
men with  him,  and  Mary  Magdalen,  with  a  mob  of  poor  people 
and  publicans  following  him  ?  We  have  the  same  spirit  the 
people  had  then  :  we  should  hoot  at  him  and  despise  him,  as 
the  pharisees  did.  A  great  many  people  think  coming  to 
Christ  is  to  come  to  the  sacrament ;  you  know  very  well  1  love 
that  privilege;  and  one  of  the  greatest  afflictions  I  have  is, 
that  my  health  will  not  permit  me  to  attend  all  the  ordinances  ; 
but  thousands  come  to  ordinances  that  have  no  view  of  the 
God  of  ordinances  in  tliem ;  therefore  you  will  find,  that  in 
all  our  public  places  it  is  as  much  the  fashion  to  go  to  public 
worship  about  eleven  o'clock,  as  any  where  else.  They  are 
not  up  time  enough  to  their  matins ;    they  go  and  say,  we 


Scrm.  25.]  the  killing  sin.  589 

thank  God,  who  has  brought  us  to  the  beginning  of  t]iis  day, 
and  that  when  perhaps  the  clock  strikes  twelve,  and  they  just 
up  ;  thus  people  go  to  church  as  to  a  play,  to  see  and  be  seen, 
an^  as  soon  as  they  go  out  of  church,  they  ask  where  they  are 
to  go  next,  and  wiiat  party  ?  Thousands  go  to  church,  or 
to  meeting,  and  sacrament,  and  do  not  come  to  Christ,  come 
and  like  this  preachins: ;  and  numbers  who  are  called  fools  for 
following  us,  eat  the  fragments  that  are  left,  that  hear  preach- 
'ng,  eat  the  fish  and  the  loaves,  and  are  only  feasting  upon 
shadows,  and  not  upon  Christ :  this  would  make  us  extremely 
careful  to  examine  wh*^ther  we  ever  came  to  Christ  or  no.  A 
great  moral  preacher  says  of  our  preaching,  when  all  theii 
stock  is  out,  then  they  cry  come,  come,  come,  and  that  is  the 
burden  of  their  song,  say  they ;  and  I  hope  that  will  be  the 
burden  of  our  song  till  Christ  says,  Come  ye  blessed  of  my 
Father.  What  would  you  have  us  say  'I  O,  say  you,  bid  a 
man  do  and  live,  so  we  will ;  and  in  the  same  sense  Christ  in 
the  gospel  says,  thou  art  dead  ;  what  shall  1  do,  says  the  man, 
to  inherit  eternal  life?  Thou  knowest  our  Lord  said  to  him, 
keep  the  law.  Our  Lord  always  spoke  to  the  people  in  their 
own  language  ;  that  is,  thou  shalt  love  the  Lord  thy  God  with 
all  thy  heart ;  he  began  with  morality  at  the  right  place  ;  we 
begin  at  the  fifth  commandment.  The  great  morality,  says 
Dr.  Younof,  is  be2:inning:  with  the  love  of  God.  Tlioii  shalt 
love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself:  thou  hast  answered  right,  says 
he,  do  this,  and  thou  shalt  live.  AYhoever  loves  the  Lord 
God  as  he  ought  to  do,  wilh  all  his  soul  and  strength,  shall 
certainly  live  ;  but  our  Lord  takes  pains  to  convince  him  of 
his  ignorance  and  folly  ;  says  he,  who  is  my  neighbor  ?  As 
to  the  love  of  God,  he  had  no  thought  of  that.  Thus  we  de- 
ceive our  own  souls,  till  Jesus  Christ  opens  our  eyes.  What 
must  we  come  to  Clirist  for  ?  To  be  acquitted  ;  come  to  his 
blood  to  be  pardoned  ;  you  must  believe  on  him,  not  only  with 
a  bare  speculativ^e  beliel,  that  the  devil  has,  and  all  the  damned 
in  hell,  but  to  have  his  blood  applied  and  brought  home  to  the 
soul,  we  must  come  to  him  as  the  author  and  finisher  of  our 
faith.  Did  not  you  just  now  say,  I  believe  in  the  Holy  Ghost, 
the  Lord  and  giver  of  life ;  and  the  form  of  baptism  is  in  the 
name  of  the  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost ;  it  means,  baptize 
them  into  the  nature  of  the  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost ;  and 
I  remember  about  three  or  four  and  thirty  years  ago,  a  friend 
mentioned  that  word  in  private  conversation  to  me  ;  we  trans- 
late it,  we  believe  in  God,  said  he ;  VvC  should  translate  it,  we 
belleoe  it  in  God,  for  we  never  do  till  God  has  put  his  faith  in 
us;  t'nen  we  have  in  our  souls  a  new  life  in  Christ,  tlien  we 
live  a  hfe  of  faith ;  the  life  I  now  live  is  In]  faith  in  tlie'Son 


590  NEGLECT  OF  CHRIST  [Serm.  25. 

of  God.  Ilive^  yet  not  7,  hut  Christ  liveth  in  nic.  In  order 
to  this  I  must  come  to  Jesus  Christ,  and  beheve  on  him  for 
life  eternal,  the  earnest  of  which  eternal  hfe  I  must  have  in 
my  heart  before  I  can  be  assured  I  do  beheve  on  him.  O,  my 
dear  hearers,  do  we  think  of  this  ;  this  is  no  new  doctrine  ;  I 
set  out,  blessed  be  God,  with  this  doctrine.  The  second  ser- 
mon I  ever  made,  the  second  sermon  I  ever  preached,  was  on 
these  words,  He  that  is  in  Christ  is  a  new  creature  :  I  was 
then  about  twenty  years  and  a  half  old.  The  next  sermon  I 
preached  was  upon,  Ye  are  justified  ;  the  next  sermon,  Ye  are 
glorified  ;  which  shows,  that  though  I  am  near  fifty-live  years 
old,  yet,  I  thank  my  God,  I  am  so  far  from  changing  my  prin- 
ciples, which  I  am  sure  I  was  taught  by  God's  word  and 
Spirit,  that  I  am  more  and  more  confirmed,  that  if  I  was  to 
die  this  moment,  I  hope  I  should  have  strength  and  courage 
given  me  to  say,  I  am  more  convinced  of  the  eflicacy  and  the 
power  of  those  truths  which  I  preached  when  I  was  twenty 
years  old,  than  when  I  first  preached  them. 

Now,  my  dear  hearers,  what  could  enter  into  the  heart  of 
any  person  in  the  world,  to  reject  such  a  salvation  as  this  ? 
Can  you  think  that  when  a  king  saith  to  a  prisoner,  let  him  go, 
he  will  refuse  it  ?  there  are  some  persons  that  refuse  Christ.  I 
remember  when,  by  the  bounty  of  the  people  here,  we  begged 
for  the  poor,  one  man  went  to  the  turnpike  and  said,  this  is  Dr. 
Whitefield's  bread  and  be  damned.  Human  nature,  what  is 
it  without  Christ,  the  bread  of  life  !  we  will  not  come  to  him 
that  we  may  have  life,  though  we  may  have  it  for  asking ;  no, 
not  for  life  eternal,  as  a  free  gift :  we  will  not  come  to  Christ 
and  accept  it  at  his  hand  ;  we  will  not :  it  is  not  said,  we  shall 
not,  but  we  will  not.  Pray  why  will  not  people  come  to 
Christ  to  have  life?  Because  they  do  not  think  that  they  are 
dead,  and  do  not  want  it ;  remember  when  you  say,  i/ou  are 
rich  and  increased  in  goods,  that  you  know  not,  saith  Christ, 
that  ye  are  poor  and  miserable,  and  blind  and  naked.  We 
do  not  see  ourselves  fallen  creatures,  we  do  not  know  that.  God  ' 
give  thee  to  know  and  feel,  that  there  is  no  name  given  under 
heaven  y)hereby  we  can  he  saved,  hut  Jesus  Christ.  What, 
saith  one,  must  I  have  inward  feeling?  What  would  the  po- 
lite world  do  without  feeling?  Do  you  think  they  would  go 
to  the  play-house  and  places  of  public  diversion  without  feel- 
ing ?  If  I  can  feel  other  things  that  do  not  concern  religion, 
how  can  I  come  to  God  till  I  feel  a  need  of  him.  We  do  not 
choose  to  come  to  Christ,  because  w^e  do  not  choose  to  have 
him  as  a  free  gift ;  we  do  not  like  to  come  to  him  as  poor  and 
needy.  I  remember  I  heard  an  excellent  minister  of  Christ  in 
Scotland,  one  Mr.  Wallis,  of  Dundee,  preaching  upon  these 


Serm.  25.]  the  killing  sin.  591 

words,  Behold  I  stand  at  the  door  and  knock,  says  he. 
Christ  comes  knocking  at  the  door  to  come  into  your  houses, 
but  you  will  not  come  down  to  accept  of  his  mercy.  When 
the  prodromal  said,  /  ^dUI  arise  and  go  to  my  father,  and  ivill 
say  unto  hint,  I  have  sinned  against  heaven  and  in  thy  sight, 
and  am  no  more  ivorthy  to  be  called  thy  son  ;  make  me  as  one 
of  thy  hired  servants  :  now  you  think  that  it  was  very  hum- 
ble in  him,  he  ^vho  was  a  son  of  the  head  of  the  house,  to  be 
willinof  to  be  a  servant.  'Tis  true  he  says,  I  will  go  to  my 
father's  house,  but  at  the  same  time,  he  says,  I  will  work  for 
my  living,  he  shall  not  maintain  me  for  nothing ;  but  when  he 
comes  to  his  father,  he  is  quite  brought  down  ;  he  says,  I  have 
sinned  against  heaven  and  in  thy  sight ;  the  joyful  father 
clasps  him  in  his  withered  arms,  and  takes  the  poor  raggedy 
wanderer  home.  The  lawyers  and  other  Jews  thouo^ht  they 
were  righteous,  and  therefore  they  would  not  come  to  Jesus 
Christ.  Our  Lord  spoke  of  the  pharisees,  who  trusted  in  them- 
selves that  they  were  righteous,  and  would  not  come  to  him 
that  they  might  have  life  ;  and  if  we  trust  in  ourselves,  neither 
shall  we.  Our  Lord  says,  /  receive  not  honor  from  men.  Hoio 
can  you  come  to  him,  that  receive  horior  one  of  another  1  Ho- 
nor to  whom  honor  is  dire.  To  such  as  are  in  power,  whether 
in  church  or  state,  respect  is  due  to  their  outward  situation.  I 
am  for  no  levehng  principles  at  all ;  but,  my  brethren,  at  the 
same  time,  there  is  a  fault,  that  we  love  to  be  applauded.  There 
is  no  going  to  heaven,  saith  Mr.  Gurnal,  witliout  wearing  a 
fool's  cap  and  a  fool's  coat,  and  there  is  no  goinof  to  heaven 
without  being  accounted  fools  :  you  see  many  professors  follow 
the  world,  they  have  not  courage  enough  to  live  in  holy  non- 
conformity to  the  world  ;  and  many  people  are  friirhtened  from 
Christ,  because  they  would  not  be  counted  Methodists  ;  the  fear 
of  men  has  damned  thousands.  You  will  not  come  to  him, 
because  you  cannot  trust  God,  and  then  we  love  the  world 
more  than  Christ.  Tf  any  man  love  the  world,  the  love  of  the 
Father  is  not  in  him.  If  I  had  the  management  of  the  peo- 
ple, their  shops  would  be  open  three  or  four  hours  before  they 
are  now.  I  do  not  want  to  hinder  men's  business  ;  those  that 
have  most  money  and  most  power  if  they  acted  as  they  ought 
to  do,  would  be  the  greatest  slaves  to  their  fellow  creatures. 
When  I  talk  of  loving  the  world,  I  mean  an  inordinate  love. 
I  may  live  in  the  world  and  not  live  upon  it ;  my  heart  may 
be  towards  God  ;  the  love  of  the  world  is  to  be  renounced, 
and  therefore  they  will  not  come  to  Jesus  Christ  they  think  till 
they  are  going  out  of  the  world.  If  you  are  one  of  those  who 
hate  Christ,  why  you  are  the  man  that  will  not  come  to  him. 
Why,  say  you,  does*  any  body  hate  Christ  ?     Pray  hold  your 


592  NEGLECT  OF  CHRIST  [Serm.  25. 

tongue,  for  fear  of  discovering'  your  ignorance.  O,  say  you, 
God  forbid  I  should  hate  him.  But,  my  dear  soul,  learn  from 
this  time  forward,  that  every  one  of  us  by  nature  hates  Jesus 
Christ :  we  sent  this  message  to  him ;  we  will  not  have  this 
man  to  reign  over  us,  we  hate  him  because  he  is  despised  ;  we 
hate  him  because  of  the  appearance  of  the  people  that  are  his 
followers  ;  we  hate  him  because  of  the  narrowness  of  the  way 
we  are  to  pass  into  him,  because  we  must  part  with  our  lusts; 
we  hate  him  because  we  must  be  non-conformists  :  I  hate  that 
rag  of  the  whore  of  Babylon,  O  that  form  of  prayer,  O  all  that 
stuff,  I  thank  God  I  was  born  a  dissenter,  I  love  to  be  a  puri- 
tan, I  do  not  love  rites  and  ceremonie?,  no  not  in  the  church, 
and  yet,  perhaps,  are  more  conformed  to  the  world  than  num- 
bers of  the  church,  and  have  nothing  but  rites  and  ceremonies 
about  their  houses  and  families.  What  do  we  more  than 
others  ?  A  churchman  should  prove  himself  a  churchpian, 
by  having  his  articles,  and  keeping  up  the  practice  of  religion; 
and  a  dissenter  should  prove  himself  one,  not  by  dissenting 
from  the  church,  but  from  the  lusts  of  the  fleshy  the  lusts  of  the 
eye,  and  the  pride  of  life,  and  then  we  shall  agree  very  well 
together,  though  one  went  to  a  place  called  a  church,  and  an- 
other to  a  place  called  a  meeting.  Would  to  God  every  soul 
now  present  would  put  this  question  to  himself,  am  1  come  to 
Christ,  or  am  I  not  ?  There  is  a  great  number  of  persons 
here  ;  you  have  heard  of  Providence  calling  me  abroad  ;  no 
doubt  cariosity  brings  many  of  you  here,  to  hear  what  the  poor 
babbler  says.  I  tell  you  what  I  will  say  to  you,  that  without 
you  have  an  interest  in  the  Son  of  God,  you  must  be  damned. 
Examine  youi^sehes  whether  you  are  in  the  faith  ;  whether 
your  religion  reaches  any  further  than  the  church  door  :  whe- 
ther you  are  the  inward  court  worshipers  :  conscience,  con- 
science, conscience,  thou  faithful  monitor,  God  help  thee  to 
give  a  proper  verdict.  When  I  had  the  honor  of  opening  Lady 
Huntingdon's  chapel,  as  I  turned  about,  I  observed  over  my 
head  were  tiiese  words.  Earth,  earth,  earth,  hear  the  word 
of  the  Lord;  O  that  every  earthly  soul  may  hear  God's  word 
this  day.  Do  not  be  angry  with  me  ;  I  am  now  upon  the  de- 
cline of  life,  going  toward  threescore  ;  surely  now  I  may  claim 
leave  to  speak  to  you  freely  :  after  next  Sunday,  perhaps,  3^ou 
may  never  hear  me  any  more,  though  I  do  not  intend  to  live 
abroad,  but  return  if  it  please  God,  in  a  proper  time  ;  but  long 
before  that  thou  mayst  be  in  hell  or  heaven.  As  the  Lord 
hves,  in  whose  name  1  speak',  if  you  will  not  come  to  Christ  to 
have  life,  you  must  come  to  his  bar  to  hear  him  pronounce  you 
damned  to  all  eternity.  If  you  come  to  him  that  you  may 
have  life,  Come^  ye  blessed,  will  be  the  sentence  there,  but  if 


Serm.  25.]  the  killing  sin.  593 

you  refuse  now,  Depart,  ye  cursed,  will  be  your  sentence  then 
from  the  Lord,  for  in  a  little  while  he  that  shall  come  will 
come,  and  will  not  tarry.  Hark  !  hark  !  don't  you  hear  hmi, 
don't  you  hear  him.  don't  you  hear  him  yonder  ?  Hark  !  me- 
thinks  1  hear  him,  what  does  he  say?  See  yonder,  don't  you 
see,  good  people,  that  yonder  sun  is  darkened,  and  the  moon 
turned  into  blood  ?  O,  who  can  abide  the  day  of  his  cojning? 
O,  to  think  of  his  coming,  may  the  sinner  say,  when  I  know 
his  coming  is  only  to  damn  my  soul  !  How  do  the  murderers 
dread  the  assizes,  but  pardoned  sinners,  pardoned  criminals, 
are  glad  when  they  hear  the  high  sheriff  coming :  O,  say  they, 
I  long  to  go  to  the  bar,  because  I  am  going  there  only  to  plead  the 
king's  pardon.  Happy,  happy,  happy  you,  that  have  come  to 
this  Jesus  Christ,  that  you  might  have  life,  that  you  might 
walk  becoming  him  in  yoiir  life  and  conversation.  O,  Christ 
will  come,  and  come  to  you  as  his  children ;  but  God  grant 
this  life  may  be  displayed  in  you  and  me  more  and  more !  If 
we  are  helped  to  know  that  Christ  came  that  we  might  have 
life,  and  might  have  it  more  abundantly^  O,  pray  that  others 
may  come  ;  bring  3'our  children  to  Christ.  I  was  pleased  one 
day  after  I  had  been  preaching  on  Moses  lifting  up  the  ser- 
pent in  the  wilderness,  I  tliink  it  was  in  New  England,  1  was 
taken  up  into  a  room  to  repose  myself;  there  was  a  mantle- 
piece,  representing  the  children  brought  in  the  arms  of  their 
parents  to  look  at  the  brazen  serpent.  O  may  God  help  you 
to  bring  your  cliildren  and  your  relations  to  view  Christ.  O 
Lord  help  my  mother,  my  father,  my  child,  my  servant,  to 
come  to  Jesus  Christ,  that  they  may  have  life.  The  Lord 
help  you  to  come,  come  young  people.  O  I  was  charmed  this 
morning,  and  every  morning  1  give  the  sacrament,  to  see  so 
many  young  men  there  crowding  to  the  table ;  may  the  Spirit 
of  God  keep  you  near  to  Jesus  Christ ;  and  you  young  women, 
may  God  draw  you  nearer  unto  Christ.  I  remember  when  God 
touched  my  heart,  and  sent  me  down  to  sec  my  friends  in  the 
country,  I  prayed  God  to  bless  me  to  those  to  whom  I  was 
called  to  dance  and  to  play  at  cards,  and,  blessed  be  God,  he 
blessed  me  to  thetn  all  before  I  was  twenty  years  of  age,  and 
after  that  he  sent  me  to  a  prison,  and  I  there  preached  to  a 
murderer,  and  some  others,  and,  blessed  be  God,  they  came  to 
Jesus  Christ,  and  one  of  them  went  off  most  triumphantly.  A 
poor  creature,  fourscore  years  of  age,  who  has  made  it  a  prac- 
tice to  go  and  read  to  poor  people,  and  to  the  prisoners,  said, 
*'  Sir,  I  begun  late,  but  by  the  help  of  God,  I  now  work  the 
harder  for  Jesus  Christ."  May  he  incline  you  to  come,  O 
young  women  and  young  men.  There  was  a  good  woman 
who  died  some  time  ago,  whose  last  word  I  think  was,  I  now 

50* 


594  THE  GOOD  SHEPHERD.  [Semi.  2fj. 

go  to  my  God.  Will  you  come  and  go  too,  you  old  gray-headed 
sinners,  that  have  one  foot  in  the  grave  ?  God  help  you  to  go ; 
God  remove  every  obstacle  ;  God  grant  that  every  mountain 
may  be  brought  low,  and  a  highway  made  into  your  hearts  for 
Jesus  Christ.  Do  not  be  angry  with  me  ;  in  a  week  or  two  I 
shall  be  tossing  on  the  ocean,  while  you  are  hearing  God's 
word  here ;  while  I  am  amidst  storms  and  tempests,  you  will 
be  upon  the  earth.  Paul  could  stand  the  whipping,  but  it  is 
not  a  whipping,  but  weeping,  that  breaks  my  heart ;  my  great- 
est trial  is,  what  if  this  sermon  should  help  to  sink  these  peo- 
ple deeper  in  the  pit,  that  makes  my  blood  run  cold.  O  that 
my  sermon  may  never  rise  in  judgment  against  you,  my  poor 
dear  souls.  I  believe  you  find  it  hard  when  any  of  you  are 
forced  to  be  witnesses  against  your  own  children,  your  own 
friends  ;  and  whoever  deals  with  the  Avord  with  disinterested 
spirit,  must  do  it ;  the  only  way  to  prevent  it  is,  to  come  to 
Christ ;  and  if  you  cannot  come,  if  you  are  sensible  of  it,  God 
be  praised ;  he  will  come  to  you  if  you  cannot  come  to  Christ; 
he  will  come  and  make  you  willing  in  the  day  of  his  power  ; 
that  this  may  be  the  happy  case,  God  grant  to  us  all,  for  his 
name's  sake.     Amen. 


SERMON  XXVL 


THE  GOOD  SHEPHERD. A  FAREWELL  SERMON. 


JOHNX.  27,  28. 

My  sheep  hear  my  voice,  and  I  know  them,  and.  they  follow  me :  And 
J  give  unto  them  eternal  life;  and  they  shall  never  perish,  neither 
shall  any  pluck  them  out  of  my  hand. 

It  is  a  common,-and,  I  believe,  generally  speaking,  my  dear 
hearers,  a  true  saying,  that  bad  manners  beget  good  laws. 
Whether  this  will  hold  good  in  every  particular,  in"  respect  to 
the  affairs  of  this  world,  I  am  persuaded  the  observation  is 
very  pertinent  in  respect  to  the  things  of  another ;  I  mean  bad 
manners,  bad  treatment,  bad  words,  have  been  overruled  by 
the  sovereign  grace  of  God,  to  produce  and  to  be  the  cause  of 
the  best  sermons  that  were  ever  delivered  from  the  mouth  of 
the  God-man,  Christ  Jesus. 

One  would  have  injagined,  that  as  he  came  clothed  with 


Serm.  26.]  the  good  shepherd.  595 

divine  efficiency,  as  he  came  with  divine  credentials,  as  he 
spake  as  never  man  spake,  that  no  one  would  have  been  able 
to  have  resisted  the  wisdom  with  which  he  spake  ;  one  would 
imagine  they  would  have  been  so  struck  with  the  demonstra- 
tion of  the  Spirit,  that  with  one  consent  they  would  all  own, 
that  he  was  "  that  prophet  that  was  to  be  raised  up  like  unto 
Moses."  But  you  seldom  find  our  Lord  preaching  a  sermon, 
but  something  or  other  that  he  said  was  caviled  at ;  nay,  their 
enmity  frequently  broke  throuo^h  all  good  manners  ;  they  often, 
therefore,  interrupted  him  whilst  he  was  preaching,  which 
shows  the  enmity  of  their  hearts,  long  before  God  permitted  it 
to  be  in  their  power  to  shed  his  innocent  blood.  If  we  look 
no  further  than  this  chapter,  where  he  represents  himself  as  a 
good  shepherd,  one  that  laid  down  his  life  for  his  sheep  ;  we 
see  the  best  return  he  had,  was  to  be  looked  upon  as  possessed 
or  distracted ;  for  we  are  told  that  there  was  a  division  there- 
fore ao^ain  among  the  Jews  for  these  sayings,  and  many  of 
them  said,  he  hath  a  devil  and  is  niad^  lohy  hear  ye  hitn  ?  If 
the  master  of  the  house  was  served  so,  pray  what  are  the  ser- 
vants to  expect  ?  Others,  a  little  more  sober-minded,  said,  these 
are  not  the  words  of  him  that  hath  a  devil ;  the  devil  never 
used  to  preach  or  act  in  this  way.  Can  a  devil  open  the  eyes 
of  the  blind  7  So  he  had  some  friends  among  this  rabble. 
This  did  not  discouras^e  our  Lord  ;  he  goes  on  in  his  work  ;  and 
we  shall  never,  never  go  on  with  the  work  of  God,  till,  like  our 
master,  we  are  willing  to  go  through  good  and  through  evil 
report :  and  let  the  devil  see  we  are  not  so  complaisant  as  to 
stop  one  moment  for  his  barking  at  us  as  we  go  along. 

We  are  told,  that  our  Lord  was  at  Jerusalem  at  the  feast  of 
the  dedication,  and  it  was  winter.  The  feast  of  dedication 
held,  I  think,  seven  or  eight  days,  for  the  commemoration  of 
the  restoration  of  the  temple  and  altar,  after  its  profanation  by 
Antiochus.  Now  this  was  certainly  a  mere  human  institution, 
and  had  no  divine  image,  no  divine  superscription  upon  it ;  and 
yet  I  do  not  find  that  our  blessed  Lord  and  master  preached 
against  it ;  I  do  not  find  that  he  spent  his  time  about  this  :  \m 
heart  was  too  h\^  with  superior  thinofs  ;  and  I  believe  when  we, 
like  him  are  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost,  we  shall  not  entertain 
our  audiences  with  disputes  about  rites  and  ceremonies,  but 
shall  treat  upon  the  essentials  of  the  gospel,  and  then  rite?  and 
ceremonies  will  appear  with  more  indifference.  Our  Lord  does 
not  say,  that  he  would  not  go  up  to  the  feast,  for  on  the  con- 
trary, he  did  go  there,  not  so  much  to  keep  the  feast,  as  to  have 
an  opportunity  to  spread  the  gospel-net,  and  that  should  bo 
our  method,  not  to  follow  disputing ;  and  it  is  the  glory  of  the 
Methodists,  that  we  have  been  in  existence  forty  years,  and  I 


506  THE  GOOD  SHEPHERD.  [Serm.  26. 

thank  God,  there  has  not  been  one  single  pamphlet  written  by 
any  of  our  preachers  about  the  non-essentials  of  religion. 

bur  Lord  always  made  the  best  of  every  opportunity ;  and 
we  are  told,  "  he  walked  in  the  temple  in  Solomon's  porch." 
One  would  have  thought  the  scribes  and  pharisees  would  have 
put  him  in  one  of  their  stalls,  and  have  complimented  him 
with  desiring  him  to  preach.  No,  they  let  him  walk  in  Solo- 
mon's porch  ;  some  think  he  walked  by  himself,  nobody  choos- 
ing to  keep  company  with  him.  Methinks,  I  see  him  walking 
and  looking  at  the  temple,  and  foreseeing  within  himself  how 
soon  it  would  be  destroyed  ;.  he  walked  pensive  to  see  the  dread- 
ful calamities  that  would  come  upon  the  land,  for  not  knowing 
the  day  of  its  visitation  ;  and  it  was  to  let  the  w^orld  see  that 
he  was  not  afraid  to  appear  in  public  ;  he  walked,  as  much  as 
to  say,  have  any  of  you  any  thing  to  say  to  me  ?  And  he  put 
himself  in  their  way,  that  if  they  had  any  thing  to  ask  him, 
he  was  ready  to  resolve  them  ;  and  show  them  that  though 
they  had  treated  him  so  ill,  yet  he  was  ready  to  preach  salva- 
tion to  them. 

In  the  twenty-fourth  verse  we  are  told,  "  Then  came  the 
Jews  round  about  him,  and  said  unto  him,  how  long  dost  thou 
make  us  to  doubt  ?"  They  came  round  about  him  when  they 
saw  him  walking  in  Solomon's  porch.  Now,  say  they,  we  will 
have  him,  now  we  will  attack  him.  And  now  was  fulfilled 
that  passage  in  the  Psalms,  "they  compassed  me  about  like  bees" 
to  sting  me,  or  rather  like  wasps.  Now,  say  they,  we  will  get 
him  in  the  middle  of  us,  and  see  what  sort  of  a  man  he  is  ;  we 
will  see  whether  we  cannot  conquer  him ;  they  came  to  him 
and  they  say,  "  how  long  dost  thou  make  us  to  doubt  T*  Now 
this  seems  a  plausible  question  :  how  long  dost  thou  make  lis 
to  doiiht  7  Pray  how  long,  sir,  do  you  intend  to  keep  us  in 
sus)3ense  ?  Some  think  the  words  will  bear  this  interpretation  ; 
pray,  sir,  how  long  do  you  intend  thus  to  steal  away  our  hearts? 
They  would  represent  him  to  be  a  designing  man,  like  Absa- 
lom, to  get  the  people  on  his  side,  and  then  set  up  himself  for 
the  Messiah  ;  thus  carnal  minds  alwa^^s  interpret  good  men's 
actions.  But  the  meaning  seems  to  be  this,  they  were  doubt- 
ing concerning  Christ  ;  doubting  christians  may  think  it  is 
God's  fault  that  they  doubt,  but  God  knows  it  is  all  their  own. 
"  How  long  dost  thou  make  us  to  doubt  ?"  I  wish  you  would 
speak  a  little  plainer,  sir,  and  not  let  us  have  any  more  of  your 
parables  :  pray  let  us  know  who  y^ou  are,  let  us  have  it  from 
your  own  mouth  ;  if  thou  be  the  Christ,  tell  us  plainlp' ;  and  I 
do  not  doubt  but  they  put  on  a  very  sanctified  face  and  looked 
very  demure  ;  if  thou  be  the  Christ  tell  us  'plainly,  intending 
to  catch  him ;  if  he  does  not  say  he  is  the  Christ,  we  will  say 


Serm.  26.]  the  good  shepherd.  597 

he  is  ashamed  of  his  own  cause  ;  if  he  does  tell  us  plainly  that 
he  is  the  Christ,  then  we  will  impeach  him  to  the  governor; 
we  will  go  and  tell  the  gov^ernor  that  this  man  says  he  is  the 
Messiah  ;  now  we  know  of  no  Messiah  but  what  is  to  jostle 
Ca3sar  out  of  his  throne.  The  devil  always  wants  to  make 
it  believed  that  God's  people  (who  are  the  most  loyal  people  in 
the  world,)  are  rebels  to  the  government  under  which  they  live ; 
if  thou  he  the  Christ  tell  us  plainly.  Our  Lord  does  not  let 
them  wait  long  for  an  answer  ;  honesty  can  soon  speak  :  "  I 
told  you  and  ye  believed  not :  the  works  that  I  do  in  my  Fa- 
thers name,  they  bear  witness  of  me.''  Had  our  Lord  said,  I 
am  the  Messiah,  they  would  have  taken  him  up ;  he  knew  that, 
and  therefore  he  joined  the  wisdom  of  the  serpent^  with  the 
innocence  of  the  dove:  says  he,  I  appeal  to  my  works  and  doc- 
trine, and  if  you  will  not  infer  from  them  that  I  am  the  Mes- 
siah, I  have  no  further  argument.  '^  But,  (he  adds,)  ye  believe 
not,  because  ye  are  not  of  my  sheep."  He  complains  twice  ; 
for  their  unbelief  was  the  greatest  grief  of  heart  to  Christ  ; 
then  he  goes  on  in  the  words  of  our  text,  My  sheep  hear  my 
voice,  and  I  know  them,  and  they  follow  me.  And  I  give 
unto  them,  eternal  life^  and  they  shall  never  perish  ;  neither 
shall  any  pluck  them  out  of  my  hand.  My  sheep  hear  my 
voice ;  you  think  to  puzzle,  you  think  to  chagrin  me  with  this  kind 
of  conduct,  but  you  are  mistaken  ;  you  do  not  believe  on  me, 
because  you  are  not  of  my  sheep.  The  great  Mr.  Stodart  of 
New  England,  (and  no  place  under  heaven  produces  greater 
divines  than  New  England,)  preached  once  from  these  words, 
hut  ye  helieve  not,  hecause  ye  are  not  of  my  sheep  ;  a  very 
strange  text  to  preach  upon  to  convince  a  congregation,  yet 
God  so  blessed  it,  that  two  or  three  hundred  souls  were  awa- 
kened by  that  sermon.  God  grant  such  success  to  attend  the 
labors  of  all  his  faithful  ministers. 

My  sheep  hear  my  voice  and  they  follow  me.  It  is  very 
remarkable,  there  are  but  two  sorts  of  people  mentioned  in 
scripture  ;  it  does  not  say  the  Baptists  and  Independents,  nor 
the  Methodists  and  Presbyterians  ;  no,  Jesus  Christ  divides 
t?ie  whole  world  into  but  two  classes,  sheep  aud  goats.  The 
Lord  give  us  to  see  this  morning  to  which  of  these  classes  we 
belong. 

But  it  is  observable,  believers  are  always  compared  to  some- 
thing that  is  good  and  profitable,  and  unbelievers  are  always 
described  by  something  that  is  bad,  and  good  for  little  or 
nothing. 

If  you  ask  me  why  Christ's  people  are  called  sheep,  as  God 
shall  enable  me,  I  will  give  you  a  short,  and  I  hope  it  will  be 
to  you  an  answer  of  peace.     Sheep,  you  know,  generally  love 


598  THE  GOOD  SHEPHERD.  [Scrm.  26. 

to  be  together  ;  we  say  a  flock  of  sheep ;  we  do  not  say  a  herd 
of  sheep ;  sheep  are  httle  creatures,  and  Christ's  people  may  he 
called  sheep,  because  they  are  httle  in  the  eyes  of  the  world, 
and  they  are  yet  less  in  their  own  eyes.  O  some  people  think 
if  the  great  men  were  on  our  side,  if  we  had  king,  lords,  and 
commons  on  our  side — I  mean  if  they  were  all  true  believers 
— O  if  we  had  all  the  kings  upon  the  earth  on  our  side  !  Sup- 
pose you  had  ?  Alas  !  alas  !  do  you  think  the  church  would 
go  on  the  better  ?  Why,  if  it  was  fashionable  to  be  a  Metho- 
dist at  court — if  it  was  fashionable  to  be  a  Methodist  abroad, 
they  would  go  with  a  Bible  or  a  hymn  book  instead  of  a  novel ; 
but  religion  never  thrives  under  too  much  sunshine.  "  Not 
many  mighty,  not  many  noble  are  called,  but  God  hath  chosen 
the  foolish  things  of  the  world  to  confound  the  wise,  and  God 
hath  chosen  the  weak  things  of  the  world  to  confound  the 
things  which  are  mighty."  Dr.  Watts  says,  here  and  there  I 
see  a  king,  and  here  and  there  a  great  man  in  heaven,  but  their 
number  is  but  small. 

Sheep  are  looked  upon  to  be  the  n^ost  harmless  and  quiet 
creatures  that  God  has  made.  O  may  God  of  his  infinite 
mercy,  give  us  to  know  that  we  are  his  sheep,  by  our  having 
this  blessed  temper  infused  into  our  hearts  by  the  Holy  Ghost. 
Learn  of  me,  saith  our  blessed  Lord  ;  what  to  do,  to  work 
miracles  ?  No.  Learn  of  nie^  for  I  am  meek  and  lately  in 
heart.  A  very  good  man,  now  living,  said  onc^,  if  there  is 
any  one  particular  temper  I  desire  more  than  another,  it  is  the 
grace  of  meekness^  quietly  to  bear  bad  treatment,  to  forget  and 
forgive ;  and  at  the  same  time  that  I  am  sensible  I  am  injured, 
not  to  be  overcome  of  evil,  but  to  have  grace  given  me  to  over- 
come evil  with  good.  To  the  honor  of  Moses  it  is  declared, 
that  he  was  the  meekest  man  upon  earth.  Meekness  is  neces- 
sary for  people  in  power  ;  a  man  that  is  passionate  is  danger- 
ous ;  every  governor  should  have  a  warm  temper,  but  a  man 
of  an  unrelenting,  unforgiving  temper,  is  no  more  fit  for  go- 
vernment than  Phseton  to  drive  the  chariot  of  the  sun  ;  he  only 
sets  the  world  on  fire. 

You  all  know,  that  sheep  of  all  creatures  in  the  world,  are 
the  most  apt  to  stray  and  be  lost.  Christ's  people  may  justly, 
in  that  respect,  be  compared  to  sheep ;  therefore,  in  the  intro- 
duction to  our  morning  service,  we  say,  We  have  erred  and 
strayed  from  thy  ways  like  lost  sheep.  Turn  out  a  horse  or 
a  dog,  and  they  will  find  the  way  home,  but  a  sheep  wanders 
aboul; ;  he  bleats  here  and  there  ;  as  much  as  to  say,  dear 
stranger,  show  me  my  home  again.  Thus  Christ's  sheep  are 
too  apt  to  wander  from  the  fold ;  having  their  eye  off  the 
great  shepherd,  they  go  into  this  field,  and  that  field,  over  this 


\ 


Serm.  26.]  the  good  shepherd.  599 

hedge  and  that,  and  often  return  home  with  the  loss  of  their 
wool. 

But  at  the  same  time,  sheep  are  the  most  useful  creatures 
in  the  world  ;  they  manure  the  land,  and  thereby  prepare  it 
for  the  seed ;  they  clothe  our  bodies  with  wool,  and  there  is 
not  the  least  part  of  a  sheep  but  is  useful  to  man.  O  my 
brethren,  God  grant  that  you  and  I  may,  in  this  respect  an- 
swer the  character  of  sheep.  The  world  says,  because  we 
preach  faith  we  deny  good  works  ;  this  is  the  usual  objection 
against  the  doctrine  of  imputed  righteousness,  but  it  is  slan- 
der, an  imputed  slander.  It  was  a  maxim  in  the  time  of  the 
first  reformers,  that  though  the  Arminians  preached  up  good 
works,  you  must  go  to  the  Calvinists  for  them.  Christ's  sheep 
study  to  be  useful,  and  to  clothe  all  they  can :  we  should  la- 
bor with  our  hands,  that  we  may  have  to  give  to  all  those  that 
need. 

Believers  consider  Christ's  property  in  them :  he  says,  my 
sheep.  O  blessed  be  God  for  that  little,  dear,  great  word  mi/. 
We  are  his  by  eternal  election  :  the  sheep  which  thou,  hast 
given  me,  says  Christ.  They  were  given  by  God  the  Father 
to  Christ  Jesus,  in  the  covenant  made  between  the  Father  and 
the  Son  from  all  eternity.  They  that  are  not  led  to  see  this, 
I  wish  them  better  heads  ;  though  I  believe  numbers  that  are 
against  it  have  better  hearts ;  the  liOrd  help  us  to  bear  with 
one  another  where  there  is  an  honest  heart. 

He  calls  them  my  sheep  ;  they  are  his  by  purchase:  O  sin- 
ner, sinner,  you  have  come  this  morning  to  hear  a  poor  crea- 
ture take  Jiis  last  farewell ;  but  I  want  you  to  forget  the  crea- 
ture that  is  preaching ;  I  want  to  lead  you  farther  than  the 
Tabernacle.  Where  do  you  want  to  lead  us?  Why,  to 
Mount  Calvary,  there  to  see  at  what  expense  of  blood  Christ 
purchased  those  whom  he  calls  his  own  ;  he  redeemed  them 
with  his  own  blood,  so  that  they  are  not  only  his  by  eternal 
election,  but  also  by  actual  redemption  in  time  ;  and  they  were 
given  to  him  by  the  Father,  upon  condition  that  he  should  re- 
deem them  by  his  heart's  blood.  It  was  a  hard  bargain,  but 
Christ  was  willing  to  strike  the  bargain,  that  you  and  I  might 
not  be  damned  for  ever. 

They  are  his,  because  they  are  enabled  in  a  day  of  God's 
power  voluntarily  to  give  themselves  up  unto  him.  Christ 
says  of  these  sheep  especially,  that  they  hear  his  voice,  and 
that  they  follow  him..  Will  you  be  so  good  as  to  mind  that? 
'Here  is  an  allusion  to  a  shepherd:  in  some  places  in  scripture 
the  shepherd  is  represented  as  going  after  the  sheep  ;  (2  Sam. 
vii.  8.;  Ps.  Ixxviii.  71.)  that  is  our  way  in  England  ;  but  in  the 
eastern  nations  the  shepherds  generally  went  before ;  they 


coo  THE  GOOD  SHEPHERD.  [Serm.  26. 

held  up  their  crook,  and  they  had  a  particular  call  that  the 
sheep  understood.  Now  says  Christ,  My  sheep  hear  my 
voice.  This  is  my  beloved  iSon,  saith  God,  hea?^  ye  him.  And 
again,  the  dead  shall  hear  the  voice  of  the  Son  of  God,  and 
live.  Now  the  question  is,  what  do  we  understand  by  hear- 
ing Christ's  voice  ? 

First,  we  hear  Moses'  voice  ;  we  hear  the  voice  of  the  law ; 
there  is  no  going  to  Mount  Zion  but  by  the  way  of  Mount  Si- 
nai ;  that  is  the  right  straight  road.  I  know  some  say  they 
do  not  know  when  they  were  converted  :  those  are,  I  believe, 
very  few  :  generally,  nay,  I  may  say  almost  always,  God  deals 
otherwise.  Some  are,  indeed,  called  sooner  by  the  Lord  than 
others,  but  before  they  are  made  to  see  the  glory  of  God,  they 
must  hear  the  voice  of  the  law ;  so  you  must  hear  the  voice 
of  the  law  before  you  will  ever  be  savmgly  called  unto  God. 
You  never  throw  off  your  cloak  in  a  storm,  but  you  hug  it  the 
closer ;  so  the  law  makes  a  man  hug  close  his  corruptions, 
(Rom.  viii.  7 — 9,)  but  when  the  gospel  of  the  Son  of  God 
shines  into  their  souls  then  they  throw  off  the  corruptions 
which  they  have  hugo'ed  so  closely:  they  hear  his  voice  say- 
ing. tSo?i,  daughter,  be  of  good  cheer,  thy  siiis,  ivhich  are 
w,any,  are  all  forgiven  thee.  They  hear  his  voice  ;  that  be- 
speaks the  habitual  temper  of  their  minds :  the  wicked  hear 
the  voice  of  the  devil,  the  lusts  of  the  flesh,  the  lusts  of  the 
eye,  and  the  pride  of  life ;  and  Christ's  sheep  themselves  at- 
tended to  them  before  conversion  ;  but  when  called  afterwards 
by  God,  they  hear  the  voice  of  a  Redeemers  blood  speaking 
peace  unto  them — they  hear  the  voice  of  his  word  and  of  his 
Spirit. 

The  consequence  of  hearing  his  voice,  and  the  proof  that 
we  do  hear  his  voice,  will  be  to  follow  him.  Jesus  said  unto 
his  disciples.  If  any  m,an  will  come  after  'me,  let  him  deny 
himself,  and  take  up  his  cross  and  folloiv  me.  And  it  is  said 
of  the  saints  in  glory,  that  they  followed  the  Lanib  ivhitherso- 
ever  he  went.  Wherever  the  shepherd  turns  his  crook,  and 
the  sheep  hear  his  voice,  they  follow  him ;  they  often  tread 
one  upon  another,  and  hurt  one  another,  they  are  in  such 
haste  in  their  way  to  heaven.  Following  Christ,  means  fol- 
lowing him  through  life— following  him  in  every  word  and 
gesture — following  him  out  of  one  clime  into  another.  Bid 
m^c  come  to  thee  upon  the  water,  said  Peter :  and  if  we  are 
commanded  to  go  over  the  v/ater  for  Christ,  God,  of  his  infi- 
nite mercy,  follow  us !  Wc  must  first  be  sure  that  the  Great 
Shepherd  points  his  crook  for  us.  But  this  is  the  character  of 
a  true  servant  of  Christ,  that  he  endeavors  to  follow  Christ  in 
thought,  word,  and  work. 


Serm.  26J  the  good  shepherd.  601 

Now,  my  brethren,  before  we  go  farther,  as  this  is  the  last 
opportunity  I  shall  have  of  speaking  to  you  for  some  months 
if  we  Uve ;  (some  of  you  I  suppose,  do  not  choose  in  general 
to  rise  so  soon  as  you  have  this  morning ;  now  I  hope  the 
world  did  not  get  into  your  hearts  before  you  left  your  beds  ;) 
now  you  are  here,  do  let  me  entreat  you  to  inquire  whether 
you  belong  to  Christ's  sheep  or  no.  Man,  Avoman,  sinner,  put 
thy  hand  to  thy  heart  and  answer  me,  didst  thou  ever  hear 
Christ's  voice  so  as  to  follow  him,  to  give  up  thyself  without 
reserve  to  him  ?  I  verily  do  believe  from  my  inmost  soul, 
and  that  is  my  comfort  now  I  am  about  to  take  my  leave  of 
you,  that  I  am  preaching  to  a  vast  body,  a  multitude  of  dear, 
precious  souls,  who  if  it  was  proper  for  you  to  speak,  would 
say,  thanks  be  unto  God,  that  we  can  follow  Jesus  in  the 
character  of  sheep,  though  we  are  ashamed  to  think  how 
often  we  wander  from  thee,  and  what  little  fruit  we  bring  unto 
thee.  If  that  is  the  language  of  your  hearts,  I  wish  you  joy ; 
welcome,  welcome,  dear  soul,  to  Christ.  O  blessed  be  God 
for  his  rich  grace,  his  distinguishing,  sovereign,  electing  love, 
by  which  he  has  distinguished  you  and  me.  And  if  he  has 
been  pleased  to  let  you  hear  his  voice,  through  the  ministra- 
tion of  a  poor,  miserable  sinner ;  a  poor,  but  happy  pilgrim, 
may  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  have  all  the  glory. 

If  you  belong  to  Jesus  Christ,  he  is  speaking  of  you ;  for, 
says  he,  /  knoio  my  sheep.  I  know  them ;  what  does  that 
mean  ]  Why,  he  knows  their  number,  he  knows  their  names, 
he  knows  every  one  for  whom  he  died ;  and  if  there  was  to 
be  one  missing  for  whom  Christ  died,  God  the  Father  would 
send  him  down  again  from  heaven  to  fetch  him.  "Of  all, 
(saith  he,)  that  thou  hast  given  me,  have  I  lost  none."  Christ 
knows  his  sheep ;  he  not  only  knows  their  number,  but  the 
words  speak  the  peculiar  knowledge  and  notice  he  takes  of 
them  ;  he  takes  as  much  care  of  them,  as  if  there  was  but  one 
single  sheep  in  the  world.  To  the  hypocrite  he  saith,  "  Verily 
I  know  you  not ;"  but  he  knows  his  saints,  he  is  acquainted 
with  all  their  sorrows,  trials,  and  temptations  ;  he  bottles  up 
all  their  tears,  he  knows  their  inward  corruptions,  he  knows 
all  their  wanderings,  and  he  takes  care  to  fetch  them  back 
again.  I  remember  I  heard  good  Dr.  Marryant,  who  was  u 
good  market-language  preacher,  once  say  at  Pinner's-hall,  (I 
hope  that  pulpit  will  always  be  filled  with  such  preachers,) 
God  has  got  a  great  dog  to  fetch  his  sheep  hack.  Do  not 
you  know  that  when  the  sheep  wander,  the  shepherd  sends 
his  dog  after  them  to  fetch  them  back  again  7  So  when 
Christ's  sheep  wander,  he  lets  the  devil  go  after  them,  and 
suffers  him  to  bark  at  them,  who,  instead  of  driving  them 

51 


602  THE  GOOD  SHEPHERD.  [Serm.  26, 

farther  off,  is  made  a  means  to  bring  them  back  again  to 
Christ's  fold. 

There  is  a  precious  word  I  would  have  you  take  notice  of, 
/  know  them  ;  that  may  comfort  you  under  all  your  trials. 
AVe  sometimes  think  that  Christ  does  not  hear  our  prayers, 
that  he  does  not  know  us  ;  we  are  ready  to  suspect  that  he 
has  forgotten  to  be  gracious  ;  but  what  a  mercy  it  is  that  he 
does  know  us.  We  accuse  one  another,  we  turn  devils  to  one 
another,  are  accusers  of  the  brethren,  and  what  will  support 
two  of  God's  people  when  judged  by  one  another,  but  this, 
Lord,  thou  knowest  my  integrity,  thou  knowest  how  matters 
are  with  me  ! 

But,  my  brethren,  here  is  something  better,  here  is  good 
news  for  you  ;  what  is  that  ?  say  you  ;  why,  I  give  unto  them 
eternal  life,  and  they  shall  never  perish,  neither  shall  any 
pluck  them  out  of  my  hand.  O  that  the  words  may  come  to 
your  hearts  with  as  much  warmth  and  power  as  they  did  to 
mine  thirty-five  years  ago.  I  never  prayed  against  any  cor- 
ruption I  had  in  my  life,  so  much  as  I  did  against  going  into 
holy  orders,  so  soon  as  my  friends  were  for  having  me  go ; 
and  Bishop  Benson  was  pleased  to  honor  me  with  peculiar 
friendship,  so  as  to  offer  me  preferment,  or  do  any  thing  for  me. 
My  friends  wanted  me  to  mount  the  church  betimes ;  they 
wanted  me  to  knock  my  head  against  the  pulpit  too  young  ; 
but  how  some  young  men  stand  up  here  and  there  and  preach, 
I  do  not  know  ;  but  God  knows  how  deep  a  concern  entering 
into  the  ministry  and  preaching  was  to  me ;  I  have  prayed  a 
thousand  times  till  the  sweat  has  dropped  from  my  face  like 
rain,  that  God  of  his  infinite  mercy,  would  not  let  me  enter 
the  church  before  he  called  me  to,  and  thrust  me  forth  in  his 
work.  I  remember  once  in  Gloucester,  (I  know  the  room,  I 
look  up  at  the  window  when  I  am  there  and  walk  along  the 
streets  ;  I  know  the  window,  the  bedside,  and  the  floor  upon 
which  I  have  lain  prostrate  ;)  1  said,  Lord,  I  cannot  go,  I  shall 
be  puffed  up  with  pride,  and  fall  into  the  condemnation  of  the 
devil ;  Lord  do  not  let  me  go  yet ;  I  pleaded  to  be  at  Oxford  two 
or  three  years  more  ;  I  intended  to  make  a  hundred  and  fifty 
sermons,  and  thought  1  would  set  up  with  a  good  stock  in  trade ; 
but  I  remember  praying,  wrestling,  and  striving  with  God  ;  I 
said  I  am  undone,  I  am  unfit  to  preach  in  thy  great  name, 
send  me  not,  pray,  Lord,  send  me  not  yet.  I  wrote  to  all  my 
friends  in  town  and  country,  to  pray  against  the  bishop's  solici- 
tation, but  they  insisted  I  should  go  into  orders  before  I  was 
twenty-two.  After  all  their  solicitation  these  words  came  into 
my  mind,  nothing  shall  pin ck  you  out  of  my  hand.  O  may 
the  words  be  blessed  to  you  my  dear  friends,  that  I  am  parting 


Serm.  26.]  the  good  shepherd.  603 

with,  as  they  were  to  me  when  they  came  warm  upon  my 
heart ;  then,  and  not  till  then,  I  said.  Lord,  I  will  go,  send  me 
when  thou  wilt.  I  remember  when  I  was  in  a  place  called 
Dover-Island,  near  Georgia,  we  put  in  with  bad  winds  ;  I  had 
a  hundred  and  fifty  in  the  family  to  maintain,  and  not  a  sin- 
gle farthing  to  do  it  with,  in  the  dearest  part  of  the  king's 
dominions ;  I  remember,  I  told  a  minister  of  Christ  now  in 
heaven,  I  had  these  words  once,  sir,  vothing  shall  phick  you 
out  of  my  hand.  O,  says  he,  take  comfort  from  them,  you  may 
be  sure  God  will  be  as  good  as  his  word,  if  he  never  tells  you 
so  again.  And  our  Lord  knew  his  poor  sheep  woidd  be  always 
doubting  they  should  never  reach  heaven,  therefore,  says  he, 
I  give  to  them  eternal  life^  and  they  shall  never  j)erish. 

Here  are  in  our  text  three  blessed  declarations,  and  promises : 

First.     I  know  them. 

Second.  They  shall  never  perish  :  though  they  often  think 
they  shall  perish  by  the  hand  of  their  lusts  and  corruptions  ; 
though  they  think  they  shall  perish  by  the  deceitfulness  of  their 
hearts  ;  but  Christ  says,  they  shall  never  pej'ish  ;  I  have 
brought  them  out  of  the  world  to  myself,  and  do  you  think  I 
wilMet  them  go  to  hell  after  that.  I  give  to  them  eternal  life  ; 
pray  mind  that :  not  I  will,  but  I  do.  Some  talk  of  being  jus- 
tified at  the  day  of  judgment ;  that  is  nonsense ;  if  we  are  not 
justified  here,  we  shall  not  be  justified  there.  He  gives  them 
eternal  life,  that  is,  the  earnest,  the  pledge,  and  assurance  of 
it ;  the  indwelling  of  the  Spirit  of  God  here,  is  the  earnest  of 
glory  hereafter. 

Third.  Neither  shall  any  pluck  them  out  of  my  hand.  He 
holds  them  in  his  hand,  that  is,  he  holds  them  by  his  power, 
none  shall  pluck  them  thence ;  there  is  always  something 
plucking  at  Christ's  sheep,  the  devil,  the  lusts  of  the  flesh,  the 
lusts  of  the  eye,  and  the  pride  of  life,  all  try  to  pluck  them 
out  of  Christ's  hand.  O  my  brethren,  they  need  not  pluck  us, 
for  we  help  all  three  to  pluck  ourselves  out  of  the  hand  of 
Jesus  ;  but  none  shall  pluck  them  02/t  of  my  hand,  says  Christ, 
[give  to  them  eternal  life.  I  am  going  to  heaven  to  prepare 
a  place  for  them,  and  there  they  shall  be.  O  my  brethren,  if  it 
was  not  for  keeping  you  too  long,  and  too  much  exhausting 
my  own  spirits,  I  could  call  upon  you  to  leap  for  joy ;  there  is 
not  a  more  blessed  text  to  support  the  final  perseverance  of  the 
saints  ;  and  I  am  astonished  any  poor  soul,  and  good  people  I 
hope  too,  can  fight  against  the  doctrine  of  the  perseverance  of 
the  saints.  What  if  a  person  say  they  should  persevere  in 
wickedness  ?  Ah  !  that  is  an  abuse  of  the  doctrine  ;  what,  be- 
cause some  people  spoil  good  food,  are  we  never  to  eat  it? 
But^  my  brethren,  upon  this  text  I  can  leave  my  cares,  all  my 


604  THE  GOOD  SHEPHERD.  [Serm.  26. 

friends,  all  Christ's  sheep  to  the  protection  of  Christ  Jesus's 
never  failing  love. 

I  thonoht  this  morning,  when  I  came  here  riding  from  the 
other  end  of  the  town,  it  was  to  me  like  coming  to  be  executed 
publicly  ;  and  when  the  carriage  turned  just  at  the  end  of  the 
walk,  and  I  saw  you  running  here,  O  thinks  I,  it  is  like  a  per- 
son now  coming  to  the  place  where  he  is  to  be  executed :  when 
I  went  up  to  put  on  my  gown,  I  thought  it  was  like  dressing 
myself  to  be  made  a  public  spectacle  to  shed  my  blood  for 
Christ ;  and  I  take  all  heaven  and  earth  to  witness,  and  God 
and  the  holy  angels  to  witness,  that  though  I  had  preferment 
enough  offered  me,  that  though  the  bishop  took  me  in  his 
arms,  and  offered  me  two  parishes  when  I  was  but  twenty-two 
years  old,  and  always  took  me  to  his  table ;  though  1  had  pre- 
ferment enough  offered  me  when  I  was  ordained,  thou,  O 
God,  knowesi,  that  when  the  bishop  put  his  hand  upon  my 
head,  I  looked  for  no  other  preferment  than  publicly  to  suffer 
for  the  Lamb  of  God :  in  this  spirit  I  came  out,  in  this  spirit  I 
came  up  to  this  metropolis.  I  was  thinking  when  I  read  of 
Jacob's  going  over  the  brook  with  a  staff,  that  1  would  not  say- 
so  much,  but  I  came  up  without  a  friend ;  I  went  to  Oxford 
without  a  friend  ;  I  had  not  a  servant ;  I  had  not  any  one  to 
introduce  me ;  but  God,  by  his  Holy  Spirit,  was  pleased  ta 
raise  me  up  to  preach  for  his  great  name's  sake  :  through  his 
Divine  Spirit  I  continue  to  this  day,  and  feel  my  affections  are 
as  strong  as  ever  towards  the  work,  and  the  people  of  the  liv- 
ing God.  The  congregations  at  both  ends  of  the  town  are  dear 
to  me.  God  has  honored  me  to  build  this  and  the  other  place ; 
and,  blessed  be  his  name,  as  he  called  me  to  Georgia  at  first, 
and  I  left  all  London  affairs  to  God's  care,  when  I  had  most 
of  the  churches  in  London  open  for  me,  and  had  twelve  or 
fourteen  constables  to  keep  the  doors,  that  people  might  not 
crowd  too  much ;  I  had  offers  of  hundreds  then  to  settle  in 
London,  yet  I  gave  it  up  for  God,  to  go  into  a  foreign  clime ; 
and  I  hope  with  that  same  single  intention  I  am  going  now. 

When  I  came  from  America  last,  I  thought  I  had  no  other 
river  to  pass  over  but  the  river  Jordan  ;  1  remember  I  told  you 
so  ;  and  as  the  Orphan-house  was  then  to  be  given,  I  thought, 
out  of  my  hands,  I  intended  to  retire  into  some  little  corner, 
and  pray  when  I  could  not  preach,  my  spirits  were  so  low,  and 
my  nerves  and  animal  frame  so  weak,  but  God,  of  his  infinite 
mercy,  has  renewed  my  strength,  and  is  pleased  to  raise  mj 
spirits,  so  that  I  find  my  heart  is  willing  to  go  here  or  there, 
wherever  God  shall  call. 

The  Orphan-house  being  turned  into  a  college  is  a  matter 
of  great  consequence.    You  that  have  not  been  in  America 


Serm.  26.]  the  good  shepherd.  605 

cannot  tell,  but  I  heartily  wish,  (I  am  neither  a  prophet,  nor 
the  son  of  a  prophet,)  and  I  hope  none  of  us  will  ever  be  driven 
to  America  for  an  asylum,  where  God's  people  were  driven  from 
this  land  a  hundred  years  ago.  Clouds  are  growing  thick,  and 
if  a  spirit  of  moderation  does  not  prevail  among  governors  and 
governed,  what  but  confusion  must  happen  to  persons  who 
strive  with  one  another,  and  are  making  sport  for  the  devil,  by 
destroying  one  another  ?  May  the  great  and  gracious  God  avert 
every  impending  storm  ;  and  by  diffusing  a  spirit  of  modera- 
tion and  of  a  sound  mind,  and  by  keeping  his  people  close  to 
himself,  avert  those  storms,  those  terrible  judgments,  that  we 
have  reason  to  expect  from  our  repeated  provocations.  I  am 
going  now  to  settle  the  Orphan-house  upon  a  proper  basis ;  I 
go  now  in  the  fall,  that  I  may  be  in  Georgia  in  the  winter, 
which  is  fine  weather  there.  The  twenty-fifth  of  March  is  the 
anniversary  of  the  day  on  which  I  laid  the  first  brick  of  the 
Orphan-house  ;  by  that  time  1  hope,  all  the  buildings  will  be 
finished,  and  the  plantation  settled:  and  then  I  hope  to  go 
and  preach  along  the  continent  to  New  England,  and  from 
thence  I  intend,  if  God  permit  me,  to  return  to  my  dear  Lon- 
don and  English  friends  again. 

I  have  blessed  news  from  the  Orphan-house ;  one  writes  to 
me  word,  would  to  God  yon.  could  send  a  thousand  such  as  you 
have  sent,  Mr.  Dixon  and  his  wife,  that  have  been  old  serv^ants 
there ;  Mr.  Wright,  Mr.  Crayne,  and  Mr.  Wright's  brother,  and 
those  that  have  been  employed  with  them  to  carry  on  the  work 
of  the  Lord ;  and  I  cannot  think  but  God  intends  to  lay  a  founda- 
tion for  a  blessed  seminary  for  Christ.  Lord  Jesus,  hear  our 
prayers  upon  that  account. 

Now  I  must  come  to  the  hardest  part  I  have  to  act.  I  was 
afraid  when  I  came  out  from  home,  that  I  could  not  bear  the 
shock,  but  I  hope  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  will  help  me  to  bear  it, 
and  help  you  to  give  me  up  to  the  blessed  God,  let  him  do  with 
me  what  he  will.  This  is  the  thirteenth  time  of  my  crossing 
the  mighty  waters  ;  it  is  a  little  difficult  at  this  time  of  life ; 
and  though  my  spirits  are  improved  in  some  degree,  yet  weak- 
ness is  the  best  of  my  strength  ;  but  I  delight  in  the  cause,  and 
God  fills  me  with  a  peace  that  is  unutterable,  which  nobody 
knows,  and  a  stranger  intermeddles  not  with  ;  into  his  hands 
I  commend  my  spirit ;  and  I  beg  that  this  may  be  the  language 
of  your  hearts,  Lord  keep  him,  let  nothing  pluck  him  out  of 
thy  hands.  I  expect  many  a  trial  while  I  am  on  board;  Satan 
always  meets  me  there ;  but  that  God  who  has  kept  me,  I  be- 
lieve will  keep  me.  I  thank  God,  I  have  the  honor  of  leaving 
every  thing  quite  well  and  easy  at  both  ends  of  the  town  ;  and 
my  dear  hearers,  my  prayers  to  God  shall  be,  that  nothing  shall 

51* 


606  THE  GOOD  SHEPHERD.  [SeriD.  26. 

pluck  you  out  of  Christ's  hands.  Witness  against  me,  if  I  ever 
set  up  a  party  for  myself;  did  ever  any  minister,  or  could  any 
minister  in  the  world  say,  that  I  ever  spoke  against  any  one 
going  to  any  dear  minister  ?  I  thank  God,  that  he  has  enabled 
me  to  be  always  strengthening  the  hands  of  all,  tliough  some 
have  afterwards  been  ashamed  to  own  me.  I  declare  to  you, 
that  I  believe  that  God  will  be  with  me,  and  will  strengtlien 
me ;  and  I  believe  it  is  in  answer  to  your  prayers,  that  God  is 
pleased  to  revive  my  spirits  ;  may  the  Lord  help  you  to  pray 
on.  If  I  am  drowued  in  the  waves,  I  will  say,  Lord,  take  care 
of  my  London,  take  care  of  my  English  friends,  let  nothing 
pluck  them  out  of  thy  hands. 

And  as  Christ  has  given  us  eternal  life,  O  my  brethren,  some 
of  you,  I  doubt  not,  will  be  gone  to  him  before  my  return ;  but 
my  dear  brethren,  my  dear  hearers,  never  mind  that ;  we  shall 
part,  but  it  will  be  to  meet  again  for  ever.  I  dare  not  meet  you 
now,  I  cannot  bear  your  coming  to  me  to  part  from  me,  it  cuts 
me  to  the  heart  and  quite  overcomes  me ;  but  by  and  by  all 
parting  will  be  over,  and  all  tears  shall  be  wiped  away  from 
our  eyes.  God  grant  that  none  that  weep  now  at  my  parting 
may  weep  at  our  meeting  at  the  day  of  judgment ;  and  if  you 
never  were  among  Christ's  sheep  before,  may  Christ  Jesus  bring 
you  now.  O  come,  come,  see  what  it  is  to  have  eternal  life ; 
do  not  refuse  it ;  haste  sinner,  haste  away :  may  the  great,  the 
good  shepherd,  draw  your  souls.  O  !  if  you  never  heard  his 
voice  before,  God  grant  you  may  hear  it  now ;  that  I  may  have 
this  comfort  when  I  am  gone  that  I  had  last,  that  some  souls 
were  awakened  at  the  parting  sermon.  O  that  it  may  be  a 
farewell  sermon  to  you ;  that  it  may  be  a  means  of  your  taking 
a  farewell  of  the  world,  the  lusts  of  the  flesh,  the  lusts  of  the 
eye,  and  the  pride  of  life.  O  come,  come,  come,  to  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ ;  to  him  I  leave  you. 

And  you,  dear  sheep,  that  are  already  in  his  hands,  O  may 
God  keep  you  from  wandering ;  God  keep  you  near  Christ's 
feet ;  I  do  not  care  what  shepherds  keep  you,  so  as  you  are  kept 
near  the  great  shepherd  and  bishop  of  our  souls.  The  Lord 
God  keep  you,  lift  up  the  light  of  his  countenance  upon  yon, 
and  give  you  peace.     Amen. 


Serm.  27.]         a  faithful  minister's,  &c.  €07 

SERMON   XXVII. 


SERMON. 


Revelations  xxii.  21. 

The  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  he  with  you  all.     Amen. 

It  is  very  remarkable  that  the  Old  Testament  ends  with  the 
word  curse  ;  whereby  we  are  taught  that  the  law  made  nothing" 
perfect :  but  blessed  be  God,  the  New  Testament  ends  other- 
wise, even  a  precious  blessing,  that  g-lorious  grace  put  into  the 
heart,  and  dropped  by  the  pen  of  the  disciple  whom  Jesus  loved. 

My  brethren,  as  the  providence  of  God  calls  us  now  to  bid 
each  other  a  long  farewell,  can  I  part  from  you  better  than  in 
enlarging  a  little  upon  this  short  but  glorious  prayer ;  can  I 
wish  you,  or  you  me,  better  in  time  and  eternity,  than  that  the 
words  of  our  text  may  be  fulfilled  in  our  hearts  :  the  grace  of 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  be  with  you  all.  Amen..  In  opening 
which. 

First,  It  Avill  be  proper  to  explain  what  we  are  to  understand 
by  the  word  grace. 

Secondly,  What  by  the  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and 
its  being  with  us  all ;  and  then  to  observe  upon  the  word 
Amen :  showing  you  why  it  is  that  every  one  of  us  may  wish 
that  the  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  may  be  with  us  all. 

Perhaps  there  is  not  a  word  in  the  book  of  God  that  has  a 
greater  variety  of  interpretations  put  upon  it  than  this  little, 
this  groat  word  o^race.  I  do  not  intend  to  fatigue  you,  or  waste 
the  time  by  giving  you  all.  It  will  be  enough  in  general  to 
observe,  that  the  word  grace  signifies  favor,  or  may  imply  the 
general  kindness  that  God  bears  to  the  world  ;  but  it  signifies 
that  here,  which  I  pray  God  we  may  all  experience,  I  mean 
the  grace,  the  special  grace  of  the  blessed  God  communicated 
to  his  people  ;  not  only  his  favor  displayed  to  us  outwardly, 
but  the  work  of  the  blessed  Spirit  imparted  and  conveyed 
inwardly  and  most  powerfully  to  our  souls,  and  this  is  what 
our  church  in  the  catechism  calls  special  grace  ;  for  though 
Jesus  Christ  in  one  respect  is  the  Savior 'of  all,  and  we  are  to 
offer  Jesus  Christ  universally  to  all,  yet  he  is  said  in  a  special 
manner  to  be  the  Savior  of  them  that  believe  ;  so  that  the 
word  grace  is  a  very  complex  word,  and  takes  in  all  that  the 


608  A  FAITHFUL  MINISTER'S  [Serm.  27. 

blessed  Spirit  of  God  does  for  a  poor  sinner,  from  the  moment 
he  first  draws  his  breath,  and  brings  him  to  Jesus  Christ,  till 
he  is  pleased  to  call  him  by  death  ;  and  as  it  is  begun  in  grace, 
it  will  be  swallowed  up  in  an  endless  eternity  of  glory  here- 
after. This  is  called  the  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 
Why  so  ?  Because  it  is  purchased  for  us  by  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ:  the  law  was  given  by  Moses,  but  grace  and  truth,  in 
the  most  emphatical  manner,  came  by  Jesus  Christ  the  son  of 
God.  If  it  was  not  for  the  purchase  of  a  Mediator's  blood, — 
if  it  was  not  that  Jesus  Christ  had  bought  us  with  a  price,  even 
with  the  price  of  his  own  blood,  you  and  I  should  never  have 
had,  and  could  never  have  had  the  grace  of  God  manifested  at 
all  to  our  souls.  The  covenant  of  works  being  broken,  our 
first  parents  stood  convicted  before  God  :  they  were  criminals, 
though  they  did  not  care  to  own  it ;  condemned  before  God, 
and  in  themselves,  so  that  like  their  children  they  made  ex- 
cuses for  their  sin.  Man  by  nature  had  but  one  neck,  and  if 
God  had  pleased  to  have  done  it,  he  might  justly  have  cut  it 
off  at  one  blow  :  but  no  sooner  had  man  incurred  the  curse  of 
the  law,  but  behold  a  Mediator  is  provided  under  the  charac- 
ter of  the  seed  of  the  woman,  which  should  bruise  the  serpent's 
head ;  implying  what  the  Redeemer  was  first  to  do  without^ 
and  afterwards  to  do  in  the  hearts  of  all  his  people  :  well  there- 
fore are  Ave  taught  in  our  church  collects  to  end  all  our  prayers 
with  the  words,  throygh  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord, 

Moreover,  brethren,  this  grace  may  be  called  the  grace  of 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  because  it  is  not  only  purchased  by  him, 
but  it  is  conveyed  into  our  hearts  through  Christ.  The  fede- 
ral head  of  his  glorious  body,  is  a  head  of  influence  to  those 
for  whom  he  shed  his  blood  :  thus  his  disciple  said,  he  was 
full  of  grace  and  truth,  and  out  of  his  fullness  we,  all  that  are 
true  believers,  receive  grace  for  grace  ;  grace  upon  grace,  says 
Mr.  Blackwall,  in  his  sacred  classics  :  grace  for  grace,  that  is, 
says  Luther,  every  grace  that  is  in  Christ  Jesus,  will  be  by  his 
blessed  Spirit  transcribed  into  every  believer's  heart,  even  as 
the  warm  wax  receives  the  impress  of  the  seal  upon  it ;  as 
there  is  line  upon  line  upon  the  seal  left  upon  the  wax,  so  in  a 
degree,  though  we  come  greatly  short  of  what  the  law  requires, 
the  grace  that  is  in  Jesus  Christ  is,  in  a  measure,  implanted  in 
our  souls  ;  but  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  blessed  be  God,  has  our 
stock  in  his  hands.  God  trusted  man  once,  but  never  will 
more ;  he  set  Adam  up,  gave  him  a  blessed  stock,  placed  him 
in  a  paradise  of  love,  and  he  soon  became  a  bankrupt,  some 
think  in  twenty-four  hours,  however,  all  agree  it  was  in  six  or 
seven  days,  and  that  he  never  had  but  one  sabbath  ;  but  now, 
blessed  be  God,  we  are  under  a  better  dispensation,  our  stock 


I 


Serm.  27.J  parting  blessing.  609 

is  put  into  Christ's  hands,  he  knows  how  to  keep  it,  and  us 
too;  so  this  grace  may  be  said  to  be  the  grace  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  secured  by  his  blood,  and  conveyed  to  our  souls 
by  his  being  the  head  of  his  church  and  people. 

This  grace  has  a  variety  of  epithets  put  to  it,  and  I  question 
whether  there  is  any  kind  of  grace  but  what  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  exercises  towards  his  people  some  way  or  other,  every 
hour,  every  moment  of  the  day. 

First  His  restraining  grace.  Why,  if  it  was  not  for  this, 
God's  people  would  be  as  weak  and  wicked  as  other  folks  are. 
Remember  what  David  said  when  Abigail  came  to  him ;  he  was 
going  to  kill  a  neighbor  for  affronting  him,  forgetting  that  he 
was  a  Psalmist,  and  was  only  acting  as  a  creature.  Blessed 
be  God,  says  he,  that  has  sent  thee  to  meet  and  keep  me.  My 
brethren,  we  may  talk  what  we  please,  and  build  upon  our 
own  stock ;  we  are  just  like  little  children  that  will  walk  by 
themselves.  Well,  says  the  father,  Avalk  alone  then,  they  tum- 
ble down,  get  a  broken  brow,  and  then  are  glad  to  take  hold 
of  the  father ;  thus  Jesus  Christ  is  always  acting  in  a  restrain- 
ing way  to  his  people  ;  if  it  was  not  so,  by  the  blindness  of 
their  understandings,  the  corruptions  of  their  hearts  and  affec- 
tions, together  with  the  perverseness  of  thoir  will,  alas  !  alas  ! 
there  is  not  a  child  of  God  that  would  not  run  away  every  day, 
if  Christ  did  not  restrain  him  ! 

Secondly.  There  is  convicting  grace,  which  from  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  acts  every  day  and  hour.  Oh  !  it  is  a  blessed 
thing  to  be  under  the  Redeemer's  convicting  grace !  a  man 
may  speak  to  the  ear,  but  it  is  the  Spirit  of  God  alone  can 
speak  to  the  heart.  I  am  not  speaking  of  convicting  grace 
that  wounds  before  conversion,  and  gives  us  a  sense  of  our  sin 
and  misery:  no,  I  mean  convictiiig  grace  that  follows  the 
believer  from  time  to  time.  If  a  heathen  Socrates  could  say, 
that  he  had  always  a  monitor  with  him  to  check  him  when 
he  did  amiss  and  direct  him  when  he  went  right,  surely  the 
christian  may  say,  blessed  be  God  for  it,  that  he  has  a  Jesus 
that  kindly  shows  him  when  he  goes  astray,  and  by  his  grace 
puts  him  into  the  way  of  righteousness,  that  his  feet  may  not 
slip  ;  this  is  what  the  shepherd  does  to  his  sheep  when  they 
have  wandered.  What  does  the  shepherd  do,  but  sends  some 
little  cur,  his  dog,  after  them,  to  bring  them  to  the  fold  again? 
What  does  Jesus  Christ  do  in  temptations,  trials  and  afflic- 
tions ?  He  fetches  his  people  home,  and  convinces  them  that 
they  have  done  amiss. 

Then,  thirdly^  There  is  the  converting  grace  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ.  Oh !  what  poor  unhappy  creatures  are  they, 
that  think  they  can  turn  to  God  when  they  please,  to  which 


610  A  FAITHFUL  MINISTER'S  [Serm.  27. 

abominable  principle  it  is  owing,  that  they  leave  it  till  they 
cannot  turn  in  their  beds.  Satan  tells  them  that  it  is  too  late, 
their  consciences  are  filled  with  horror,  and  they  go  oft'  in  a 
whirlwind.  May  this  be  the  case  of  none  here  !  That  is  a 
most  excellent  prayer  in  our  communion  office,  Turn  us,  O 
good  Lord,  and  toe  shall  he  turned  :  we  can  no  more  turn 
our  hearts  than  we  can  turn  the  world  upside  down  ;  it  is  the 
Redeemer,  by  his  Spirit,  must  take  away  the  heart  of  stone, 
and  by  the  influence  of  the  Holy  Spirit  give  us  a  heart  of  flesh. 
I  might  as  well  attempt  to  reach  the  heavens  with  my  hand ; 
I  might  as  well  go  to  some  church-yard  and  command  the  dead 
to  rise ;  I  might  as  well  shake  my  handkerchief  and  bid  the 
streams  divide,  and  they  give  way,  as  to  expect  a  soul  to  turn 
to  God  without  the  grace  of  a  Mediator.  Come,  my  dear  hear- 
ers, I  am  of  a  good  man's  opinion,  that  prayed  he  might  be 
converted  every  day.  In  the  divine  life,  not  to  go  forwards  is  to 
go  backwards  ;  and  it  is  one  great  part  of  the  work  of  the  Spirit 
of  God  to  convert  the  soul  from  something  that  is  Avrong  to 
something  that  is  right,  every  day,  hour,  and  moment  of  the 
believer's  life,  so  that  in  short  his  hfe  is  one  continued  act  of 
converting  grace.  There  is  not  a  day  but  there  is  something 
wrong  ;  there  is  something  we  want  to  have  taken  away  ;  we 
want  to  get  rid  of  the  old  man,  and  to  get  more  of  the  new 
man,  and  so  the  Spirit  of  God  works  every  day.  O!  my 
brethren,  God  give  us  more  of  this  converting  grace  ! 

Then  there  is  establishing  grace.  David  prays.  Create  in 
me  a  new  heart,  and  renew  a  right  spirit  within  me ;  in  the 
margin,  it  is  constant  spirit ;  and  you  hear  of  some  that  are 
rooted  and  grounded  in  the  love  of  God,  and  the  apostle  prays, 
that  they  may  always  abound  in  the  work  of  the  Lord.  Again, 
it  is  good  to  have  the  heart  established  with  grace.  There  is 
a  good  many  people  have  some  religion  in  them,  but  they  are 
not  established ;  hence  they  are  mere  weather-cocks,  turned 
about  by  every  wind  of  doctrine  ;  and  you  may  as  soon  mea- 
sure the  moon  for  a  suit  of  clothes,  as  some  people  that  are 
always  changing ;  this  is  for  want  of  more  grace,  more  of  the 
Spirit  of  God ;  and  as  children  grow  that  are  stronger  and 
riper,  so  as  people  grow  in  grace,  and  in  the  knowledge  of  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  they  will  be  more  settled,  more  confirmed. 
On  first  setting  out  they  prattle,  but  they  will  be  more  manly, 
more  firm,  more  steady.  Young  christians  are  like  little  rivu- 
lets that  make  a  large  noise,  and  have  shallow  water ;  old 
christians  are  like  deep  water  that  makes  little  noise,  carries  a 
good  load,  and  gives  not' way. 

What  think  you,  my  brethren,  of  the  Redeemer's  comforting 
grace?     O !  what  can  you  do  without  it ?     In  the  multitude 


Serm.  27.]  parting  blessing.  611 

of  my  thoughts  within  me,  says  the  Psalmist,  thy  comforts 
have  refreshed  my  soul.  I  believe  you  will  all  find  what 
Lord  Bolingbroke,  in  spite  of  all  his  fine  learning,  and  deistical 
principles,  found  when  under  affliction.  He  sent  a  letter 
which  I  saw  and  heard  read  to  me,  at  least  that  part  of  it  in 
which  he  says,  Now  lam  under  this  affliction  I  find  m^y  phi- 
losophy fails  me.  With  all  our  philosophy  and  striving,  it  is 
too  hard  to  work  ourselves  into  a  passive  state.  Alas !  it  is 
commendable  to  strive,  but  we  shall  never  be  content,  we  shall 
never  be  cheerful  under  sufferings,  but  through  the  assistance 
of  the  Redeemer.  Even  now,  in  respect  of  parting  from  one 
another,  what  can  comfort  friends  when  separated,  but  the 
Spirit  of  God.  Paul  when  going  away  from  Jerusalem,  said, 
What  mean  ye  to  roeep  and  break  ^ny  heart!  He  also  says, 
lam  ready  not  to  he  bound  only,  but  also  to  die  at  Jerusalem, 
for  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  which  he  could  not  have  said, 
had  he  not  felt  the  comforting  grace  of  Jesus  Christ.  Our 
Lord,  when  going  away,  says,  lie  ill  send  the  Comforter ;  I 
will  not  leave  you  comfortless  and  helpless,  I  will  come  again: 
the  Lord  helps  the  believer  from  time  to  time.  We  can  easily, 
my  brethren,  talk  when  not  under  the  rod  ourselves  ;  there  is 
not  a  physician  or  apothecary  in  London  but  can  give  good 
advice,  but  when  they  are  sick  themselves,  poor  souls !  they 
are  just  like  their  patients,  and  many  times  are  more  impatient 
than  those  they  used  to  preach  patience  to  ;  so  it  is  with  the 
greatest  christian  ;  we  are  all  men  of  like  passions  ;  there  is 
not  one  of  us  when  under  the  rod,  if  left  to  ourselves,  but 
would  curse  God,  and  Ephraim  like,  be  as  a  bullock  unaccus- 
tomed to  the  yoke;  and  there  are  many  here,  I  do  not  doubt, 
that  have  said  to  the  Redeemer,  What  dost  thoul  or,  perhaps, 
with  Jonah,  We  do  well  to  be  angry ;  if  the  Lord  does  but 
take  away  his  goard  from  us,  if  he  is  pleased  to  baulk  us  in 
regard  to  the  creatures,  how  uncomfortable  are  we  ?  and 
there  are  so  many  afflictions  and  trials,  that  if  it  was  not  for 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ's  comfortings,  no  flesh  could  bear  them. 
In  a  word,  what  think  you,  my  brethren,  of  the  quickening 
grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  ?  Remember  David  says, 
Quicken  me  according  to  thy  word ;  quicken  m.e  in  thy 
way ;  quicken  me  in  thy  righteousness.  God's  people  want 
quickening  everyday  ;  this  is  trimming  our  lamps,  girding  up 
the  loins  of  our  minds,  stirring  up  the  gift  of  God  that  is  in  us. 
It  is  just  with  a  soul  as  it  is  with  the  plants  and  trees  ;  how 
would  it  be  with  them  if  the  Lord  did  not  command  quicken- 
ing life  to  them  after  the  winter  ?  The  believer  has  his  frosty 
and  winter  days,  and  wo  be  to  them  that  think  they  have  al- 
ways a  summer ;  the  believer  at  times  can  say.  The  winter 


612  A  FAITHFUL  MINISTER'S  [Serm.  27. 

is  past,  the  ram  is  over  and  go7ie,  the  flowers  appear  on 
the  earth,  the  tinie  of  the  singing  of  birds  is  come,  and  the 
voice  of  the  turtle  is  heard  in  our  land,  the  fig-tree  putteth 
forth  her  green  figs,  and  the  vines  with  the  tender  grapes 
give  a  good  smell.  Cant.  ii.  12.  What  is  all  this  but  God's 
quickening  grace,  restoring  the  believer  to  his  blessed  joy. 
Oh  !  my  brethren,  I  have  not  time  to  show  you  in  how  many 
ways  the  Redeemer's  grace  is  displayed  ;  but  wherever  this 
grace  is,  what  reason  have  you  that  are  partakers  of  it,  and  I, 
to  pray  that  it  may  be  with  us  all ;  the  grace  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  says  John  here,  be  loith  yoit  all:  it  is  not  said 
all  ministers,  it  is  not  said  all  of  this  or  that  particular  people, 
but  with  all  believers.  O  !  my  friends  remember  what  Mr. 
Henry  said,  he  desired  to  be  a  Catholic,  but  not  a  Roman  Ca- 
tholic. 1  have  often  thought  since  I  went  to  see  the  water- 
works, that  it  was  an  emblem  of  Christ ;  there  is  a  great  re- 
servoir of  water  from  which  this  great  city  is  supplied  ;  but 
how  is  it  supplied  from  that  reservoir  ?  Why  by  hundreds 
and  hundreds  of  pipes  :  but  where  does  this  water  go,  does  it 
go  only  to  the  dissenters  or  to  the  church  people,  only  to  this 
or  that  people?  No,  the  pipes  convey  the  water  to  all ;  and  I 
remember  when  I  saw  it,  it  put  me  in  mind  of  the  great  reser- 
voir of  grace,  that  living  water  that  is  in  Christ  Jesus,  and  the 
pipes  are  the  ordinances  by  which  his  grace  is  conveyed  to  all 
believing  souls.     God  grant  we  may  be  of  that  happy  number. 

0  what  a  mercy  it  is  that  Christ  has  said  I  will  be  with  you 
always  even  to  the  end  of  the  world.  Matt,  xxviii.  20. ;  and 
therefore  we  must  look  upon  this  prayer  to  be  efficacious  now,  as 
it  was  the  moment  the  words  dropped  from  the  apostle's  pen. 

1  believe  the  most  minute  philosophers,  and  those  that  have 
the  greatest  skill  in  astronomy,  cannot  perceive  there  has  been 
any  abatement  in  the  heat  of  the  sun  since  God  first  com- 
manded it  to  rule  the  day;  then  surely,  if  my  God  can  make  a 
sun  that  for  so  many  thousands  of  years  shall  irradiate,  en- 
lighten, and  warm  the  world,  without  losing  any  of  its  light 
and  heat,  so  does  the  Sun  of  Righteousness,  the  Son  of  God, 
arise  upon  the  children  of  God  with  healing  under  his  wings; 
he  raises,  warms,  nourishes,  and  comforts  his  people,  and  we 
have  the  gospel  on  the  ends  of  the  earth,  as  well  as  those  who 
had  the  honor  of  conversing  with  him  in  the  days  of  his  flesh. 
I  mention  this  in  answer  to  all  those  who  have  wrote  against 
the  Methodists,  and  represented  them  as  fanatics  ;  there  is  no 
other  way  of  talking  against  the  divine  influence,  but  by  al- 
lowing it  was  so  formerly,  but  that  it  is  not  so  now  ;  they  say 
the  primitive  christians  had  it,  but  it  is  not  to  be  so  with  us 
now  as  it  was  formerly.     O  my  brethren,  what  fools  these 


Serm.  27.]  parting  blessing.  613 

great  men  are  wnen  they  talk  about  things  they  know  nothing 
of;  give  them  a  polyglot,  give  them  a  lexicon,  give  them  a  geo- 
graphical text,  or  the  chronological  part  of  the  scripture,  they 
have  something  to  say ;  but  when  they  come  to  talk  of  {he 
Spirit  of  God,  they  see  the  word  Spirit,  and  they  read  the 
word  grace,  but  while  they  read  it  their  hearts  cry,  because 
their  knowledge  puffs  them  up,  surely  if  it  was  so,  we  great 
men  that  have  been  in  the  university  should  have  it,  God 
would  give  it  us  :  and  because  they  find  it  not  in  themselves, 
their  abominable  pride  will  not  own  it  may  be  in  any.  Pray 
what  was  Peter,  James,  and  John ;  I  do  not  mean  to  speak 
disrespectfully  of  them,  they  were  as  weak,  as  blind,  as  obsti- 
nate, and  worldly-minded  as  others,  till  Jesus  Christ  changed 
their  hearts;  and  that  same  grace  that  changed  their  hearts, 
changes  now  the  hearts  of  God's  people ;  and  blessed  be  God, 
that  same  grace  is  with  all  his  people. 

It  is  so  in  his  ordinances.  Here  is  the  dijfference  between  a 
formalist  and  a  christian  ;  the  formalist  goes  to  ordinances, 
but  then  he  does  not  feel  the  God  of  ordinances,  and  that  is 
the  reason  most  formal  people  do  not  care  to  go  to  church  very 
often.  Who  cares  to  go  to  the  house  of  a  person  he  does  not 
love  ?  They  will  only  just  knock  at  the  door,  and  ask  if  such 
a  person  is  at  home,  and  are  very  glad  to  hear  the  servants 
say  their  master  or  mistress  is  not  at  home  ;  the  visit  is  paid ; 
so  it  is  with  many  people  who  go  to  church  and  meeting  ;  and 
I  do  not  doubt  but  there  are  many  JVIethodists,  hundreds  and 
hundreds,  that  have  been  at  the  ordinances,  who  never  felt 
the  God  of  ordinances  converting  them  to  this  day. 

The  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  is  with  his  people  in 
prayer.  Who  can  pray  without  grace  ?  They  may  laugh  at 
it  that  will,  but  God  give  you  and  I  a  spirit  of  prayer  ;  let  them 
laugh  as  they  please  ;  what  profit  will  it  be  to  us  to  read  this 
book  without  the  grace  of  God.  What  a  horrid  blunder  has 
the  bishop  of  G — — r  been  guilty  of?  W^hat  do  you  think  his 
lordship  says,  in  order  to  expose  the  fanaticism  of  the  Metho- 
dists ?  Why,  says  he,  they  say  they  cannot  understand  the 
scriptures  without  the  Spirit  of  God.  Can  any  man  iwiderstand 
the  scriptures  without  the  spirit  of  God  helps  him?  Jesus  Christ 
must  open  our  understandings  to  understand  the  scriptures, 
and  the  Spirit  of  God  must  take  of  the  things  of  Christ  and 
show  them  unto  us  ;  as  we  are  taught  to  pray,  O  Lord^  thou 
hast  caused  thy  holy  scriptures  to  he  written^  <^c.  as  in  the 
second  Sunday  in  Advent ;  and  here  the  bishop  pretends  to 
tell  us  there  is  no  need  of  it ;  here  our  collect  and  bishop  dis- 
agree very  much.  So  with  respect  to  all  ordinances  it  is  the 
same.     What  signifies  my  preaching  and  your  hearing  if  the 

52 


614  A  FAITHFUL  MINISTER'S  fScrm.  27. 

Spirit  of  God  does  not  enlighten  ?  Formal  ministers  can  steal 
a  sermon,  and  add  a  little  out  of  their  own  heads,  but  a  mi- 
nister of  the  gospel  cannot  preach  to  purpose  without  the  as- 
sistance of  the  Spirit  of  God,  no  more  than  a  ship  can  sail 
without  wind.  As  for  a  carnal  man  he  may  take  his  sermon 
in  his  pocket,  and  yon  will  find  his  sermons  always  the  same; 
but  spiritual  preachers  are  seldom  so  ;  sometimes  they  are  in 
darkness,  so  as  to  speak  to  those  that  are  in  darkness ;  some- 
times they  are  tempted,  so  as  to  speak  to  those  that  are  tempt- 
ed ;  sometimes  they  have  a  full  gale,  and  go  before  the  Vvdnd, 
and  this  is  all  by  the  assistance  of  the  Spirit  of  God,  and  with- 
out this  a  man  may  preach  like  an  angel,  and  do  no  good  at 
all.  So  in  respect  of  hearing-  the  word  of  God,  I  declare  I 
would  not  preach  again,  if  I  did  not  think  that  God  would  ac- 
company the  word  by  his  Spirit.  AVhat  are  Ave  but  sounding 
brass  and  tinkling  cymbals  7  If  the  word  is  preached  in  the 
strength  of  the  Spirit,  it  will  be  attended  with  convictions,  and 
conversions,  and  the  grace  of  God  will  be  both  with  preacher 
and  hearer. 

The  grace  of  God  is  with  his  people  in  his  Providence. 
O  !  says  Bishop  Hall,  a  little  aid  is  not  enough  for  me.  My 
going  on  the  water  puts  me  in  mind  of  what  I  have  seen  many 
times  :  if  the  sailors  perceive  a  storm  coming,  they  do  not 
choose  to  speak  to  the  passengers  for  fear  of  frightening  them, 
they  will  go  quietly  on  deck,  and  give  orders  for  proper  care  to 
be  taken  ;  and  if  a  sailor  can  tell  of  storms  approaching  by 
the  clouds,  why  cannot  God's  people  tell  why  God  does  so 
and  so  with  them  ?  The  people  of  God  eye  him  in  his  Pro- 
vidence ;  the  very  hairs  of  their  heads  are  all  numbered,  and 
the  grace  of  God  is  with  them  in  the  common  business  of  life. 
Some  people  think  that  the  Methodists  preach  so  and  so  to 
make  them  neglect  their  business,  and  we  preach  at  unsea- 
sonable times  :  we  would  not  preach  at  this  time,  but  that  we 
are  going  to  part  from  one  another.  No,  we  preach  that  the 
grace  of  God  may  attend  them  in  their  counting-houses,  and 
wo  be  to  those  persons  that  do  not  take  the  grace  of  God  with 
them  into  their  counting-houses,  and  in  their  common  busi- 
ness. O  what  blessed  times  would  it  be  if  every  one  made  the 
grace  of  God  their  employ,  that  when  the  Lord  comes  he  may 
say,  Lord,  here  I  am  waiting  for  thee. 

The  grace  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  is  with  his  people 
when  sick  and  when  dying.  O  my  dear  souls,  what  sliall  we 
do  when  death  comes  ?  What  a  mercy  it  is  that  we  have  a 
good  master  to  carry  us  through  that  time !  As  a  poor  con- 
verted negro  that  saw  a  believer  who  was  dying  in  comfort, 
said,  Master,   don't  fear,  Jesus   Christ  will  carry  you  safe 


Serm.  27.]  parting  blessing.  615 

through  the  dark  valley  of  the  shadow  of  death.  But  the 
time  would  fail,  if  I  was  to  show  you  in  how  many  respects 
the  grace  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  helps  us ;  but  what  I  have 
said  will  show,  that  we  need  all  join  in  a  hearty  Amen ;  Amen, 
I  pray  God  it  may  be  so,  so  it  is,  so  may  it  be  !  May  be  what? 
Why,  that  the  grace  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christy  convicting^  re- 
straining^ convertings  establishing,  and  comforti?ig  grace, 
may  be  with  us  in  his  ordinances,  in  his  providences,  in  sick- 
ness, and  when  dying :  then,  blessed  be  God,  we  shall  carry  it 
with  us  after  time.  And  now,  my  dear  hearers,  by  the  help  of 
my  God,  in  whose  strength  I  desire  once  more  to  go  upon  the 
waters,  I  shall  pray  wherever  I  am,  that  this  grace  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  may  he  with  you  all. 

To  whom  shall  I  speak  first  by  way  of  improvement  ?  Are 
there  any  of  you  here  unconverted?  No  doubt  too  many. 
Are  there  any  of  you  here  this  morning  come  out  of  curiosity 
to  hear  what  the  babbler  has  to  say  ?  Many,  perhaps,  are  glad 
it  is  my  last  sermon,  and  that  London  is  to  be  rid  of  such  a 
monster.  I  do  not  doubt  but  it  has  been  a  pleasant  paragraph 
for  many  to  read  ;  but  whoever  there  are  of  you  that  are  un- 
converted, or  whatever  you  may  think,  sure  you  cannot  be 
angry  for  my  wishing  that  the  grace  of  God  may  he  vnth  you. 
O  that  it  may  be  with  every  unconverted  soul.  O  pray  for 
me,  my  dear  friends,  that  the  Lord  may  bless  me  to  some  un- 
converted soul.  What  wilt  thou  do  if  the  grace  of  God  is  not 
with  thee  ?  What  wilt  thou  do  with  the  favor  of  man  if  thou 
hast  not  the  grace  of  God  ?  You  will  find,  my  brethren,  it 
will  not  do,  you  cannot  do  without  the  grace  of  God  when  you 
come  to  die.  There  was  a  nobleman  that  kept  a  deistical 
chaplain,  and  his  lady  a  christian  one  ;  when  he  was  dying,, 
he  says  to  his  chaplain,  I  liked  you  very  well  when  I  was  in 
health,  but  it  is  my  lady's  chaplain  I  must  have  when  I  am 
sick.  Do  you  know  that  you  are  nothing  but  devils  incar- 
nate ?  Do  you  know  that  every  moment  you  are  liable  to 
eternal  pains  ?  The  Lord  help  thee  to  awake,  O  sinner, 
awake,  awake,  thou  stupid  soul,  and  if  the  grace  of  God  was 
never  with  thee  before,  God  grant  it  may  be  now.  Do  not 
say  I  part  with  you  in  an  ill  humor  ;  do  not  say  that  a  mad- 
man left  you  with  a  curse.  Blessed  be  God  that  when  first  I 
entered  into  the  field,  (and  blessed  be  God  that  honored  me 
with  being  a  field-preacher,)  I  proclaimed  the  grace  of  God  to 
the  worst  of  sinners,  and  I  proclaim  it  now  to  the  vilest  sinner 
under  heaven  :  could  I  speak  so  loud  as  that  the  whole  world 
might  hear  me,  I  would  declare  that  the  grace  of  God  is  free 
for  all  poor  souls  that  are  willing  to  accept  of  it  by  Christ. 
God  make  you  all  willing  this  day. 


616  A  FAITHFUL  MINISTER'S  [SeriiL  27. 

There  are  many  of  you,  I  doubt  not,  but  have  this  grace, 
and  I  believe  there  are  many  of  you  that  can  say  that  this 
poor  despised  place  was  that  which  God  honored  first  with 
triving  it  you  :  but  whether  you  were  converted  here  or  else- 
v/here,  if  you  have  the  grace  of  God,  the  Lord  grant  you  more 
grace ;  grace^  mercy,  and  peace  be  multiplied  unto  you  all. 
My  brethren,  they  that  have  Christ  never  have  enough  of  him ; 
you  want  more  grace  every  day,  and  hour,  and  moment.  I 
see  for  my  part,  more  of  my  want  of  grace  than  I  did  ten  or 
twenty  years  ago  ;  may  be  that  is  because  I  do  not  grow  in 
grace  :  hut  those  that  grow  in  grace  will  grow  every  day  more 
sensible  of  their  want  of  grace,  they  will  feel  their  weakness 
more  and  more  every  day.  Some  who  are  called  christians 
are  a  most  foul-mouthed  people  ;  they  abuse  their  neighbors, 
but  real  believers  abuse  themselves  most,  and  call  themselves, 
L  e.  what  is  in  themselves,  the  worst  of  neighbors.  O  my 
brethren,  may  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ's  grace  be  with  you 
more  and  more,  that  you  may  be  transformed  into  the  divine 
likeness,  and  pass  from  glory  to  glory  by  the  Spirit  of  the 
Lord.  May  God  grant  that  this  grace  may  be  with  you  all, 
particularly  those  young  men  that  have  given  up  their  souls 
to  Christ.  It  delights  my  soul  when  I  go  round  the  commu- 
nion table,  to  see  how  many  young  souls  have  given  them- 
selves to  Christ :  the  Lord  grant  that  you  may  not  return 
again  to  folly.  O  young  men,  flee  youthful  lusts  ;  O  young 
women,  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  grant  that  grace  may  be  with 
you  all,  that  you  may  study  the  beauties  of  the  mind,  shine  in 
the  beauties  of  holiness,  and  be  wise  to  everlasting  salvation. 

May  the  grace  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  he  tvith  you  all 
that  are  in  the  marriage  state.  It  needs  much  grace  to  bear 
with  heavy  trials,  much  grace  to  deal  with  servants,  children, 
and  under  disappointments  in  trade ;  to  walk  with  God  with  a 
pure  heart.  Some  people  think  it  clever  to  have  wives  and 
children,  but  they  want  a  thousand  times  more  grace  than  they 
had  when  they  were  single ;  you  have  need  of  much  grace  to 
honor  God  in  your  houses  ;  much  grace  to  teach  you  to  be 
prophets  ;  much  grace  to  teach  you  to  be  kings  in  the  family  ; 
to  know  when  to  be  pleased ;  to  know  when  to  be  silent ;  to 
know  when  to  be  angry  ;  but  the  greatest  grace  is  to  be  angry 
when  called  to  it,  to  be  angry  without  sin.  O  !  may  the  grace  of 
God  be  with  you  all  in  your  closets,  every  time  you  pray,  every 
time  you  come  to  an  ordinance.  O  !  may  the  grace  of  God  be 
with  you  all  when  you  frequent  this  despised  place  !  blessed  be 
God,  some  may  say,  that  ever  it  was  built ;  though  as  soon  as 
it  was  built  I  was  called  away.  As  soon  also  as  the  chapel  was 
built  I  was  then  called  away,  and  so  am  now ;  and  when  1 


Serm.  27.]  parting  blessing.  617 

came  out  of  my  chamber,  I  could  hardly  support  it.  I  would 
as  lief  go  to  an  execution,  if  my  way  was  not  very  clear ; 
what  is  dying?  that  is  but  for  a  moment.  O  may  the  grace 
of  God  be  with  all  that  preach  the  gospel  here.  Blessed  be. 
God  his  grace  has  been  with  them  ;  do  not  let  the  world  say, 
he  is  gone,  and  all  the  people  are  gone  now :  do  not  weaken 
the  hands  of  those  that  shall  labor  here :  I  should  not  men- 
tion such  a  word  if  I  was  not  going  away.  The  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  grant  that  you  may  keep  steady,  and  honor  the  preach- 
ers more  and  more :  there  will  be  good  Mr.  Adams,  blessed  be 
God,  from  time  to  time,  with  Mr.  Berridge,  and  so  there  will 
be  a  blessed  change ;  may  the  Spirit  of  God  be  with  ihem,  and 
you,  more  and  more  !  and  O  my  dear  friends,  if  the  lx)rd  God 
has  vouchsafed  to  own  these  labors  to  any  of  you,  do  remem- 
ber me  in  a  particular  manner,  when  gone ;  for  though  my 
body  has  been  weak,  yet  I  thank  God  that  he  has  enabled  me 
to  speak  when  called  to  it. 

And  so  I  must  go,  whether  well  or  ill ;  pray,  that  if  it  should 
please  God  to  spare  me,  that  I  may  speak  more  effectually  to  you, 
when  I  come  back  again  ;  pray,  that  the  grace  of  the  Lord  Je- 
sus Christ  may  be  with  me  in  a  restraining,  comforting,  sup- 
porting, and  transforming  way,  that  it  may  be  with  me  when  I 
am  sick,  and  when  I  die.  O  my  brethren,  I  see  I  want  the 
grace  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  in  every  one  of  these  respects, 
every  moment.  O  may  the  Lord  God  bless  you  all  that  have 
been  kind  to  me,  and  forgive  every  thing  that  I  have  done 
amiss.  I  am  ashamed  of  myself,  so  much  of  the  man  comes 
up  with  me,  though  I  humbly  hope,  and  dare  to  say,  that  at 
the  bottom  my  heart  is  upright  towards  God ;  I  would  em- 
ploy it  to  his  praise,  but  there  is  so  much  sin  mixed  with  all  I 
do,  that  was  not  the  blood  of  Christ  constantly  applied  to  my 
soul,  and  the  grace  of  God  continually  manifested  to  me,  I 
could  not  preach  any  more.  You  may  see  a  thousand  things 
wrong  in  me,  but  I  see  ten  thousand  more.  O  -may  the  grace 
of  God  he  with  yon  all.  Now,  dear  friends,  farewell !  dear 
Tabernacle,  farewell !  if  I  never  preach  here  any  more  ;  O 
that  we  may  meet  in  a  better  tabernacle,  when  these  taberna- 
cles are  taken  down,  when  these  bodies  shall  drop,  when 
we  shall  be  forever  with  the  Lord.  I  have  done,  I  cannot  bear 
it ;  the  Lord  bless  you^  the  Lord  God  cause  his  face  to  shine 
upon  you.  I  cannot  say  more.  I  dare  not.  The  Grace  of 
our  Lord  Jesus  be  with  you  all.     Amen. 


52* 


A 

SHORT  ADDRESS 

TO 

PERSONS    OF    ALL    DE>'0:^IINATIO>'S, 

occAsicszr  -r  the 
ALARM   OF  AX   LXTEXDED   INVASION. 


ZIen.  Brethren,  and  Fathers. 

Tkough  so  many  alamun^  warniDgs,  pathetic  exhortations. 
aad  suitable  directions!  have  already  been  given,  both  from  the 
press  and  pulpit,  by  way  ot* preparatives  to  our  late  public  day 
of  humiliation :  yet  should  one.  who  is  less  than  the  least  of 
all  his  brethren,  now  that  solenmity  is  over,  presume  to  trouble 
his  dear  coimtrymen  with  a  short  address,  by  way  of  supple- 
ment to  what  hath  already  been  offered,  it  is  to  be  hoped  none 
will  be  so  nnkind  as  to  look  upon  it  altogether  as  superfluous 
and  needless,  much  less,  be  so  ungenerous  as  to  censure  it  as 
proceeding:  from  the  pride  and  naughtiness  of  his  heart.  But 
should  this  be  the  case,  I  shall  make  no  other  apoloor)'  (as  I 
think  there  needs  no  other)  than  that  which  David,  the  young- 
est of  the  sons  of  Jesse,  made  long  ago  upon  a  like  occasion, 
Is  there  not  a  cause  1 

An  insulting,  enraged,  and  perfidious  enemy  is  now  advan- 
cing- nearer  and  nearer  to  the  British  borders.  Not  content 
with  invadincr  and  ravaging:  our  rightful  sovereign  kins:  George's 
domiuions  in  America,  our  popish  adversaries  have  nowlhe 
ambition  to  attempt,  at  least  to  threaten,  an  invasion  of  England 
itself;  hoping,  no  doubt,  thereby  not  only  to  throw  us  into 
confusion  at  home,  but  also  to  divert  us  from  more  effectually 
defeating  their  mahcious  designs  abroad.  That  such  a  design 
(however  chimerical  it  may  seem  is  now  actually  on  foot,  the 
royal  proclamation  lately  issued  forth  renders  indisputable. 
Which  proclamation,  as  it  plainly  bespeaks  his  majesty's  pater- 
nal care,  doth  at  the  same  time  loudly  call  upon  all  his  faithful 
and  loving  subjects,  not  only  to  stand  upon  their  guard,  but 
also  to  exert  their  utmost  efforts,  in  dependence  on  Divine  pro- 


A  SHORT  ADDRESS,  &C.  619 


tection  to  prevent  and  render  abortive  such  an  unjust  and  dar- 
ing enterprise. 

Blessed  be  God,  as  a  professing,  though  sinful  people,  we 
have  lately  taken  one  effectual  step  towards  bringing  about 
such  a  salutary  end. 

In  obedience  to  a  call  from  the  throne,  we  have  been  hum 
bling  ourselves  in  the  most  public  and  solemn  manner  before 
the  most  high  God.  And  it  is  to  be  hoped,  that  the  many 
tears  that  were  that  day  shed,  and  the  thousands  and  thou- 
sands of  prayers  that  were  then  offered  up,  have  lonsf  since 
been  regarded  by,  and  entered  into  the  ears  of  the  Lord  of 
Sabaoth.  Infidels  may  perhaps  laugh  and  make  themselves 
merry  with  such  an  insinuation :  but  serious  people,  (and  to 
such  in  a  more  peculiar  manner  is  this  address  directed,)  will 
ficcount  it  no  way  enthusiastic  to  affirm  that  solemn  humilia- 
tions, whether  performed  by  public  communities  in  general,  or 
individuals  in  particular,  have  always  met  with  such  a  Divine 
acceptance,  as  to  obtain  at  least  a  reprieve  from,  if  not  a  total 
removal  of,  the  threatened  evil.  The  deferring  of  an  impend- 
ing jud^rment  only  upon  the  hypocritical,  but  public  humilia- 
tion of  a  wicked  Ahab  ;  the  mature  and  providential  deliver- 
ance of  the  Jewish  people  from  the  cruel  plot  of  an  ambitious 
Haman,  which  queen  Esther,  ]\Iordecai,  and  the  other  distressed 
Jews  sou^rht  so  earnestly  for  by  public  fasting  and  prayer;  and 
what  is  yet  more,  the  total  and  entire  suspension  of  the  des- 
truction of  Nineveh,  that  exceedincr  great  city,  thousfh  so  per- 
emptorily denounced,  upon  the  fasting,  praying  and  repenting 
of  the  king-,  nobles  and  commons,  at  the  preachincr  of  Jonah. 
These,  I  say,  not  to  mention  many  more  that  might  be  adduced 
from  sacred  story,  are  most  preg-nant,  and,  at  the  same  time, 
very  encouraging  proofs,  that  those  that  liumble  themselves 
shall,  in  God's  due  time,  be  exalted  ;  and  that,  therefore,  as  a 
nation,  we  may  boldly  infer,  that  tlie  ri^-hteous  Lord,  v/ho  de- 
lights to  show  himself  strong-  in  behalf  of  those  who  are  of  an 
upright  heart,  will  favor,  plead  and  vindicate  our  righteous 
cause, 

I  am  very  sensible  that  artful  insinuations  have  been  indus- 
triously published,  in  order  to  lay  all  the  blame  oi  this  war 
upon  us ;  but  bold  assertions  and  solid  proofs  are  two  different 
things.  For  it  is  plain,  beyond  all  contradiction,  that  the 
French,  fond  of  rivaling  u§  both  at  home  and  abroad,  have 
most  unjustly  invaded  his  majesty's  dominions  in  America ; 
and  have  also  not  only  by  the  most  vile  artifices  and  lies,  been 
endeavoring  to  draw  the  Six  Nations  of  Indians  from  our  inter- 
est ;  but  in  short,  almost  all  their  proceedings  ever  since  the  late 
treaty  of  Aix  la  Chapelle,  have  been  little  else  than  preparations 


620  A  SHORT  ADDRESS 

for,  or  a  tacit  declaration  of  war.  But  He  that  sitteth  in  hea- 
ven, as  we  may  humbly  hope,  laughs  them  to  scorn  ;  and,  as 
he  once  defeated  the  counsel  of  Ahithophel,  and  came  down  to 
confound  the  language  of  those  aspiring  projectors,  who  would 
fain  have  built  a  tower,  the  top  of  which  should  reach  even  to 
heaven ;  so  we  trust  (whatever  dark  providences  may  intervene) 
that  he  will  in  the  end  frustrate  the  devices  of  our  adversary's 
most  subtle  politicians,  and  speak  confusion  to  all  their  projects, 
who,  by  aiming  at  universal  monarchy,  are  more  than  attempt- 
ing to  erect  a  second  Babel. 

I  have  heard,  or  read  somewhere  of  a  Turkish  general,  who, 
being  called  to  engage  with  a  christian  army  that  had  broken 
through  the  most  solemn  ties,  stood  up  at  the  head  of  his 
troops,  and  then  drawing  out  the  treaty  which  they  had  broken 
out  of  his  bosom,  and  holding  it  up  in  the  air,  thus  addressed 
the  throne  of  heaven  ;  "  O  Almighty  Being,  if  thou  art,  as  they 
say  thou  art,  these  christians'  God,  thou  lovest  what  is  right, 
and  hatest  perfidy;  look  down,  therefore,  and  behold  this 
treaty  which  they  have  broken,  and  as  thou  canst  not  favor 
what  is  wrong,  render  their  arms,  O  God,  successless,  and 
make  mine  victorious."  He  ended  ;  immediately  the  sword 
was  drawn.  The  two  parties  vigorously  engaged,  and  the 
perfidious  christians  were  beaten  off  the  field.  Thus  may  our 
Protestant  generals,  or  at  least  their  chaplains,  deal  with  our 
enemy's  forces,  in  respect  to  the  treaty  of  Aix  la  Chapelle. 
They,  not  we,  have  broken  it.  They,  not  we,  have  been  the 
aggressors  :  and  therefore,  notwithstanding  we  are  looked  upon 
as  heretics^  and  they  fight  under  the  banner  of  one  who  styles 
himself  His  Most  Christian  Majesty  ;  a  righteous  God,  we 
trust,  in  answer  to  prayer,  will  humble  France,  and  make  the 
British  arms,  both  by  sea  and  land,  more  than  conquerors 
through  his  love.  It  is  true,  (and  God  knows,  with  grief  of 
heart  1  speak  it,)  praying  is  become  too  unfashionable  amongst 
our  people  in  general,  and  among  our  military  men  in  particu- 
lar ;  but  wherein  either  the  piety,  and  consequently  true  policy, 
of  such  a  procedure  consists,  I  believe  will  be  very  diflicult  to 
determine.  If  we  have  recourse  to  Mr.  Rollin's  Ancient  His- 
tory, I  believe  we  shall  find  that  neither  Darius,  Cyrus,  Alex- 
ander, or  indeed  scarce  any  of  the  Egyptian,  Grecian,  Persian, 
or  Roman  generals,  ever  undertook  any  hazardous  enterprise, 
without  making  some  public  acknowledgment  of  a  deity.  And 
if  we  consult  that  history  of  histories,  that  too  much  neglected 
book,  (as  Sir  Richard  Steele  expresses  himself.)  emphatically 
called  the  Scriptures,  we  m.ay  always  remark  that  those  heroic 
worthies,  who  by  faith  subdued  kingdoms,  and  put  to  flight 
the  armies  of  the  aliens,  were  men  of  prayer,  as  well  as  men 


TO  PERSONS  OF  ALL  DENOMINATIONS.  621 

of  v^alor.  And  if  our  researches  descend  forwards  down  to  our 
own  annals,  we  shall  soon  be  satisfied,  that  the  British  arms 
were  never  more  formidable,  than  when  our  soldiers  went 
forth  in  the  strength  of  the  Lord,  and  with  a  Bible  in  the  one 
hand,  and  a  sword  in  the  other,  cheerfully  fought  under  his 
banner,  who  hath  condescended  to  style  himself  a  Man  of  War. 

Such  an  appellation  as  this,  methinks,  may  sufficiently  jus- 
tify the  lawfulness  of  bearing  arms,  and  drawing  the  sword  in 
defense  of  our  civil  and  religious  liberties.  For  if  God  himself 
is  pleased  to  style  himself  a  Man  of  War,  surely  in  a  just  and 
righteous  cause,  (such  as  the  British  war  at  present  is,)  we  may 
as  lawfully  draw  our  swords,  in  order  to  defend  ourselves 
against  our  common  and  public  enemy,  as  a  civil  magistrate 
may  sit  on  a  bench,  and  condemn  a  public  robber  to  death. 
Our  excellent  reformers,  sensible  of  this,  in  the  thirty-second 
article  of  our  church,  after  having  declared  '•  that  the  laws  of  the 
realm  may  punish  christian  men  with  death  for  heinous 
offenses  ;"  immediately  subjoins,  "that  it  is  lawful  for  christian 
men,  at  the  commandment  of  the  magistrate,  to  wear  weapons 
and  serve  in  wars."  And  therefore,  wlKit  Bishop  Saunderson 
says  of  study,  may  be  likewise  said  of  fighting :  "  Fighting 
without  prayer,  is  atheism;  and  prayer  without  fighting  is 
presumption.''  And  I  would  be  the  more  particular  on  this 
point,  because  through  a  fatal  scrupulosity  against  bearing 
arms,  even  in  a  defensive  war,  his  majesty  hath  been,  and  is 
not  yet  out  of  danger  of  losing  that  large,  extensive,  and  that 
lately  most  flourishing  province  of  Pennsylvania,  the  very  cen- 
ter and  garden  of  all  North  America.  But  whilst  I  see  such 
very  scrupulous  persons  grasping  at  every  degree  of  worldly 
power,  and  by  all  the  arts  of  worldly  policy,  laboring  to  mo- 
nopolize and  retain  in  their  own  hands  all  parts  both  of  the 
legislativ^e  and  executive  branches  of  civil  government;  to 
speak  in  the  mildest  terms,  we  may  honestly  affirm,  that  they 
certainly  act  a  most  inconsistent,  and  if  not  prevented  here  at 
home,  to  thousands  of  their  neighbors,  I  fear  a  fatal  part.  For, 
say  what  we  will  to  the  contrary,  if  we  search  to  the  bottom 
of  things,  we  may  soon  be  convinced,  that  civil  magistracy  and 
defensive  war  must  stand  or  fall  together.  Both  are  built  upon 
the  same  basis ;  and  there  cannot  be  so  much  as  one  single 
argument  urged  to  establish  the  one,  which  doth  not  at  the 
same  time  corroborate  and  confirm  the  other. 

Far  be  it  from  me,  who  profess  myself  a  disciple  and  minis- 
ter of  the  Prince  of  Peace,  to  sound  a  trumpet  for  war  :  but 
when  the  trumpet  is  already  sounded  by  a  perfidious  enemy, 
and  our  king,  our  country,  our  civil  and  religious  liberties  are 
all,  as  it  were,  lying  at  stake,  did  we  not  at  such  a  season  lend 


622  A  SHORT  ADDRESS 

onr  purses,  our  tongues,  our  arms,  as  well  as  our  prayers,  in 
defense  of  them,  should  we  not  justly  incur  that  curse  wliich 
an  inspired  Deborah,  when  under  the  immediate  influence  of 
the  Holy  Spirit,  once  uttered,  "  Curse  ye,  Meroz,  curse  ye  bit- 
terly the  inhabitants  thereof,  because  they  came  not  to  the  help 
of  the  Lord,  to  the  help  of  the  Lord  against  the  mighty !" 
Known  unto  God,  and  God  alone,  are  all  our  hearts.  Daily 
repeated  experience  convinceth  us,  that  the  greatest  talkers  are 
not  always  the  greatest  doers.  How  therefore  any  of  us  may 
behave  when  put  to  the  trial,  the  trial  itself  can  only  prove. 
But,  for  my  own  part,  whatever  my  future  conduct  may  be, 
(and  I  know  it  will  be  downright  cowardly,  if  left  to  myself,) 
yet,  upon  the  maturest  deliberation,  I  am  at  present  so  fully 
convinced  of  the  justice  of  the  British  cause,  that  supposing  it 
should  be  said  of  me,  as  it  is  of  Zuinglius,  cecidit  in  proeleo  ; 
he  fell  in  battle.  I  hope,  if  whilst  the  silver  cords  of  life  are 
loosing,  I  shall  be  attended  by  any  who  may  be  bewailing  mine, 
as  the  friends  of  Zuinglius  did  his  misfortune,  1  should  like 
him  to  cry  out,  Ecquid  hoc  infortunii  7  Is  this  a  misfortune  ? 
And  not  only  so,  but  also  v/ith  my  expiring  breath  add,  as  he 
did,  O  faustuni  infortunium  !  O  happy  misfortune  !  For, 
surely,  it  is  far  more  preferable  to  die,  though  by  a  popish 
sword,  and  be  carried  from  the  din  and  noise  of  war  by  angels 
into  Abraham's  bosom,  than  to  be  suflered  to  survive  only  to 
drag^  on  a  wearisome  life,  and  to  be  a  mournful  spectator,  and 
daily  be  waller  of  one's  country's  ruin. 

Awful  and  tremendous  are  the  judgments  that  have  lately 
been  abroad.  Twice  hath  the  earth,  on  which  this  great  me- 
tropolis stands,  unable,  as  it  were,  any  longer  to  sustain  the 
weight  of  its  inhabitant's  sins,  been  made  to  tremble  and  totter 
under  us.  Since  that,  how  amazingly  hath  the  shock  been 
extended !  Africa,  (nor  hath  America  itself  been  exempted,) 
hath  in  a  most  destructive  manner  felt  its  dire  effects.  And  what 
dreadful  consumption  it  hath  made  in  various  parts  of  Spain, 
and,  in  a  more  especial  manner,  at  Lisbon,  the  metropolis  of 
Portugal,  is  beyond  conception,  and  beyond  the  power  of  the 
most  masterly  pen  to  describe.  It  is  to  be  questioned,  whether 
the  like  hath  ever  been  heard  of  since  the  deluge.  Surely  no- 
thing was  wanting  to  figure  out  and  realize  to  that  distressed 
people  the  horror  of  the  last  day,  but  the  sound  of  the  trump, 
and  the  actual  appearance  of  the  great  Judge  of  quick  and 
dead.  But  awful  and  tremendous  as  such  phenomena  of  na- 
ture may  be,  yet,  if  we  consider  the  consequences  of  things, 
were  even  the  like  judgment  (which  may  God  avert)  to  befall 
us,  it  \yould  be  but  a  small  one,  in  comparison  of  our  hearing 
that  a  French  army,  accompanied  with  a  popish  pretender,  and 


TO  PERSONS  OP  ALL  DENOMINATIONS.  623 

thousands  of  Romish  priests,  was  suffered  to  invade,  subdue, 
and  destroy  the  bodies  and  substance,  and,  as  the  necessary 
consequences  of  both  these,  to  bhnd,  deceive,  and  tyrannize 
over  the  souls  and  consciences  of  the  people  belongino^  to  this 
happy  isle. 

God  forbid,  that  I  should  give  flattering  titles  to  any  ;  for  in 
so  doing,  I  should  provoke  him  to  take  away  my  soul.  But 
surely  we  must  have  eyes  that  see  not,  and  ears  that  hear  not, 
as  well  as  hearts  that  do  not  understand,  if  we  do  not  know, 
and  see,  and  feel,  that  in  respect  to  our  civil  and  religious  liber- 
ties, we  are  undoubtedly  the  freest  people  under  heaven.  And 
I  dare  appeal  to  the  most  ungrateful  and  malicious  malcon- 
tent, to  produce  any  era  in  the  British  annals,  wherein  we 
have  enjoyed  such  a  continued  series  of  civil  and  religious 
liberty,  as  we  have  been  favored  with  for  these  twenty-eight 
years  last  past,  under  the  mild  and  gentle  administration  of  our 
dread  and  rightful  sovereign  king  George.  Surely  he  hath 
been  a  nursing  father  to  people  of  all  denominations ;  and 
however  he  may  be  denied  it,  yet  he  may,  without  a  compli- 
ment, justly  claim  from  the  present,  as  well  as  future  ages,  the 
deserved  title  of  George  the  Great.  But  notwithstanding  this, 
such  is  the  degeneracy  of  human  nature,  it  must  necessarily  be 
expected,  that  in  a  nation  grown  wanton  with  liberty  like  ours, 
there  is  a  great  multitude  of  unhappy  persons,  who  being  men 
of  lax  principles,  loose  liv^es,  and  broken  fortunes,  may,  and 
will  be  so  abandoned,  as  to  break  through  all  restraints  of  gra- 
titude, loyalty,  and  religion,  and,  like  Cataline  and  his  wicked 
confederates,  be  fond  of  joining  in  any  change  of  government, 
whereby  they  may  entertain  the  most  distant  prospect  of  bet- 
tering their  fortunes,  and  gratifying  their  ambition,  though  it 
be  at  the  expense  of  their  country's  blood.  This  hath  been, 
and  no  doubt  still  continues  to  be,  the  fate  of  all  civil  govern- 
ments in  the  world,  and  consequently  is  no  more  than  what  we 
may  expect,  in  times  of  tumult  and  danger,  will  be  acted  over 
again  in  our  own  land  by  men  of  such  corrupt  minds.  But, 
that  any  serious  and  judicious,  much  less  religious  and  devout 
person,  should  be  so  stupid  to  all  principles  of  self-interest,  and 
so  dead  even  to  all  maxims  of  common  sense,  as  to  prefer  a 
French  to  an  English  government ;  or  a  popish  pretender, 
born,  nursed,  and  bred  up  in  all  the  arbitrary  and  destructive 
principles  of  the  court  and  church  of  Rome,  to  the  present 
Protestant  succession  settled  in  the  illustrious  line  of  Hanover, 
must  be  imputed  to  nothing  else  but  an  awful  infatuation. 

Hear  ye,  (if  there  be  any  into  whose  hands  this  address  may 
fall,  that  are  desirous  of  such  a  change,)  not  to  dwell  entirely 
upon  the  many  innumerable,  civil,  or  temporal  losses  we  should 


624  A  SHORT  ADDRESS 

sustain.  Hear  ye,  I  say,  the  mild  and  gentle  language  of  one 
of  his  most  christian  majesty's  late  declarations  concerning 
religion. 

"  Being  informed,  that  there  have  sprung  up,  and  still  are 
springing  up  daily,  in  our  realm,  a  great  number  of  preachers, 
whose  sole  business  is  to  stir  up  the  people  to  rebellion,  and  to 
dissuade  them  from  the  practice  of  the  Roman  Catholic  and 
apostolic  religion ;  we  do  command  that  all  preachers  who  shall 
call  assemblies,  preach  in  them,  or  discharge  any  other  func- 
tion, be  put  to  death  ;  the  punishment  appointed  by  the  decla- 
ration in  July,  1686,  for  the  minister  of  the  pretended  reformed 
religion,  which  we  would  not,  for  the  future  have  any  one 
esteem  a  mere  threatening,  which  will  not  be  put  in  execution. 
We  do  likewise  forbid  our  subjects  to  receive  the  said  ministers 
or  preachers,  to  conceal,  aid,  or  assist  them,  or  have,  directly  or 
indirectly,  any  intercourse  or  correspondence  with  them.  ^We 
farther  enjoin,  on  all  those  who  shall  know  any  of  the  said 
preachers,  to  inform  against  them  to  the  officers  of  the  respec- 
tive places  ;  the  whole  under  pain,  in  case  of  trespass,  of  being 
condemned  to  the  galleys  for  life,  if  men;  and  if  women,  of 
being  shorn,  and  shut  up  the  remainder  of  their  days  in  such 
places  as  our  judges  shall  think  expedient ;  and  whether  they 
be  men  or  women,  imder  pain  of  confiscation." 

After  perusing  this,  read,  read,  I  beseech  you,  the  shocking 
accounts  of  the  horrid  butcheries  and  cruel  murders,  commit- 
ted on  the  bodies  of  many  of  our  fellow  subjects  in  America, 
by  the  hands  of  savage  Indians,  instigated  thereto  by  more 
than  savage  popish  priests.*  And  if  this  be  the  beginning, 
what  may  we  suppose  the  end  will  be,  should  a  French  power, 
or  popish  pretender,  be  permitted  to  subdue  either  us  or  them. 
Speak,  Smithfield,  speak,  and  by  thy  dumb,  but  very  persua- 
sive oratory,  declare  to  all  that  pass  by  and  over  thee,  how 
many  English  Protestant  martyrs  thou  hast  seen  burnt  to  death 
in  the  reign  of  a  cruel  popish  queen,  to  whom  the  present  pre- 
tender to  the  British  throne,  at  least  claims  a  kind  of  a  distant 
kindred ! 

Speak,  Ireland,  speak,  and  tell  if  thou  canst,  how  thousands, 
and  tens  of  thousands  of  innocent  unprovoking  Protestants 
were  massacred  in  cold  blood,  by  the  hands  of  cruel  Papists, 
within  thy  borders,  about  a  century  ago.  Nay,  speak,  Paris, 
speak,  (for  though  popish,  on  this  occasion  we  will  admit  thy 
evidence,)  and  say,  how  many  thousands  of  Protestants  were 
once  slaughtered,  on  purpose,  as  it  were,  to  be  served  up  as  a 
bloody  dessert,  to  grace  the  solemnity  of  a  marriage  feast.     But 

*  See  a  pamphlet  entitled,  "  A  brief  view  of  the  conduct  of  Pennsylvania 
for  the  vear  1755." 


TO  PERSONS  OF  ALL  DENOMINATIONS.         625 

why  go  we  back  to  such  distant  eras?  Speak,  Languedoc, 
speak  and  tell,  if  thvia  canst,  how  many  Protestant  ministers 
have  been  lately  executed  ;  how  many  more  of  their  hearers 
have  been  dragooned  and  sent  to  the  o^allies ;  and  how  many 
himdreds  are  now,  in  consequence  of  the  abov^e  mentioned 
edict,  lying  in  prisons,  and  fast  bound  in  misery  and  iron,  for 
no  other  crime  than  that  unpardonable  one  in  the  Romish 
church  ;  I  mean,  hearing  and  preaching  the  pure  gospel  of  the 
meek  and  lowly  Jesus. 

And  think  you,  my  dear  countrymen,  that  Rome,  glutted  as 
it  were  with  Protestant  blood,  will  now  rest  satisfied,  and  say, 
"  I  have  enouo;li  ?"  No,  on  the  contraiy,  having,  through  the 
good  hand  of  God  upon  us,  been  kept  so  long  fastings  we  may 
reasonably  suppose,  that  the  popish  priests  have  only  grown 
more  voracious,  and,  (like  so  many  hungry  and  ravenous 
wolves  pursuing  the  harmless  and  innocent  flocks  of  sheep) 
with  double  eagerness  will  pursue  after,  seize  upon,  and  devour 
their  wished  for  Protestant  prey ;  and,  attended  with  their 
bloody  red-coats,  those  Gallic  instruments  of  reformation,  who 
know  they  must  either  flight  or  die,  will  necessarily  breathe  out 
nothincr  but  threatening  and  slaughter,  and  carry  along  with 
them  desolation  and  destruction  in  all  its  various  shapes  and 
tortures,  go  where  they  will. 

But  I  humbly  hope,  vile  as  we  are,  a  gracious,  long-suffer- 
ing and  merciful  God  will  not  sutler  us  to  fall  into  their  blood- 
thirsty and  cruel  hands.  He  hath  formerly  most  remarkably 
interposed  in  England's  favor  ;  and  why  should  we  in  the  least 
doubt  but  that  he  will  again  reveal  his  Omnipotent  arm,  and 
make  our  extremity  to  be  his  opportunity,  to  help  and  defend 
us  against  such  threaten mg  and  unjust  invaders  l  Invincible 
as  the  Spanish  armada  was  supposed  to  be,  and  all  powerful 
as  the  pope,  under  whose  broad  seal  they  acted,  might  boast 
he  was  in  heaven  or  hell,  it  is  plain  he  had  no  power  over  the 
water.  For  thou  didst  bloiv,  O  Lord,  witJi  thy  icind^  and  the 
enemy  were  scattered.  And  is  not  this  God  the  same  now  as 
he  was  yesterday?  And  will  he  not  continue  the  same  for  ever^' 
Of  whom  then  should  the  inhabitants  of  Great  Britain  be. 
afraid  ?  Blessed  be  God,  if  we  look  to  second  causes,  we  have 
a  glorious  fleet,  brave  admirals,  a  well  disciplined  army,  expe- 
rienced officers,  and.  if  occasion  should  require,  thousands  and 
thousands  of  hearty  volunteers,  with  a  royal  hero,  who  hath 
once  been  made  happily  instrumental  to  save  his  country  from 
impending  ruin,  if  not  majesty  itself  prepared  to  head  theuL 
And  if  by  fasting  from  as  well  as  for  sin,  and  by  flying,  through 
a  living  faith,  to  the  merits  of  a  dying,  rising,  ascending,  and 
interceding  Mediator    we  can  but  make  God  our  friend,  we 

53 


626  "wiiitefield's  letter  to  wesley. 

need  not  fear  what  France,  and  Rome,  and  hell,  with  all  its 
united  force,  can  do  unto,  or  plot  against  iis.  The  way  of  duty- 
is  the  way  of  safety.  And  if  we  are  but  found  in  the  due  use 
of  proper  means,  we  may  confidently  leave  the  issue  and  event 
of  things  with  God.  Be  that  event  what  it  will,  (and  I  trust 
it  will  be  a  prosperous  one,)  we  have  a  divine  authority  to  say 
imto  the  righteous,  it  shall  be  well  with  them.  God's  own 
people,  amidst  all  the  wars  and  rumors  of  wars,  may  rest  se- 
cure ;  for  they  not  only  dwell  under  the  shadow  of  the  Most 
High,  but  have  his  own  royal  word  for  it,  that  all  things  shall 
work  together  for  their  good.  And  not  only  so,  but  they  may 
also  be  fully  assured  that  all  the  malicious  efforts  and  designs 
of  men  and  devils  shall  be  so  far  from  obstructing,  that,  on  the 
contrary,  through  the  sure,  though  secret  hand  of  an  ever 
watchful,  overruling,  and  omnipotent  Providence,  they  shall  at 
present,  (howbeit  they  think  not  so)  be  made  not  only  to  sub- 
serve the  present  further  enlargement  of  his  interests,  who,  in 
spite  of  all  the  strivings  of  the  potsherds  of  the  earth,  will  hold 
the  balance  of  universal  monarchy  hi  his  own  hands  ;  but  at 
last  shall  terminate  in  the  full  and  complete  establishment  and 
perfection  of  "  that  blessed  kingdom,  whose  law  is  truth,  whose 
king  is  love,  and  whose  duration  is  eternity."     Fiat !  Fiat ! 


A  LETTER  FROM  THE  REV.  GEORGE  WFHTEFIELD 
TO  THE  REV.  JOHN  WESLEY. 


Bethesda,  Georgia,  Dec.  24,  1740. 
Reverend^  and  very  Dear  Brother. 

God  only  knows  what  unspeakable  sorrow  of  heart  I  have 
felt  on  your  account,  since  I  left  England  last.  Whether  it  be 
my  infirmity  or  not,  I  frankly  confess,  that  Jonah  could  not  go 
with  more  reluctance  asfainst  Nineveh,  than  I  now  take  pen 
in  hand  to  write  against  you.  Were  nature  to  speak,  I  had 
rather  die  than  do  it ;  and  yet,  if  I  am  faithful  to  God  and  to 
my  own  and  others'  souls,  1  must  not  stand  neuter  any  longer. 
I  am  very  apprehensive  that  our  common  adversaries  will  re- 
joice to  see  us  dififering  among  ourselves.  But  what  can  I  say  ? 
The  children  of  God  are  in  danger  of  falling  into  error.  Nay, 
numbers  have  been  misled,  whom  God  has  been  pleased  to 
work  upon  by  my  ministry,  and  a  greater  number  are  still  call- 
ing aloud  upon  me  to  show  my  opinion.    I  must  then  show, 


WHITEFIEI.d'3    letter    to    WESLEY.  627 

that  I  know  no  man  after  the  flesh  ;  and  that  I  have  no  respect 
to  persons,  any  farther  than  is  consistent  witli  my  duty  to  my 
Lord  and  IMaster,  Jesus  Christ. 

This  letter  no  doubt  will  lose  me  many  friends.  And  for 
this  cause,  perhaps,  God  has  laid  this  difficult  task  upon  me, 
even  to  see  vvlietlier  I  am  willing'  to  forsake  all  for  him,  or  not. 
From  such  considerations  as  these,  I  think  it  my  duty  to  bear 
an  humble  testimony,  and  earnestly  plead  for  the  truths  which, 
I  am  convinced,  are  clearly  revealed  in  the  word  of  God.  In 
the  defense  whereof  I  must  use  great  plainness  of  speech,  and 
treat  my  dearest  friends  upon  earth  with  the  greatest  simplicity, 
faithfulness,  and  freedom,  leaving  the  consequences  of  all  to  God. 

For  some  time  before,  and  especially  since  my  last  depart- 
ure from  England,  both  in  public  and  private,  by  preaching 
and  printing,  you  have  been  propagating  the  doctrine  of  Uni- 
versal Redemption.  And  when  1  remember  how  Paul  re- 
prov^ed  Peter  for  his  dissimulation,  I  fear  I  have  been  sinfully 
silent  too  lonsf.  Oh !  then,  be  not  angry  with  me,  dear  and 
honored  sir,  if  now  I  deliver  my  soul,  by  telling  you,  that  1 
think,  in  this,  you  greatly  err. 

It  is  not  my  design  to  enter  into  a  Ions:  debate  on  God's  de- 
crees. I  refer  you  to  Dr.  Edward's  Veritas  Redux^  which, 
I  think,  is  unanswerable,  except  in  a  certain  pomt^  concerning 
a  middle  sort  between  elect  and  reprobate,  which  he  himself  in 
ejSect  afterwards  condemns. 

I  shall  only  make  a  iew  remarks  upon  your  sermon,  entitled 
Free  Grace.  And  before  I  enter  upon  the  discourse  itself, 
give  me  leav^e  to  take  a  little  notice  of  what,  in  your  preface, 
you  term  an  indispensable  obligation  to  make  it  public  to  all 
the  world.  I  must  own,  that  I  always  thought  you  were  quite 
mistaken  upon  that  head.  The  case  (you  know)  stands  thus: 
when  you  were  at  Bristol,  I  think  you  received  a  letter  from  a 
private  hand,  charging  you  with  not  preaching  the  gospel,  be- 
cause you  did  not  preach  up  election.  Upon  this  you  drew  a 
lot.  The  answer  was — preach  and  print.  I  have  often  ques- 
tioned, as  I  do  now,  whether,  in  so  doino-,  you  did  not  tempt 
the  Lord.  A  due  exercise  of  religious  prudence,  without  a  lot, 
would  have  directed  you  in  that  matter.  Besides  1  never  heard 
that  you  inquired  of  God,  whether  or  not  election  was  a  gospel 
doctrine.  But  I  fear,  taking  it  for  granted  it  was  not,  you  only 
inquired  whether  you  should  be  silent,  or  preach  and  print 
against  it?  However  this  be,  the  lot  came  out — preach  and 
print;  accordingly,  you  preached  and  printed  against  election. 
At  my  desire,  you  suppressed  the  publishing  the  sermon  while 
[  was  in  England!  but  soon  sent  it  into  the  world  after  my  de- 
parture.    Oh,  that  you  had  kept  it  in !     However,  if  that  seir- 


628  whitefield's  letter  to  wesley. 

mon  was  printed  in  answer  to  a  lot,  I  am  apt  to  think,  one  rea- 
son why  God  should  suffer  you  to  be  deceived  was,  that  hereby 
a  special  obligation  mioht  be  laid  upon  me  faithfully  to  declare 
the  scripture  doctrine  of  election,  that  thus  rtie  Lord  might  give 
me  a  fresh  oppoi'tunit}^  of  seeing  what  was  in  my  heart,  and 
whether  1  would  be  true  to  his  cause  or  not ;  as  you  could  not 
but  grant,  he  did  once  before,  by  giving  you  such  another  lot 
at  Deal.  The  morning  1  sailed  from  Deal  to  Gibrahar,  you 
arrived  from  Georgia.  Instead  of  giving  me  an  opportunity  to 
converse  with  you,  thougfi  the  ship  was  not  far  off  the  shore, 
you  drew  a  lot,  and  immediately  set  forward  to  London.  You 
left  a  letter  behind  yon,  in  which  Avere  words  to  this  effect — 
'^When  I  saw  God  by  the  wind  which  was  carrying  you  out, 
brought  mc  in,  I  asked  counsel  of  God.  His  answer  you  have 
enclosed."  This  was  a  piece  of  paper,  in  which  was  written 
these  words — "Let  him  return  to  London." 

When  I  received  this,  I  was  somewhat  surprised.  Here  Avas  a 
good  man  telling  me  he  had  cast  a  lot,  and  God  would  have  me 
return  to  London.  On  the  other  hand,  I  knew  my  call  was  to 
Georgia,  and  that  I  had  taken  leave  of  London,  and  could  not 
justly  go  from  the  soldiers  who  were  committed  to  my  charge. 
I  betook  myself  with  a  friend  to  prayer.  That  passage  in  the 
first  book  of  Kinoes,  chap,  xiii.,  where  we  are  told — "That  the 
prophet  Avas  slain  by  a  lion,  that  was  tempted  to  go  back  con- 
trary to. God's  express  order,  upon  another  prophet's  telling  him 
God  w^ould  have  him  do  so  :" — this  passage,  I  say,  was  power- 
fully impressed  upon  my  soul.  I  wrote  you  word  that  I  could 
not  return  to  London.  We  sailed  immediately.  Some  months 
after,  I  received  a  letter  from  you  at  Georgia,  wherein  you 
wrote  words  to  this  effect — -•  Though  God  never  before  gave 
me  a  wrong:  lot,  yet  perhaps  he  suffered  me  to  have  such  a  lot 
at  that  time,  to  try  what  was  in  your  heart."  I  should  never 
have  published  this  private  transaction  to  the  world,  did  not 
the  glory  of  God  call  me  to  it.  It  is  plain  you  had  a  wrong 
lot  giv^en  you  here ;  and  justly,  because  you  tempted  God  in 
drawing  one.  And  thus  I  believe  it  is  in  the  present  case. 
And  if  so,  let  not  the  children  of  God,  who  are  mine  and  your 
intimate  friends,  and  advocates  for  Universal  jRede7nptio?ty 
think  that  doctrine  true,  because  you  preached  it  up  in  com- 
pliance v/ith  a  lot  given  out  from  God. 

This,  I  think,  may  serve  as  an  answer  to  that  part  of  the 
preface  to  your  printed  sermon,  wherein  you  say — "Nothing 
but  the  strongest  conviction,  not  only  that  what  is  here  ad- 
vanced is  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus,  but  also  that  I  am  i7idis- 
pensahly  obliged  to  declare  this  truth  to  all  the  world." 
That  you  believe  what  you  have  wrote  to  be  truth,  and  that 


629 

you  honestly  aimed  at  God's  glory  in  writing,  I  do  not  in  the 
least  doubt.  But  then,  honored  sir,  I  cannot  bat  think  you 
have  been  much  mistaken  in  imagining  that  your  tempting 
God,  by  casting  a  lot  in  the  manner  you  did,  could  lay  you 
under  an  indispensable  obligation  to  any  action,  much  less  to 
publish  your  sermon  against  the  doctrine  of  predestination  to  life. 

I  must  next  observe,  that  as  you  have  been  unhappy  in  print- 
ing at  all,  upon  such  an  imaginary  v: arrant^  so  you  have  been 
as  unhappy  in  the  choice  of  your  text.  Honored  sir,  how  could 
it  enter  into  your  heart  to  choose  a  text  to  disprove  the  doctrme 
of  election,  out  of  the  eighth  of  Romans;  where  this  doctrine 
is  so  plainly  asserted,  that  once  talking  with  a  quaker  upon 
this  subject,  he  had  no  other  way  of  evading  the  force  of  the 
apostle's  assertion,  than  by  saying — "  I  believe  Paul  was  in  the 
wrong."  And  another  friend  lately,  who  was  once  highly  pre- 
judiced against  election,  ingenuously  confessed,  that  he  used  to 
think  St.  Paul  himself  was  mistaken,  or  that  he  was  not  truly 
translated. 

Indeed,  honored  sir,  it  is  plain  beyond  all  contradiction,  that 
St.  Paul,  through  the  whole  eighth  of  Romans,  is  speaking  of 
the  privileges  oF  those  only  who  are  really  in  Christ.  And  let 
any  unprejudiced  person  read  what  goes  before,  and  what  fol- 
lows your  text,  and  he  must  confess  the  word  all  only  signifies 
those  that  are  in  Christ ;  and  the  latter  part  of  the  text  plainly 
proves  what,  I  find,  dear  Mr.  Wesley  will  by  no  means  gra'iit : 
I  mean,  the  final  perseverance  of  the  children  of  God—"  He 
that  spared  not  his  own  Son,  but  freely  gave  him  fov  us  all, 
(i.  e.  all  saints,)  how  shall  he  not,  with  him  also  freely  give  us 
all  things?"  Grace^  in  particular,  to  enable  us  to  persevere, 
and  every  thing  else  necessary  to  carry  us  home  to  our  Father's 
heavenly  kingdom. 

Had  any  one  a  mind  to  prove  the  doctrine  of  election,  as 
well  as  oi  final  perseverance^  he  could  hardly  wish  for  a  text 
more  fit  to  his  purpose  than  that  which  you  have  chosen  to 
disprove  it.  One  that  does  not  know  you,  would  suspect  that 
you  yourself  were  sensible  of  this :  for  after  the  first  paragraph, 
I  scarcely  know  whether  you  have  mentioned  it  so  much  as 
once  through  your  whole  sermon. 

But  your  discourse,  in  my  opinion,  is  as  little  to  the  purpose 
as  your  text ;  and,  iustead  of  warping,  does  but  more  and  more 
confirm  me  in  the  belief  of  the  doctrine  of  God's  eternal  election. 

I  shall  not  mention  how  illogically  you  have  proceeded. 
Had  you  written  clearly,  you  should  'first,  honored  sir,  have 
proved  your  proposition  ;  ''That  God's  grace  is  free  to  all;" 
and  then,  by  way  of  inference,  exclaimed  against  what  you 
call  the  horrible  decree.    But  you  knew  people  (because  Arini- 

53* 


630  whitefield's  letter  to  wesley. 

nianisnt,  of  late,  has  so  much  abounded  amongst  us)  were  gene- 
rally prejudiced  against  the  doctrine  of  reprobation  ;  and  there- 
fore thought,  if  you  kept  up  their  dislike  of  that,  you  could  over- 
throw tlie  doctrine  of  election  entirel}^  For,  without  doubt,  the 
doctrine  of  election  and  reprobation  must  stand  or  fall  together. 

But,  passing  by  this,  as  also  your  equivocal  definition  of  the 
word  Grace,  and  your  false  definition  of  the  word  Free  ;  and 
that  I  may  be  as  short  as  possible,  1  frankly  acknowledge,  I  be- 
lieve the  doctrine  of  reprobation,  that  God  intends  to  give  sav- 
ing grace,  through  Jesus  Christ,  only  to  a  certain  number ;  and 
that  the  rest  of  mankind,  after  the  fall  of  Adam,  being  justly 
left  of  God  to  continue  in  sin,  will  at  last  suffer  that  eternal 
death  which  is  its  proper  wages. 

This  is  the  established  doctrine  of  scripture ;  and  ficknow- 
ledged  as  such  in  the  17th  Article  of  the  Church  of  England^ 
as  Bishop  Burnet  himself  confesses — yet  dear  Mr.  Wesley  ab- 
solutely denies  it. 

But  the  most  important  objections  which  you  have  urged 
against  this  doctrine,  as  reasons  why  you  reject  it,  being  se- 
riously considered,  and  faithfully  tried  b}^  the  word  of  God,  will 
appear  to  be  of  no  force  at  all.  Let  the  matter  be  humbly  and 
calmly  reviewed,  as  to  the  following  heads. 

First.  You  say,  "If  this  be  so,  (/'.  e.  if  there  be  an  election) 
tl'ien  is  all  preaching  vain;  it  is  needless  to  them  that  are  elect- 
ed ;  for  they,  whether  with  preaching  or  without,  will  infallibly 
be  saved.  Therefore  the  end  of  preaching,  to  save  souls,' is 
void  with  regard  to  them.  As  it  is  useless  to  them  that  are  not 
elected,  for  they  cannot  possibly  be  saved  ;  they,  whether  with 
preaching  or  without,  will  infallibly  be  damned.  The  end  of 
preaching  is  therefore  void  with  regard  to  them  likewise.  So 
tiiat,  in  either  case,  our  preaching  is  vain,  and  your  hearing 
also  vain."     Page  10,  paragraph  9. 

Oh,  dear  sir,  what  kind  of  reasoning,  or  rather  sophistry,  is 
this  !  Hath  not  God.  who  hath  appointed  salvation  for  a  cer- 
tain number,  appointed  pJso  the  preaching  of  the  word,  as  a 
means  to  bring  them  to  it  ?  Does  any  one  hold  election  in  any 
other  sense  ?  And  if  so,  how  is  preaching  needless  to  them  that 
are  elected,  when  the  gospel  is  designed  by  God  himself  to  be 
the  power  of  God  unto  their  eternal  salvation  ?  And  since  we. 
know  not  who  are  elect,  and  who  reprobate,  we  are  to  preach 
promiscuously  to  all ;  for  the  word  may  be  useful,  even  to  the 
non-elect,  in  restraining  them  from  much  wickedness  and  sin. 
However,  it  is  enough  to  excite  to  the  utmost  diligence  in 
preaching  and  hearing,  when  we  consider  that,  by  these  means, 
some,  even  as  many  as  the  Lord  hath  ordained  to  eternal  life, 
shall  certainly  be  quickened,  and  enabled  to  believe.     And  who 


WHITEPIELD^S  LETTER  TO  WESLEY.         631 

thai  attends,  especially  with  reverence  and  care,  can  tell  but 
he  may  be  found  of  that  happy  numbei  '^ 

Secondly^  You  say,  "  that  it  (viz.  the  doc  trine  of  election  and 
reprobation)  directly  tends  to  destroy  that  holiness  which  is 
the  end  of  all  the  ordinances  of  God.  For,  (says  the  dear  mis- 
taken Mr.  Wesley.)  it  wholly  takes  away  those  first  motives  to 
follow  after  it,  so  frequently  proposed  in  scripture.  The  hope 
of  future  reward,  and  fear  of  punishment ;  the  hope  of  heaven, 
and  fear  of  hell,"  <fcc.     Page  11. 

I  thought  one  that  carries  perfection  to  such  an  exalted  pitch 
as  dear  Mr.  Wesley  does,  would  know  that  a  true  lover  of  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  would  strive  to  be  holy  for  the  sake  of  being 
holy,  and  work  for  Christ  out  of  love  and  gratitude,  without 
any  regard  to  the  rewards  of  heaven,  or  fear  of  hell.  You  re- 
member, dear  sir,  what  Scougall  says — "  Love's  a  more  power- 
ful motive,  that  does  them  move."  But  passing  by  this,  and" 
granting  that  rewards  and  punishments  (as  they  certainly  are) 
may  be  motives  from  which  a  christian  may  be  honestly  stirred 
up  to  act  for  God,  how  does  the  doctrine  of  election  destroy 
these  motives?  Do  not  the  elect  know,  that  the  more  good 
works  they  do,  the  greater  will  be  their  reward?  And  is  not 
that  encouragement  enough  to  set  them  upon,  and  cause  them 
to  persevere  in  working;-  for  Jesus  Christ?  And  how  does  the 
doctrine  of  election  destroy  holiness  ?  Who  ever  preached  any 
other  election  than  what  the  apostle  preached,  when  he  said — 
''  Chosen  through  sanctification  of  the  Spirit  ?"  Nay,  is  not 
holiness  made  a  mark  of  our  election  by  all  that  preach  it? 
And  how,  then,  can  the  doctrine  of  election  destroy  holiness? 

Tlie  instance  which  you  hxiivz  to  illustrate  your  assertion, 
indeed,  dear  sir,  is  quite  impertinent.  For  you  say  "If  a  sick 
man  knows  that  he  must  unavoidably  die  or  unavoidably  re- 
cover, though  he  knows  not  which,  it  is  not  reasonable  to  take 
any  physic  at  all."  Pac^e  11.  Dear  sir,  what  absurd  reason- 
ing is  here  !  Was  you  ever  sick  in  your  life?  If  so,  did  not 
Uie  bare  probability  or  possibility  of  your  recoverinsf,  though 
/ou  knew  it  was  unalterably  fixed  that  you  must  live  or  die, 
encourage  you  to  take  physic  ?  For  how  did  you  know  but 
that  very  physic  might  be  the  means  God  intended  to  recover 
you  by  ?  Just  thus  it  is  as  to  the  doctrine  of  election.  "  I  know 
that  it  is  unalterably  fixed,"  may  one  say,  "that  I  must  be 
damned  or  saved.  But  since  I  know  not  which  for  a  certainty, 
why  should  I  not  striv^e,  though  at  present  in  a  state  of  nature, 
since  I  know  not  but  this  striving  may  be  the  means  God  has 
intended  to  bless,  in  order  to  bring  me  into  a  state  of  grace  V 
Dear  sir,  consider  these  things.  Make  an  impartial  applica- 
tion :  and  then  judge  what  little  reason  you  had  to  conclude 


632 

the  10th  paragraph,  page  12,  in  these  words — "So  directly 
does  this  doctrine  tend  to  shut  the  very  gate  of  hohness  in 
general,  to  hinder  unholy  men  from  ever  approaching  thereto, 
or  striving  to  enter  in  thereat !" 

"As  directly,"  (paragraph  11,)  say  you,  "does  the  doctrine 
tend  to  destroy  several  particular  branches  of  holiness,  such  as 
meekness,  love,  &c."  I  shall  say  little,  dear  sir,  in  answer  to 
this  paragraph.  Dear  Mr.  Wesley,  perhaps,  has  been  disputing 
with  some  warm,  narrow-spirited  men  that  held  election,  and 
then  infers,  that  their  warmth  and  narrowness  of  spirit  was 
owing  to  their  principles.  But  does  not  dear  Mr.  Wesley  know 
m^ny  dear  children  of  God,  who  are  predestinarians,  and  yet 
are  meek,  lowly,  pitiful,  courteous,  tender-hearted,  of  a  catholic 
spirit,  and  k  nd,  and  hope  to  see  the  most  vile  and  profligate  of 
men  converted?  And  why?  Because  they  know  God  saved 
them  by  an  act  of  his  electing  love,  and  they  know  not  but  he 
may  have  elected  those  who  now  seem  to  be  the  most  aban- 
doned. But  dear  sir,  we  must  not  judge  of  the  truth  of  princi- 
ples in  general,  nor  of  this  of  election  in  particular,  entirely  from 
the  practice  of  some  that  profess  to  hold  them.  If  so,  I  am  sure 
much  might  be  said  against  your  own.  For  I  appeal  to  your 
own  heart,  whether  or  not  you  have  not  felt  in  yourself,  or  ob- 
served in  others,  a  narrow-spiritedness,  and  some  disunion  of 
soul,  towards  those  that  hold  particular  redemption  ?  If  so, 
then,  according  to  your  own  rule.  Universal  Redemption  is 
wrong,  because  it  destroys  several  branches  of  holiness,  such  as 
meekness,  love,  &c.  But  not  to  insist  upon  this,  I  beg  you 
would  observe,  that  your  inference  is  entirely  set  aside  by  the 
force  of  the  apostle's  argument,  and  the  language  which  he 
expressly  uses.  For,  Col.  iii.  12, 13,  he  says,  Pvt  on,  therefore^ 
(as  the  elect  of  God,  lioly  and  beloved)  bowels  of  mercy,  kind- 
ness, hiunhleness  of  mind,  meekness,  long-suffering,  forbear- 
ing one  another,  and  forgiviyig  one  another,  if  any  man  have 
a  quarrel  against  any  ;  even  as  Christ  forgave  you,  so  also 
do  ye.  Here  we  see  that  the  apostle  exhorts  them  to  put  on 
bowels  of  mercy,  kindness,  humbleness  of  mind,  meekness, 
long-sufferinof,  &c.,  upon  this  consideration,  namely,  because 
they  were  elect  of  God.  And  all  who  have  experimentally  felt 
this  doctrine  in  their  hearts,  feel  that  these  graces  are  the  genu- 
ine effects  of  their  being  elected  of  God. 

But,  perhaps,  dear  Mr.  Wesley  may  be  mistaken  in  this  point, 
and  call  that  passion.,  which  is  only  zeal  for  God's  truths.  You 
know,  dear  sir,  the  apostle  exhorts  us  to  "  contend  earnestly  for 
the  faith  once  delivered  to  the  saints ;"  and  therefore  you  must 
not  condemn  all  that  appear  zealous  for  the  doctrine  of  election, 
as  narrow-spirited  or  persecutors,  because  they  think  it  their 


WHITEFIELD's  letter  to  WESLEY.  633 

duty  k)  oppose  you.  I  am  sure  I  love  you  in  the  bowels  of 
Jesus  Christ,  and  think  I  could  lay  down  my  hfe  for  your  sake ; 
but  yet,  dear  sir,  I  cannot  help  strenuously  opposing  your  errors 
upon  this  important  subject,  because  I  think  you  warmly,  though 
not  designedly,  oppose  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus.  May  the  Lord 
remove  the  scales  of  prejudice  from  off  the  eyes  of  your  mind, 
and  give  you  a  zeal  according  to  true  christian  knowledo^e  ! 

Thirdly,  Says  your  sermon,  page  13th,  paragraph  12 — "  This 
doctrine  tends  to  destroy  the  comforts  of  religion,  the  happi- 
ness of  Christianity,  (fee." 

But  how  does  Mr.  Wesley  know  this,  who  never  believed 
election  ?  I  believe,  they  who  have  experienced  it,  will  agree 
with  our  17th  Article,  "  That  the  godly  consideration  of  pre- 
destination, and  election  in  Christ,  is  full  of  sweet,  pleasant, 
unspeakable  comfort,  to  godly  persons,  and  such  as  feel  in  them- 
selves the  working  of  the  spirit  of  Christ,  mortifying  the  works 
of  the  flesh,  and  their  earthly  members,  and  drawing  their  minds 
to  hio^h  and  heavenly  things,  as  well  because  it  does  greatly 
establish  and  confirm  their  faith  of  eternal  salvation,  to  be 
enjoyed  through  Christ,  as  because  it  doth  fervently  kindle 
their  love  towards  God,  (fee."  This  plainly  shows  that  our 
godly  reformers  did  not  think  election  destroyed  holiness,  or 
the  comforts  of  religion.  As  for  my  own  part  this  doctrine  is 
my  dail}?"  support.  I  should  utterly  sink  under  a  dread  of  my 
impending  trials,  were  I  not  firmly  persuaded  that  God  has 
chosen  me  in  Christ  from  before  the  foundation  of  the  world  ; 
and  that  now  beins:  effectually  called,  he  will  suffer  none  to 
pluck  me  out  of  his  almighty  hand. 

You  proceed  thus — "  This  is  evident  as  to  all  those  who  be- 
lieve themselves  to  be  reprobate,  or  only  suspect  or  fear  it ;  all 
the  great  and  precious  promises  are  lost  to  them  ;  they  afford 
them  no  ray  of  comfort." 

In  answer  to  this,  let  me  observe,  that  none  living,  especially 
none  who  are  desirous  of  salvation,  can  know  that  they  are 
not  of  the  number  of  God's  elect.  None  but  the  unconverted 
can  have  any  just  reason  so  much  as  to  fear  it.  And  would 
dear  Mr.  Wesley  give  comfort,  or  dare  you  apply  the  precious 
promises  of  the  gospel,  being  children's  bread,  to  men  in  a  natu- 
ral state,  while  they  continue  so  ?  God  forbid  !  What  if  the 
doctrine  of  election  and  reprobation  does  put  some  upon  doubt- 
ing ?  So  does  that  of  regeneration.  But  is  not  this  doubting 
a  good  means  to  put  them  upon  searchinor  and  striving,  and 
that  striving  a  good  means  to  make  their  calling  and  election 
sure  ?  This  is  one  reason,  among  many  others,  why  I  admire 
the  doctrine  of  election,  and  am  convinced  that  it  should  have 
a  place  in  gospel  ministrations,  and  should  be  insisted  on  with 


634 

faithfulness  and  care.  It  has  a  natural  tendency  to  rouse  the 
soul  out  of  its  carnal  security,  and  therefore  many  carnal 
men  cry  out  against  it ;  whereas  universal  redemption  is  a 
notion  sadly  adapted  to  keep  the  soul  in  its  letharg^ic,  sleepy 
condition  ;  and  therefore  so  many  natural  men  admire  and  ap- 
plaud it. 

Your  13th,  14th,  and  15th  paragraphs,  come  next  to  be  con- 
sidered. "  The  witness  of  the  Spirit,  (you  say,  paragraph  14, 
page  14,)  experience  shows  to  be  much  obstructed  by  this  doc- 
trine." But,  dear  sir,  whose  experience  ?  Not  your  own  :  for 
in  your  journal,  from  your  embarking  for  Georgia  to  your  re- 
turn to  London,  page  the  last,  you  seem  to  acknowledge  that 
you  have  it  not,  and  therefore  you  are  no  competent  judge  in 
this  matter.  You  must  mean,  then,  the  experience  of  others. 
For  you  say  in  the  same  paragraph — "  Even  in  those,  who 
have  tasted  of  that  good  gift,  who  yet  have  soon  lost  it  again, 
(I  suppose  you  mean  lost  the  sense  of  it  again,)  and  fallen  back 
into  doubts,  and  fears,  and  darkness,  even  horrible  darkness, 
that  might  be  felt,"  <fcc.  Now  as  to  the  darkness  of  desertion, 
was  not  this  the  case  of  Jesus  Christ  himself,  after  he  had  re- 
ceived an  unanswerable  unction  of  the  Holy  Ghost  ?  Was  not 
his  soul  exceeding  sorrovjfvl  even  unto  deaths  in  the  garden  ? 
And  was  he  not  surrounded  with  a  horrible  darkness,  even,  "a 
darkness  that  might  be  felt,"  when  on  the  cross  he  cried  out, 
My  God  I  my  God  !  why  hast  thou  forsaken  me  ?  And  that 
all  his  followers  are  liable  to  the  same,  is  it  not  evident  from 
scripture?  For  says  the  apostle,  "He  was  tempted  in  all  things 
like  unto  his  brethren,  that  he  might  be  able  to  succor  those 
that  are  tempted."  And  is  not  their  liableness  thereunto  well 
consistent  with  that  conformity  to  him  in  suffering,  which  his 
members  are  to  bear?  Why  then  should  persons  falling  into 
darkness,  after  they  have  received  the  witness  of  the  Spirit,  be 
any  argument  against  the  doctrine  of  election  ?  "  Yes,  (you 
say)  many,  very  many  of  those  that  hold  it  not,  in  all  parts  of 
the  earth,  have  enjoyed  the  uninterrupted  witness  of  the  Spirit, 
the  continual  light  of  God's  countenance,  from  the  moment 
wherein  they  first  believed,  for  many  months  or  years,  to  (his 
very  day."  But  how  does  Mr.  Wesley  know  this  ?  Has  he 
consulted  the  experience  of  many,  very  many,  in  all  parts  of  the 
f  arth  ?  Or,  could  he  be  sure  of  what  he  hath  advanced  with- 
out sufficient  grounds,  would  it  follow,  that  their  being  kept  in 
this  hght  is  owing  to  their  not  believing  the  doctrine  of  elec- 
tion? "No;  this,  according  to  the  sentiments  of  our  church, 
"  greatly  confirms  and  establishes  a  true  christian's  faith  of  eter- 
nal salvation  through  Christ ;"  and  is  an  anchor  of  hope,  both 
sure  and  steadfast,  when  he  walks  in  darkness  and  sees  no 


WHITEFIELd's  letter  to  WESLEY.  635 

light,  as  certainly  he  may,  even  after  he  hath  received  the  wit- 
ness of  the  Spirit,  whatever  you  or  others  may  unadvisedly 
assert  to  the  contrary.  Then  to  have  respect  to  God's  ever- 
lasting covenant,  and  to  throw  himself  upon  the  free  distin- 
guishing love  of  that  God  who  changeth  not,  will  make  him 
lift  up  the  hands  that  hans:  down,  and  strengthen  the  feeble 
knees.  But  without  the  belief  of  the  doctrine  of  election,  and 
the  immutability  of  the  free  love  of  God,  I  cannot  see  how  it 
is  possible  that  any  should  have  a  comfortable  assurance  of 
eternal  salvation.  What  could  it  signify  to  a  man  whose  con- 
science is  thoroughly  awakened,  and  who  is  warned  in  good 
earnest  to  seek  deliverance  from  the  wrath  to  come,  though  he 
should  be  assured  that  all  his  past  sins  are  forgiven,  and  that 
he  is  now  a  child  of  God  ;  if,  notwithstanding  this,  he  may 
hereafter  become  a  child  of  the  devil,  and  be  cast  into  hell  at 
last?  Could  such  an  assurance  yield  any  solid  lasting  com- 
fort, to  a  person  convinced  of  the  corruption  and  treachery  of 
his  own  heart,  and  of  the  malice,  subtlety,  and  power  of  Satan  ? 
No  !  That  which  alone  deserves  the  name  of  a.  full  assurance 
of  faith,  is  such  an  assurance  as  emboldens  the  believer,  under 
the  sense  of  his  interest  in  distinguishing  love,  to  give  the  chal- 
lenge to  all  his  adv^ersaries,  whether  men  or  devils,  and  that 
with  regard  to  all  their  future  as  well  as  present  attempts  to 
destroy;  saying  with  the  apostle,  "Who  shall  lay  any  thing 
to  the  charge  of  God's  elect?  It  is  God  that  justifies  me.  It 
is  Christ  that  died  ;  yea,  rather,  that  is  risen  again,  who  is  even 
at  the  right  hand  of  God,  who  also  maketh  intercession  for  me. 
Who  shall  separate  me  from  the  love  of  Christ  ?  Shall  tribu- 
lation, or  distress,  or  persecution,  or  famine,  or  nakedness,  or 
peril,  or  sword  ?  Nay,  in  all  these  things  I  am  more  than  con- 
queror, throuufh  him  that  loved  me.  For  I  am  persuaded,  that 
neither  death,  nor  life,  nor  angels,  nor  principalities,  nor  pow- 
ers, nor  things  present,  nor  things  to  come,  nor  height,  nor 
depth,  nor  any  other  creature,  shall  be  able  to  separate  me  from 
the  love  of  God  which  is  in  Christ  Jesus  my  Lord." 

This,  dear  sir,  is  the  triumphant  language  of  every  soul  that 
has  attained  a  full  assurance  of  faith.  And  this  assurance  can 
only  arise  from  a  belief  of  God's  electinjjf,  everlasting  love. 
That  many  have  an  assurance  that  they  are  in  Christ  to-day, 
but  take  no  thought  for,  or  are  not  assured  they  shall  be  in  him 
to-morrow,  nay,  to  all  eternity,  is  rather  their  imperfection  and 
unhappiness  than  their  privilege.  I  pray  God  to  bring  all  such 
to  a  sense  of  his  eternal  love,  that  they  may  no  longer  huild 
upon  their  own  foith fulness,  but  on  the  unchangeableness  of 
that  God  whose  gifts  and  callings  arc  without  repentaiice.  For 
those  whom  God  has  once  justified,  he  also  will  glorify.     I  ob- 


636  whitefield's  letter  to  weslet. 

served  before,  dear  sir,  it  is  not  always  a  safe  rule  to  judge  of 
the  truth  of  principles  from  people's  practice.  And  therefore, 
supposing  all  that  held  universal  redemption  in  your  way  of 
explaining  it,  after  they  received  faith,  enjoyed  the  continual, 
uninterrnpted  light  of  God's  countenance^  it  does  not  follow, 
that  this  is  a  fruit  of  their  principle ;  for  that,  I  am  sure,  has  a 
natnral  tendency  to  keep  the  soul  in  darkness  for  ever;  because 
the  creature  thereby  is  taught,  that  his  beino^  kept  in  a  state  of 
salvation  is  owing  to  his  own  free  will.  And  what  a  sandy 
foundation  is  that  for  a  poor  creature  to  build  his  hopes  of  per- 
severance upon  !  Every  relapse  into  sin,  every  surprise  by 
temptation,  must  throw  him  "  into  doubts  and  fears,  into  hor- 
rible darkness,  even  darkness  that  may  be  felt."  Hence  it  is, 
that  the  letters^  which  have  been  lately  sent  me  by  those  who 
hold  universal  redemption^  are  dead  and  lifeless,  dry  and  in- 
consistent, in  comparison  of  those  I  receive  from  persons  on  the 
contrary  side.  Those  who  settle  in  the  universal  scheme, 
though  they  might  begin  in  the  spirit,  whatever  they  may  say 
to  the  contrary,  are  ending  in  the  flesh,  and  building  up  a 
rio^hteousness  founded  on  their  own  free-will:  whilst  the  others 
triumph  in  hopes  of  the  glory  of  God,  and  build  upon  God's 
never-f^iiling  promise  and  unchangeable  love,  even  when  his 
sensible  presence  is  withdrawn  from  them.  But  I  would  not 
judge  of  the  truth  of  election  by  the  experience  of  any  particu- 
lar persons:  if  I  did,  (O  bear  with  me  in  this  foolishness  of 
boasting!)  I  think  I  myself  mis^ht  iflory  in  election.  For  these 
five  or  six  years,  I  have  received  the  witness  of  God's  Spirit. 
Since  that,  blessed  be  God,  I  have  not  doubted  a  quarter  of  an 
hour  of  havinof  a  savin of  interest  in  Jesus  Christ.  But  with 
grief  and  humble  shame  I  do  acknowledge,  I  have  fallen  into 
sin  often  since  that.  Though  I  do  not,  dare  not  allow  of  any 
one  transgression,  yet  hitherto  I  have  not  been  (nor  do  I  expect 
that  while  I  am  in  this  present  world  I  ever  shall  be)  able  to 
live  one  day  perfectly  free  from  all  defects  and  sin.  And  since 
the  scriptures  declare,  that  there  is  not  a  just  man  upon  earth, 
no,  not  among  those  of  the  highest  attainments  in  grace,  that 
doeth  2:ood,  and  sinncth  not ;  we  are  sure  that  this  will  be  the 
case  of  all  the  children  of  God.  The  universal  experience  and 
acknowledofment  of  this,  among  the  godly  in  every  age,  is  abun- 
dantly sufficient  to  confute  the  error  of  those  who  hold  it  in  an 
absolute  sense,  ''that  after  a  man  is  born  again,  he  cannot  com- 
mit sin  ;  especially  since  the  Holy  Ghost  condemns  the  persons 
who  say  they  have  no  sin,  as  deceiving  themselves,  as  being 
destitute  of  the  truth,  and  making  God  a  liar,"  1  John  i.  8-10. 
I  have  been  also  in  heaviness  through  manifold  temptations, 
and  expect  to  be  often  so  before  I  die.     Thus  were  the  apostles 


"whitefield's  letter  to  Vv'esley.  637 

and  primitive  christians  themselves.  Thus  was  Luther,  that 
man  of  God,  who,  as  far  as  I  can  find,  did  not,  peremptoi  ily  at 
least,  hold  election ;  and  the  great  John  Arndt  was  in  the  ut- 
most perplexity  a  quarter  of  an  hour  before  he  died ;  and  yet 
he  was  no  predestinarian.  And  if  I  must  speak  freely,  I  believe 
your  fighting  so  strenuously  against  the  doctrine  of  election, 
and  pleading  so  vehemently  for  a  sinless  perfection,  are  among 
the  reasons  or  culpable  causes,  why  you  are  kept  out  of  the 
liberties  of  the  gospel,  and  that  full  assurance  of  faith  which 
they  enjoy,  who  have  experimentally  tasted  and  daily  feed  up- 
on God's  electing,  everlasting  love. 

But,  perhaps,  you  may  say,  that  Luther  and  Arndt  v/ere  no 
christians,  at  least  very  weak  ones.  1  know  you  think  meanly. 
of  Abraham,  though  he  was  eminently  called  the  friend  of 
God ;  and  I  beheve  also  of  David,  the  man  after  God's  own 
'heart.  No  wonder,  therefore,  that,  in  a  letter  you  sent  me  not 
long  since,  you  should  tell  me,  "  That  no  baptist  or  presbyterian 
writer  whcrm  you  have  read,  knew  any  thing  of  the  liberties  of 
Christ."  What !  neither  Bunyan,  Henry,  Flavel,  Halyburton.  nor 
any  of  the  New  England  and  Scotch  Divmes!  See,  dear  sir, 
what  narrow-spiritedness  and  want  of  charity  arise  from  your 
principles  !  and  then  do  not  cry  out  against  election  any  more, 
on  account  of  its  being  "  destructive  of  meekness  and  love  !" 

Fourthly^  I  shall  now  proceed  to  another  head.  Again,  says 
the  dear  Mr.  Wesley,  page  15,  paragraph  16.  "  How  uncom- 
fortable a  thought  is  this,  that  thousands  and  millions  of  men 
without  any  preceding  ofiense  or  fault  of  theirs,  were  un- 
changeably doomed  to  everlasting  burnings  !" 

But  whoever  asserted,  that  thousands  and  millions  of  men, 
without  any  preceding  offense  or  fault  of  theirs,  were  un- 
changeably doomed  to  everlasting  burnings  ?  Do  not  they 
who  believe  God's  dooming  men  to  everlasting  burnings,  also  be- 
lieve that  God  looked  upon  them  as  men  fallen  in  Adam?  And 
that  that  decree  which  ordained  the  punishment  first  regarded 
the  crime  by  which  it  was  deserved  ?  How  then  are  they 
doomed  without  any  preceding  fault  ?  Surely  Mr.  Wesley  will 
own  God's  justice  in  imputing  Adam's  sin  to  his  posterity  ;  and 
also  that,  after  Adam  fell,  J^nd  his  posterity  in  him,  God  might 
justly  have  passed  them  all  by,  without  sending  his  own  Son 
to  be  our  Savior  for  any  one.  Unless  you  heartily  agree  to 
'  both  these  points,  you  do  not  believe  original  sin  aright.  If 
you  do  own  them,  then  you  must  acknowledge  the  doctrine  of 
election  and  reprobation  to  be  highly  just  and  reasonable  ;  for, 
if  God  might  justly  impute  Adam's  sin  to  all^  and  afterwards 
have  passed  by  all,  then  he  might  justly  pass  by  some.  Turn 
on  the  right  hand,  or  on  jhe  left,  you  are  reduced  to  an  inex 

M 


C38  wiiitefield's  letter  to  wesley. 

tricable  dilemma.  And,  if  you  would  be  consistent,  you  must 
either  orive  up  the  doctrine  of  the  imputation  of  Adam's  sin,  or 
receive  the  amiable  doctrine  of  election,  with  a  holy  and 
righteous  reprobation,  as  its  consequent ;  for  whether  you  can 
believe  it  or  no,  the  word  of  God  abides  faithful.  The  election 
has  obtained  it,  and  the  rest  ice  re  blinded. 

Your  17th  paragraph,  I  pass  over.  What  has  been  said  on 
paragraphs  9th  and  lUth,  with  little  alteration,  will  answer  it. 
I  shall  only  say,  it  is  the  doctrine  of  election  that  mostly  presses 
me  to  abound  in  good  works.  1  am  made  willing  to  suffer  all 
things  for  the  elect's  sake.  This  makes  me  preach  with  com- 
fort, because  I  know  salvation  does  not  depend  on  man's  free 
will,  but  the  Lord  makes  them  willing  in  the  day  of  his  power ; 
and  can  make  use  of  me  to  bring  some  of  his  elect  home,  when 
and  where  he  pleases.     But, 

Fifthly,  You  say,  paragraph  IS,  page  17 — "  This  doctrine 
has  a  direct,  manifest  tendency,  to  overthrow' the  whole  chris- 
tian reliction.  For,  (say  you,)  supposing  that  eternal,  unchange- 
able decree,  one  part  of  mankind  must  be  saved,  though  the 
christian  revelation  were  not  in  beinof." 

But,  dear  sir,  how  does  that  Ibllow,  since  it  is  only  by  the 
christian  revelation  that  we  are  acquainted  with  God's  design 
of  saving  his  church  by  the  death  of  his  Son?  Yea,  it  is  set- 
tled in  the  everlasting  covenant,  that  this  salvation  shall  be  ap- 
plied to  the  elect  through  the  knowledge  and  faith  of  him ;  as 
the  prophet  says.  By  his  knowledge  shall  my  righteous  ser- 
vant justify  many,  Isa.  liii.  11.  How,  then,  has  the  doctrine 
of  election  a  direct  tendency  to  overthrow  the  whole  christian 
revelation  ?  Who  ever  thought,  that  God's  declaration  to  Noah, 
that  seed  time  and  harvest  should  never  cease,  could  afford  an 
argument  for  the  neglect  of  ploughing  or  sowing?  or  that  the 
unchangeable  purpose  of  God,  that  harvest  should  not  fail, 
rendered  the  heat  of  the  sun,  or  the  influence  of  the  heavenly 
bodies,  unnecessary  to  produce  it  ?  No  more  does  God's  abso- 
lute purpose  of  saving  his  chosen,  preclude  the  necessity  of  the 
gospel  revelation,  or  the  use  of  any  of  the  means  through  which 
he  has  determined  the  decree  shall  take  effect.  Nor  will  the 
right  understanding,  or  the  reverent  belief  of  God's  decree,  ever 
allow  or  suffer  a  christian,  in  any  case,  to  separate  the  means 
from  the  end,  or  the  end  from  the  means.  And  since  we  are 
taught  by  the  revelation  itself,  that  this  was  intended  and  given 
by  God  as  a  means  of  bringing  home  his  elect,  we  therefore  re- 
ceive it  with  joy,  prize  it  highly,  using  it  in  faith ;  and  endeavor 
to  spread  it  through  all  the  world,  in  the  full  assurance  that 
wlierever  God  sends  it,  sooner  or  later,  it  shall  be  savingly  use- 
ful to  all  the  elect  within  its  call.    How,  then,  in  holding  this 


WHITEFIELD's  letter  to  WESLEY.  039 

doctrine,  do  we  join  with  modern  unbelievers  in  making  the 
Christian  Revelation  unnecessary?  No,  dear  sir,  you  mistake. 
Infidels  of  all  kinds  are  on  your  side  of  the  question.  Deists, 
Arians,  Socinians,  arraign  God's  sovereignty,  and  stand  up  for 
universal  redemption.  I  pray  God,  dear  Mr.  Wesley's  sermon, 
as  it  has  grieved  the  hearts  of  many  of  God's  children,  may 
not  also  strengthen  the  hands  of  many  of  his  most  avowed  ene- 
mies !  Here  I  could  almost  lie  down  and  weep !  O,  tell  it  not 
in  Gath  !  Publish  it  not  in  the  streets  of  Askelofi,  lest  the 
daughters  of  the  uncirciwicised  rejoice^  lest  the  sons  of  unbe- 
lief should  triumph  ! 

Farther,  you  say,  page  18th,  paragraph  19th — '•  This  doctrine 
makes  revelation  contradict  itself."  For  instance,  say  you, 
"  The  asserters  of  this  doctrine  interpret  the  text  of  the  scrip- 
tures, Jacob  have  I  loved,  but  Esau  have  I  hated,  as  implying 
that  God,  in  a  literal  sense,  hated  Esau  and  all  tlie  reprobates 
from  eternity  !"  And  when  considered  3.s  fallen  in  Adam,  were 
they  not  objects  of  his  hatred  ?  And  might  not  God,  of  his 
own  good  pleasure,  love  or  show  mercy  to  Jacob  and  the  elect, 
and  yet  at  the  same  time  do  the  reprobate  no  wrong  ?  But 
you  say,  "  God  is  love."  And  cannot  God  be  love,  unless 
he  shows  the  same  mercy  to  all  ? 

Again,  says  dear  Mr.  Wesley,  "  They  infer  from  that  text, 
Iivill  have  mercy  on  whom  Iivill  have  mercy,  that  God  is  love 
only  to  some  men,  viz.  the  elect,  and  that  he  has  mercy  for 
those  only ;  flatly  contrary  to  which  is  the  whole  tenor  of  the 
scripture,  as  is  that  express  declaration  in  particular,  The  Lord 
is  loving  to  every  man,  and  his  mercy  is  over  all  his  works P 
And  so  it  is,  but  not  his  saving  mercy.  God  is  loving  to  every, 
man,  he  sends  his  rain  upon  the  evil  and  upon  the  good.  But 
you  say,  God  is  no  respecter  of  persons.  No  !  for  everyone, 
whether  Jew  or  gentile,  that  believeth  on  Jesus,  and  worketh 
righteousness,  is  accepted  of  him.  But  he  that  believeth  not 
shall  be  damned.  For  God  is  no  respecter  of  ])erso7is,  i.  e. 
upon  the  account  of  any  outward  condition  or  circumstance  in 
life  whatever.  Nor  does  the  doctrine  of  election  in  the  least 
suppose  him  to  be  so  ;  but  as  the  sovereign  Lord  of  all,  who  is 
debtor  to  none,  he  has  a  right  to  do  what  he  will  with  his  own, 
and  dispense  his  favors  to  what  object  he  sees  fit,  merely  at  his 
pleasure.  And  his  supreme  right  herein  is  clearly  and  strongly 
asserted  in  those  passages  of  scripture,  where  he  says,  I  will  have 
mercy,  on  whom  I  will  have  inercy,  and  have  compassion  on 
whom  I  will  have  compassion,  Rom.  ix.  15.  Exodus,  xxxiii.  19. 

Farther,  in  page  19th,  you  represent  us  as  inferring  from  the 
text — "  The  children  not  being  yet  born,  neither  having  done 
good  or  evil,  that  the  purpose  of  God,  according  to  election, 


610  WHITEFIELD's  letter  to  WESLEY. 

might  stand,  not  of  worlcs,  but  him  that  calleth  ;  it  was  said  unto 
her,  (unto  Rebecca,)  "  The  elder  shall  serve  the  younger  ;"  that 
our  predestination  to  life  no  way  depends  on  the  fore-knowledge 
of  God.  But  who  infers  this,  dear  sir  ?  For  if  fore-knowled^^e 
signifies  approbation,  as  it  does  in  several  parts  of  scripture,  then 
we  confess  that  predestination  and  election  do  depend  on  God^s 
fore-knowledge.  But  if  by  God's  fore-knowledge  you  understand 
God's  fore-seeing  some  good  works  done  by  his  creature,  as  the 
foundation  or  reason  of  choosing  them,  and  therefore  electing 
them  ;  then  we  say  that,  in  this  sense,  predestination  does  not 
any  way  depend  on  God's  fore-knowledge.  But  J  referred  you, 
at  the  beginning  of  this  letter,  to  Dr.  Edward's  Veritas  Redux, 
which  I  recommended  to  you  in  a  late  letter,  with  Elisha  Cole 
on  God^s  sovereignty.  Be  pleased  to  read  those  ;  and  also  the 
excellent  sermons  of  Mr.  Cooper,  of  Boston,  in  New  England, 
which  I  also  sent  you,  and  I  doubt  not  but  you  will  see  all 
your  objections  answered.  Though  I  would  observe,  that  af- 
ter all  our  reading  on  both  sides  the  question,  we  shall  never 
in  this  life  be  able  to  search  out  God^s  decrees  to  perfection. 
No  ;  we  must  humbly  adore  what  we  cannot  comprehend ;  and, 
with  the  great  apostle,  at  the  end  of  our  inquires,  crj  out,  Oh  ! 
the  depths  (fcc.  Or  with  our  Lord,  when  he  was  admiring 
God's  sovereignty,  "  Even  so  Father,  for  so  it  seemeth  good  in 
thy  sight." 

However,  it  may  not  be  amiss  to  take  notice,  that  if  those 
texts,  '•  God  willeth  that  none  should  perish — I  have  no  plea- 
sure in  him  that  dieth,"  and  such  like,  be  taken  in  their  strictest 
sense,  then  no  one  will  be  damned. 

But  here  is  the  distinction :  God  taketh  no  pleasure  in  the 
death  of  sinners,  so  as  to  delight  simply  in  their  death  ;  but  he 
delights  to  magnify  his  justice,  by  inflicting  the  punishment 
which  their  iniquities  have  deserved ;  as  a  righteous  judge,  who 
takes  no  pleasure  in  condemning  a  criminal,  may  yet  justly  com- 
mand him  to  be  executed,  that  law  and  justice  may  be  satisfied, 
even  though  it  be  in  his  power  to  procure  him  a  reprieve. 

I  would  hint  farther,  that  you  unjustly  charge  the  doctrine 
of  repi^ohation  with  blasphemy  ;  whereas  the  doctrine  of  Mni- 
versal  redemption,  as  you  set  it  forth,  is  really  the  highest  re- 
proach upon  the  dignity  of  the  Son  of  God,  and  the  merit  of 
his  blood.  Consider,  therefore,  whether  it  be  not  blasphemy 
rather,  to  say,  as  you  do,  (page  20,)  "  Christ  not  only  died  for 
those  that  are  saved,  but  also  for  those  that  perish."  The  text 
you  have  misapplied  to  gloss  over  this,  see  explained  by  Ridge- 
ly,  Edwards,  Henry ;  and  I  purposely  omit  answering  your 
texts  myself,  that  you  may  be  brought  to  read  such  treatises, 
which,  under  God,  would  show  you  your  error.     You  cannot 


641 

make  good  this  assertion,  "  That  Christ  died  for  them  that  per- 
ish," without  holding,  (as  Peter  Boehler,  one  of  the  Moravian 
brethren,  in  order  to  make  out  universal  redemption^  lately 
frankly  confessed  in  a  letter,)  "  That  all  the  damned  souls  would 
hereafter  he  brought  out  of  hell."  I  cannot  think  Mr.  Wesley 
IS  thus  minded.  And  yet,  without  this  can  be  proved,  iinivei^ 
sal  redemption^  taken  in  a  literal  sense,  falls  entirely  to  the 
ground.  For  how  can  all  be  universally  redeemed,  if  all  are 
not  finally  saved  ? 

Dear  sir,  for  Jesus  Christ's  sake,  consider  how  you  dishonor 
God  by  denying  election.  You  plainly  make  salvation  depend, 
not  on  God's  free  grace^  but  on  man's  free  ivill.  And  it  is 
more  than  probable,  Jesus  Christ  would  not  have  had  the  sat- 
isfaction of  seeing  the  fruit  of  his  death  in  the  eternal  salvation 
of  one  soul.  Our  preaching  would  then  be  vain,  and  all  invi- 
tations for  people  to  believe  in  him,  would  also  be  in  vain. 

But  blessed  be  God,  our  Lord  knew  for  whom  he  died. 
There  was  an  eternal  compact  between  the  Father  and  Son. 
A  certain  number  was  then  given  him,  as  the  purchase  and 
reward  of  his  obedience  and  death.  For  these  he  prayed,  (John 
xvii.)  and  not  for  the  world.  For  these  and  these  only,  he  is 
now  interceding,  and  with  their  salvation  he  will  be  fully 
satisfied. 

I  purposely  omit  making  any  further  particular  remarks  on 
the  several  last  pages  of  your  serrpon.  Indeed,  had  not  your 
name,  dear  sir,  been  prefixed  to  the  sermon,  I  could  not  have 
been  so  uncharitable  as  to  think  you  were  the  author  of  such 
_$ophistry.  You  beg  the  question,  in  saying  that  God  has  de- 
clared, (notwithstanding  you  own,  I  suppose,  some  will  be 
damned,)  that  he  would  save  all,  i.  e.  every  itidiv idual  iperson. 
You  take  it  for  granted  (for  solid  proof  you  have  none)  that 
God  is  unjust,  if  he  passes  by  any  ;  and  then  you  exclaim 
against  the  horrible  decree.  And  yet,  as  I  before  hinted,  in 
holding  the  doctrine  of  original  sin,  you  profess  to  believe 
that  he  might  justly  have  passed  by  all. 

Dear,  dear  sir  !  O  be  not  offended  !  For  Christ's  sake,  be 
not  rash  !  Give  yourself  to  reading.  Study  the  covenant  of 
grace.  Down  with  your  carnal  reasoning.  Be  a  little  child. 
And  then,  instead  of  pawning  your  salvation,  as  you  have  done 
in  a  late  hymn  book,  if  the  doctrine  of  universal  redemption 
be  not  true  ;  instead  of  talking  of  sinless  perfection,  as  you 
have  done  in  the  preface  to  that  hymn  book,  and  making  man's 
salvation  depend  on  his  own  free  will,  as  you  have  in  this  ser- 
mon ;  you  will  compose  a  hymn  in  praise  of  sovereign,  distin- 
guishing love.  You  will  caution  believers  against  striving  to 
work  a  perfection  out  of  their  own  hearts ;  and  print  another 

54* 


642  AN  INaUIRT,  JfcC. 

sermon  the  reverse  of  this,  and  entitle  it,  Free  grace  indeed. 
Fre(^^  because  r\oi  free  to  all ;  but  free,  because  God  may  with- 
hold or  a'ive  it  to  wliom  and  when  he  pleases. 

Till  you  do  this,  I  must  doubt  whether  or  not  you  know 
yourself.  In  the  mean  while,  I  cannot  but  blame  you  for  cen- 
suring tlie  clergy  of  our  church  for  not  keeping  to  their  Arti- 
cles, when  you  yourself,  by  your  principles,  positively  deny  the 
9th,  10th,  and  17th.  Dear  sir,  these  things  ought  not  so  to  be. 
God  knows  my  heart,  as  I  told  you  before,  so  I  declare  again, 
notliino-  but  a  single  regard  to  the  honor  of  Christ  has  forced 
this  letter  from  me.  I  love  and  honor  you  for  his  sake  ;  and, 
when  I  come  to  judgment,  will  thank  you,  before  men  and 
angels,  for  what  you  have,  under  God,  done  for  my  soul. 

There,  I  am  persuaded,  I  shall  see  dear  Mr.  Wesley,  con- 
vinced of  election  and  everlasting  love^  And  it  often  fills  me 
with  pleasure,  to  think  how  I  shall  behold  you  casting  your 
crown  down  at  the  feet  of  the  Lamb ;  and,  as  it  were,  filled 
with  a  holy  blushing  for  opposing  the  Divine  Sovereignty  in 
the  manner  you  have  done. 

But  I  hope  the  Lord  will  show  you  this  before  you  go  hence. 
O  hou^  do  I  long  for  that  day  !  If  the  Lord  should  be  pleased 
to  make  use  of  this  letter  for  that  purpose,  it  would  abundantly 
rejoice  the  heart  of,  dear  and  honored  sir, 

Your  affectionate,  though  unworthy, 
Brother  and  servant  in  Christ, 

GEORGE  WHITEFIELD. 


AN  INaUIRY 

INTO  THE  FIRST  AND  CHIEF  REASON  WHY  THE  GENERALITY 
OF  CHRISTIANS  FALL  SO  FAR  SHORT  OF  THE  HOLINESS  AND 
DEVOTION  OF  CHRISTIANITY. 

[Extracted  from  Mr.  Whitefield's  Tracts.] 

Since  christian  devotion  is  nothing  less  than  a  life  wholly 
devoted  to  God,  and  persons  who  are  free  from  the  necessities  of 
labor  and  employments  are  to  consider  themselves  as  devoted 
to  God  in  a  higher  degree,  it  may  now  reasonably  be  inquired 
how  it  comes  to  pass  that  the  lives  even  of  the  moral  and  better 
sort  of  people  are  in  general  so  directly  contrary  to  the  princi- 
ples of  Christianity.  I  answer,  because  the  generality  of  those 
who  call  themselves  christians  are  destitute  of  a  true,  living 


AN  INaUIRY,  &    .  643 

faith  in  Jesus  Christ ;  for  want  of  which  they  never  effectually- 
intended  to  please  God  in  all  the  actions  of  life,  as  the  happiest 
and  best  thing  in  the  world. 

To  be  partaker  of  such  a  faith  is  every  where  represented  in 
scripture  as  a  fundamental  and  necessary  part  of  true  piety. 
For  without  a  living  faith  in  the  righteousness  of  Jesus  Christ, 
our  persons  cannot  be  justified,  and  consequently  none  of  our 
performances  acceptable  in  the  sight  of  God.  It  is  this  faith 
that  enables  us  to  overcome  the  world,  and  to  devote  ourselves, 
without  reserve,  to  promote  the  glory  of  Him  who  has  loved 
and  given  himself  for  us.  And  therefore  it  is  purely  for  want 
of  such  a  faith,  that  you  see  such  a  mixture  of  sin  and  folly 
even  in  the  lives  of  the  better  sort  of  people.  It  is  for  want  of 
this  faith,  that  you  see  clergymen  given  to  pride,  and  covetous- 
ness,  and  worldly  enjoyments.  It  is  for  want  of  such  a  faith, 
that  you  see  women,  who  profess  devotion,  yet  living  in  all  the 
folly  and  vanity  of  dress,  wasting  their  time  in  idleness  and 
pleasures,  and  in  all  such  instances  of  state  and  equipage  as 
their  estate  will  reach.  Let  but  a  woman  feel  her  heart  full  of 
this  faith,  and  she  will  no  more  desire  to  shine  at  balls  and  as- 
semblies, or  to  make  a  figure  among  those  that  are  most  finely 
dressed,  than  she  will  desire  to  dance  upon  a  rope  to  please 
spectators ;  for  she  will  then  know  that  the  one  is  as  far  from 
the  true  nature,  wisdom  and  excellency  of  the  christian  spirit, 
as  is  tlie  other. 

Let  a  clergyman  be  but  thus  pious,  and  he  will  converse  as 
if  he  had  been  brought  up  by  an  apostle  ;  he  will  no  more  think 
and  talk  of  noble  preferment,  than  of  noble  eating,  or  a  glorious 
chariot.  He  will  no  more  complain  of  the  frowns  of  the  world, 
or  a  small  cure,  or  the  want  of  a  patron,  than  he  will  com- 
plain of  the  want  of  a  laced  coat,  or  of  a  running  horse.  Let 
him  but  have  such  a  faith  in  and  love  for  God  as  will  con- 
strain him  to  make  it  liis  business  to  study  to  please  God  in  all 
his  actions,  as  the  happiest  and  best  thing  in  the  world,  and 
then  he  will  know  that  there  is  nothing  noble  in  clergymen, 
but  burning  zeal  for  the  salvation  of  souls,  nor  any  thing  poor 
in  his  profession,  but  idleness  and  a  worldly  spirit. 

Further :  Let  a  tradesman  but  have  such  a  faith,  and  it  will 
make  him  a  saint  in  his  shop ;  his  every  day  business  will  be  a 
course  of  wise  and  reasonable  actions,  made  holy  to  God  by 
flowing  from  faith,  proceeding  from  love,  and  by  beine:  done  in 
obedience  to  his  will  and  pleasure.  He  will  therefore  not 
chiefly  consider  what  arts,  or  methods,  or  application,  will 
soonest  make  him  greater  and  richer  than  his  brethren,  that 
he  may  remove  from  a  shop  to  a  life  of  state  and  pleasure  ;  but 
he  will  chiefly  consider  what  arts,  what  methods  and  what  ap- 


644  AN  INauiRY,  LC. 

plication  can  make  worldly  business  most  conducive  to  God^s 
glory,  and  his  neighbor's  good  ;  and  consequently  make  a  life 
of  trade  to  be  a  life  of  holiness,  devotion  and  undissembled  piety. 

It  was  this  faith  that  made  the  primitive  christians  such 
eminent  instances  of  religion,  and  that  made  the  godly  fellow- 
ship of  the  saints  in  all  ages,  and  all  the  glorious  army  of  con- 
fessors and  martyrs.  And  if  we  will  stop  and  ask  ourselves, 
Why  are  we  not  as  pious  as  the  primitive  christians  and  saints 
of  old  were  :  our  hearts  must  tell  us,  that  it  is  because  we  never 
yet  perhaps  earnestly  sought  after,  and  consequently  were  never 
really  made  partakers  of,  that  precious  faith  whereby  they  were 
constrained  to  intend  to  please  God  in  all  their  actions,  as  the 
best  and  happiest  thing  in  the  world. 

Here  then  let  us  judge  ourselves  sincerely ;  let  us  not  vainly 
content  ourselves  with  the  common  disorders  of  our  lives,  the 
vanity  of  our  expenses,  the  folly  of  our  diversions,  the  pride  of 
our  habits,  the  idleness  of  our  lives,  and  the  wasting  of  our 
time,  fancying  that  these  are  only  such  imperfections  as  we 
necessarily  fall  into,  through  the  unavoidable  weakness  and 
frailty  of  our  nature ;  but  let  us  be  assured,  that  these  habitual 
disorders  of  our  common  life  are  so  many  demonstrable  proofs 
that  we  never  yet  truly  accepted  of  the  Lord  Jesus  and  his 
righteousness  by  a  living  faith,  and  never  really  intended,  as  a 
proof  and  evidence  of  such  a  faith,  to  please  God  in  all  the  ac- 
tions of  our  hfe,  as  the  best  thing  in,  the  world. 

Though  this  be  a  matter  we  can  easily  pass  over  at  present, 
whilst  the  health  of  our  bodies,  the  passions  of  our  minds,  the 
noise  and  hurry  and  pleasures  and  business  of  the  world  lead 
us  on  with  "  eyes  that  see  not,  and  ears  that  hear  not,"  yet,  at 
death,  it  will  set  itself  before  us  in  a  dreadful  magnitude ;  it  will 
haunt  us  like  a  dismal  ghost,  and  our  consciences  will  never 
let  us  take  our  eyes  from  it,  unless  they  are  seared  as  with  a 
red  hot  iron,  and  God  shall  have  given  us  over  to  a  reprobate 
mind. 

Penitens  was  a  busy,  notable  tradesman,  and  very  prosper- 
ous in  his  dealings  ;  but  died  in  the  thirty-fifth  year  of  his  age. 

A  little  before  his  death,  when  the  doctors  had  given  him 
over,  some  of  his  neighbors  came  one  evening  to  see  him ;  at 
which  time  he  spake  thus  to  them : 

"  I  see  (says  he)  my  friends,  the  tender  concern  you  have  for 
me,  by  the  grief  that  appears  in  your  countenances,  and  I 
know  the  thoughts  that  you  now  have  of  me.  You  think  how 
melancholy  a  case  it  is  to  see  so  young  a  man,  and  in  such 
flourishing  business,  delivered  up  to  death.  And  perhaps,  had 
I  visited  any  of  you  in  my  condition,  I  should  have  had 
the  same  thoughts  of  you.    But  now,  my  friends,  my  thoughts 


AN  INQUIRY,  dtC.  645 


are  no  more  like  your  thoughts,  than  my  condition  is  like  yours. 
It  is  no  trouble  to  me  now  to  think  that  I  am  to  die  young,  or 
before  I  have  raised  an  estate.  These  things  are  sunk  into  such 
mere  nothings,  that  I  have  no  name  little  enough  to  call  them 
by.  For  in  a  few  days,  or  hours,  I  am  to  leave  this  carcass  to 
be  buried  in  the  earth,  and  to  find  myself  either  for  ever  happy 
in  the  favor  of  God,  or  eternally  separated  from  all  light  and 
peace ;  can  any  words  sufficiently  express  the  littleness  of 
every  thing  else  ? 

'•'Is  there  any  dream  like  the  dream  of  life,  which  amuses 
us  with  the  neglect  and  disregard  of  these  things  ?  Is  there 
any  folly  like  the  folly  of  our  manly  state,  which  is  too  wise 
and  busy  to  be  at  leisure  for  these  reflections  ? 

"  When  we  consider  death  as  a  misery,  we  generally  think^ 
of  it  as  a  miserable  separation  from  the  enjoyments  of  this  life. 
We  seldom  mourn  over  an  old  man  that  dies  rich,  but  we  la- 
ment the  young,  that  are  taken  away  in  the  progress  of  their 
fortunes.  You  yourselves  look  upon  me  with  pity,  not  that 
you  think  I  am  going  unprepared  to  meet  the  Judge  of  quick 
and  dead,  but  that  I  am  to  leave  a  prosperous  trade  in  the 
flower  of  my  life. 

"  This  is  the  wisdom  of  our  manly  thoughts.  And  yet  what 
folly  of  the  silliest  children  is  so  great  as  this?  For  what  is 
^there  miserable  or  dreadful  in  death,  but  the  consequences  of 
it  ?  When  a  man  is  dead,  what  does  any  thing  signify  to  him, 
but  the  state  he  is  then  in  ? 

"  Our  poor  friend  Lepidus,  you  know,  died  as  he  was  dress- 
ing himself  for  a  feast ;  do  you  think  it  is  now  part  of  his 
trouble  that  he  did  not  live  till  that  entertainment  was  over  ? 
Feasts,  and  business,  and  pleasures,  and  enjoyments,  seem 
great  things  to  us,  whilst  we  think  of  nothing  else  ;  but  as  soon 
as  we  add  death  to  them,  they  all  sink  into  littleness  not  to  be 
expressed ;  and  the  soul  that  is  separated  from  the  body  no 
more  laments  the  loss  of  business,  than  the  losing  of  a  feast. 

"  If  I  am  now  going  to  the  joys  of  God,  could  there  be  any 
reason  to  grieve  that  this  happened  to  me  before  I  was  forty 
years  of  age?  Can  it  be  a  sad  thing  to  go  to  heaven,  before 
I  have  made  a  (ew  more  bargains,  or  stood  a  little  longer  be- 
hind a  counter? 

"  And  if  I  am  to  go  among  lost  spirits,  could  there  be  any 
rccison  to  be  content,  that  this  did  not  happen  to  me  till  I  was 
old  and  full  of  riches  ? 

"  If  good  angels  were  ready  to  receive  my  soul,  could  it  be 
any  grief  to  me  that  I  was  dying  on  a  poor  bed  in  a  garret  ? 

"  And  if  God  has  delivered  me  up  to  evil  spirits,  to  be  dragged 
by  them  to  places  of  torment,  could  it  be  any  comfort  to  me, 


646  AN  INQUIRY,  AC. 

that  they  found  me  upon  a  bed  of  state?  When  you  are  as 
near  death  as  I  am,  you  will  know,  that  all  the  different  states 
of  life,  whether  of  youth  or  age,  riches  or  poverty,  greatness  or 
meanness,  signify  no  more  to  you  than  whether  you  die  in  a 
poor  or  stately  apartment. 

"  The  greatness  of  the  things  which  follow  death,  makes  al) 
that  goes  before  it  sink  into  nothing. 

"  Now  that  judgment  is  the  next  thing  which  I  look  for,  and 
everlasting  happiness  or  misery  has  come  so  near  to  me,  all 
the  enjoyments  and  prosperities  of  life  seem  as  vain  and  insig- 
nificant, and  to  have  no  more  to  dp  with  my  happiness,  than 
the  clothes  that  I  wore  when  I  was  a  little  child. 

"  What  a  strange  thing !  that  a  little  health,  or  the  poor 
business  of  a  shop,  sho'.-'.ld  keep  us  so  senseless  of  these  great 
thmofs  that  are  coming  so  fast  upon  uc ! 

"Just  as  you  came  into  my  chamber,  I  was  thinking  with  my- 
self, what  numbers  of  souls  there  are  in  the  world  in  my  con- 
dition at  this  very  time,  surprised  with  a  summons  to  the  other 
world ;  some  taken  from  their  shops  and  farms,  others  from 
their  sports  and  pleasures ;  these  at  suits  of  law,  those  at  gam- 
ing-tables ;  some  on  the  road,  others  at  their  own  fire-sides ; 
and  all  seized  at  an  hour  when  they  thought  nothing  of  it ; 
frightened  at  the  approach  of  death,  confounded  at  the  vanity 
of  all  their  labors,  designs,  and  projects,  astonished  at  the  folly 
of  their  past  lives,  and  not  knowing  which  way  to  turn  their 
thoughts  to  find  any  comfort ;  their  consciences  flying  in  their 
faces,  bringing  all  their  sins  to  remembrance,  tormenting  them 
with  the  deepest  convictions  of  their  own  folly,  presenting  them 
with  the  sight  of  the  angry  Judge,  and  the  worm  that  never 
dies,  the  fire  that  is  never  quenched,  the  gates  of  hell,  the  power 
of  darkness,  and  the  bitter  pains  of  eternal  death. 

"  O  my  friends,  bless  God  that  you  are  not  of  this  number ; 
and  take  this  along  with  you,  that  there  is  nothing  but  a  real 
faith  in  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  a  life  of  true  piety,  or  a  death  of 
great  stupidity,  that  can  keep  off"  these  apprehensions. 

"  Had  I  now  a  thousand  worlds,  I  would  give  them  all  for 
one  moment's  scriptural  assurance  that  I  had  really  received 
the  Lord  Jesus  by  a  living  faith  into  my  heart,  and  for  one 
more  year's  continuance  in  life,  that  I  might  evidence  the  sin- 
cerity of  that  faith,  by  presenting  unto  God  one  year  of  such 
devotion  and  good  works  as  I  am  persuaded  I  have  hitherto 
never  done. 

"  Perhaps,  when  you  consider  that  I  have  lived  free  from 
scandal  and  debauchery,  and  in  the  communion  of  the  church, 
you  wonder  to  see  me  so  full  of  remorse  and  self-condemnation 
at  the  approach  of  death. 


AN  INQUIRY,  tC.  647 

"  But,  alas !  what  a  poor  thing  is  it  to  have  Hved  only  free 
from  murder,  theft  and  adultery,  which  is  all  that  I  can  say  of 
myself  Was  not  the  slothful  servant,  that  is  condemned  in 
the  gospel,  thus  negatively  good  ?  And  did  not  the  Savior  of 
mankind  tell  the  young  man.  who  led  a  more  blameless  and 
moral  life  than  I  have  done,  that  yet  one  thing  lie  lacked  ? 

"  But  the  thing  that  now  surprises  me  above  all  wonders  is 
this,  that  till  of  late  I  never  was  convinced  of  that  reigning, 
soul-destroying  sin  of  unbelief;  and  that  I  was  out  of  a  state 
of  salvation,  notwithstanding  my  negative  goodness,  my  seem- 
ingly strict  morality,  and  attendance  on  public  worship  and 
the  holy  sacrament.  It  never  entered  into  my  head  or  heart, 
that  the  righteousness  of  Jesus  Christ  alone  could  recommend 
me  to  the  favor  of  a  sin-avenging  God,  and  that  I  must  be 
born  again  of  God,  and  have  Christ  formed  in  my  heart,  be- 
fore I  could  have  any  well-guarded  assurance  that  I  was  a 
christian  indeed,  or  have  any  solid  foundation  whereon  I  might 
build  the  superstructure  of  a  truly  holy  and  pious  life. 

"Alas !  I  thought  I  had  faith  hi  Christ,  because  I  was  born 
in  a  christian  country,  and  said  in  my  creed,  that  'I  believed 
on  Jesus  Christ,  Gods  only  Son,  our  Lord.'  I  thought  I  was 
certainly  regenerate  and  born  again,  and  was  a  real  christian, 
because  I  was  baptized  when  I  was  young,  and  received  the 
holy  sacrament  in  my  adult  age.  But,  alas  !  little  did  I  con- 
sider that  faith  is  something  more  than  the  world  generally 
tliinks  of;  a  work  of  the  heart  and  not  merely  of  the  head,  and 
that  I  must  know  and  feel  that  there  is  no  other  name  given 
under  heaven,  whereby  I  can  be  saved,  but  that  of  Jesus  Christ. 

"  It  is  true,  indeed,  you  have  frequently  seen  me  at  church 
and  the  sacrament ;  but,  alas  !  you  little  tliink  what  remorse  of 
conscience  I  now  feel  for  so  frequently  sayinsf,  'the  remem- 
brance of  our  sins  is  grievous  unto  us,  and  the  burden  of  them 
is  intolerable,'  when  I  never  experienced  the  meaning  of  them 
in  all  my  life.  You  have  also  seen  me  join  with  the  minister 
when  he  said,  '  we  do  not  approach  thy  table  trusting  on  our 
own  righteousness  ;'  but  all  this  while  I  was  utterly  ignorant 
of  God's  righteousness,  which  is  by  faith  in  Christ  Jesus,  and 
was  going  about  to  establish  a  righteousness  of  my  own.  It 
is  true,  indeed,  t  have  kept  the  fasts  and  feasts  of  the  church, 
and  have  called  Christ  Lord,  Lord  ;  but  little  did  I  think  that 
no  one  could  call  Christ  truly  Lord,  but  by  the  Holy  Ghost. 
I  have  attended  upon  ordinations,  and  heard  the  bishop  ask  the 
candidates,  '  whether  they  were  called  by  the  Holy  Ghost ;'  I 
have  seriously  attended  to  the  minister,  when  he  exhorted  us 
to  pray  for  true  repentance,  and  God's  Holy  Spirit ;  but,  alas  ! 
I  never  inquired  whether  I  myself  had  received  the  Holy  Ghost, 


648  AN  iNuuiRY,  ate. 

to  sanctify  and  purify  my  heart,  and  work  a  true  evangelical 
repentance  on  my  soul.  I  have  prayed  in  the  litany  that  I 
might  bring  forth  fruits  of  the  Spirit,  but,  alas !  my  whole  life 
has  been  nothing  but  a  dead  life,  a  round  of  duties,  and  model 
of  performances,  without  any  living  faith  for  their  foundation. 
I  have  professed  myself  a  member  of  the  Church  of  England ; 
I  have  cried  out,  '  The  temple  of  the  Lord,  the  temple  of  the 
Lord,'  and  in  my  zeal  have  exclaimed  against  Dissenters  ;  but 
little  did  I  think  that  I  was  ignorant  all  this  while  of  most  of 
her  essential  articles,  and  that  my  practice,  as  well  as  the  want 
of  real  experience  of  a  work  of  regeneration  and  true  conver- 
sion, when  I  was  usinsf  her  offices,  and  reading  her  homilies, 
gave  my  conscience  the  lie. 

'•  O  my  friends,  a  form  of  godliness  7/ithout  the  power,  and 
dead  morality  not  founded  on  a  living  faith  in  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  is  such  a  dreadful  delusion,  so  contrary  to  the  lively  ora- 
cles of  God,  that  did  not  I  know,  (though  alas  how  late !)  that 
the  righteousness  of  Jesus  Christ  was  revealed  in  them,  and 
that  there  was  mercy  to  be  found  with  God,  if  we  venture  by  a 
real  faith  on  that  righteousness,  though  at  the  eleventh  hour, 
I  must  now  sink  into  total  despair." 

Penitens  was  here  going  on,  but  had  his  mouth  stopped  by 
a  convulsion,  which  never  suffered  him  to  speak  any  more.  He 
lay  convulsed  about  twelve  hours,  and  then  gave  up  the  ghost. 

Now  if  every  reader  would  imagine  this  Penitens  to  have 
been  some  particular  acquaintance  or  relation  of  his,  and  fancy 
that  he  saw  and  heard  all  which  is  here  described  ;  that  he 
stood  by  his  bed-side  when  his  poor  friend  lay  in  such  distress 
and  agony,  lamenting  the  want  of  a  living  faith  in  Jesus  Christ, 
as  the  cause  of  a  dead,  lifeless,  indevout  life  ;  besides  this,  should 
he  consider  how  often  he  himself  might  have  been  surprised  in 
the  same  formal,  dead  state,  and  made  an  example  to  the  rest 
of  the  vv^orld ;  this  double  reflection,  both  upon  the  distress  of 
his  friend,  and  that  goodness  of  God  which  ought  to  have  led 
him  to  repentance,  would,  in  all  likelihood,  set  him  upon  seek- 
ing and  earnestly  praying  for  such  a  faith,  of  which  Penitens 
felt  himself  void,  and  constrain  him  to  let  the  Lord  have  no  rest, 
till  he  should  be  pleased  to  apply  the  righteousness  of  his  dear 
Son  to  his  sin-sick  soul,  and  enable  him  henceforward  to  study, 
out  of  love,  to  glorify  him  in  all  the  actions  of  his  future  life, 
as  the  best  and  happiest  thing  in  the  world. 

This  therefore  being  so  useful  a  meditation,  I  shall  here  leave 
the  reader,  I  hope,  seriously  engaged  in  it. 

THE  END. 


i 


